Friday 26 April 2019

Flying with a vestibular disorder - I did it

Hey Guys

I thought I would drop in and give you a few updates about what's been going on with me. I didn't realise I had not posted anything for so long.

So the last thing I told you was that I was having some new vestibular testing done and another MRI. Thankfully all tests came back normal. Great in that there is nothing seriously wrong but not so great in that I am no wiser about what could be wrong.

Anyway I was referred to a hospital in Liverpool to further have my eyes examined since it has been found in the past that I have a few abnormalities regarding my eye movement. I won't go into them here as I have blogged about the abnormal eye movements in previous posts.

So I saw a specialist at Liverpool for a quick examination about a month ago now. It was not an in depth examination just a basic initial assessment and a get to know me and my situation type thing. At this appointment horizontal end point nystagmus was observed as well as mild exophoria. Like I said this was a very basic examination compared to what I have had done in the past. Those past examinations found 3 other ocular motility issues along with nystagmus and mild exophoria. The great news is that I have now been referred to see a neuro ophthalmologist to further examine my eyes and see if they could be causing or at least contributing to the nearly 12 years of constant dizziness and vertigo. As you can imagine I am hoping he can tell me that my eyes are causing /contributing to my daily symptoms and that they can offer some help to me, be it prism lenses, medication, visual therapy. I'm open to anything. Anyway I am waiting for an appointment date and will let you guys know how it all goes. It's taken a long time to get here.

Apart from hospital visits these past few months I actually did something in March that I still cannot believe I did. I took a commercial flight with easy Jet. I have not flown in 20 years. Partly because of some anxiety about flying but mainly because of not knowing how flying would effect my balance and dizziness symptoms. Well, last month I thought to hell with it as there is only one way to find out and that is to jump on a plane.

I found out about a course run by Easy Jet airlines which they call the Easy Jet Fearless Flyer course. It is for people who are scared of flying. I won't go into the details but you attend a 3 hour lecture/presentation made up of easy jet pilots and motivational speakers designed to put peoples mind's at ease and squash the common misconception people have about flying. Once the day's presentation is over participants then find themselves walking through an airport and sitting on an easy jet flight about to take off, ha. The flight lasted about 40 minutes.

The course was perfect for me as I had some anxiety about flying but primarily I could use it to see how my vertigo/dizziness would react being on a plane. I figured the flight is only an hour max and we land back were we started. I thought even if I react badly (dizzy/nausea etc) it would be over soon enough.

So I did it. The day was very long but fun. The Easy Jet team were fabulous and were right along side you each step of the way. Thankfully I had a decent day dizzy wise. I had nerves leading up to the day obviously given my daily symptoms. I thought am I mad attempting this. I just kept hoping I wouldn't be too symptomatic come the day and fortunately I was not.

I felt confident about the flight whilst waiting to get on and thought it would be fine. I felt that way and kept telling myself that over and over. I was actually looking forward to take off.

That is when the engines starting roaring. It became very apparent immediately that speeding down a runway with a vestibular issue is like nothing I have felt before. I had a feeling before hand that I needed a window seat and thank god I did, ha. I found it very uneasy to stare at the seat in front of me as it was vibrating as we headed down the runway. I found it uneasy looking down the cabin because of the bouncing of the plane. Instead I looked out of the window and fixed my gaze into the distance or at the engine beside me. This  helped me feel more stable. Then we lifted into the air and began to climb.

Lift off is an unusual feeling for healthy people with no vestibular issue but for me it was especially unusual. My body and head were very sensitive to the fact I was floating /flying through the air. I could feel every single bump, turn, acceleration, deceleration. At this point I was anxious and just waiting for the climb to be over and for the plane to level out. I would be lying if I said the take off was comfortable as it was not. It was disconcerting to say the least and surprised me. I honestly thought I wouldn't feel a thing.

However once the plane levelled out it became much easier to handle. Sure I was dizzy and it all felt odd but I started to relax. Mid flight was ok as was the landing. No increase in symptoms what so ever upon landing. Before I knew it the flight was over. I was proud of myself for doing it but also a little shocked at how uneasy the take off felt but very glad I did it. I now know what to expect.

I have not let the first few minutes of take off put me off flying. I have just booked myself on an actual trip next month This time I will be in the air 1hr 15 min plus I will also have second flight a few days later since I will need to return home, ha. So two flights coming up.

If any of you suffering with a vestibular disorder and are scared to fly because of it I say you can do it. Obviously start with a very short journey and see how you feel. Baby steps. I have spoken with vestibular patients and they all say the take off is the most uncomfortable part but once in the air and level it becomes easier. I now know exactly what they mean. My biggest advice for anyone wanting to fly with a vestibular disorder is to make sure you book a window seat just so you can look out into the distance. It really helps. Also there are lots of other things you could try such as travel sickness wrist bands, travel sickness pills, ear plugs, anxiety techniques to help calm yourself. I will say that despite the exaggerated movement and feelings whilst on the plane I did not feel nauseous or sick at all. In that regards I was absolutely fine thankfully.

Also for anyone in the Uk who is scared to fly or have never flown before then I'm telling you the Easy Jet Fearless flyers course is amazing. I talked to people that day who had never even flown before because of how terrified they were of planes. Those very same people got on the plane after the Easy Jet presentation that day and walked off of it with smiles on their faces saying how much they enjoyed it. Incredible really.

Here is the actual proof of me flying the UK skies, ha.





Take care

Swimmyhead


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