Mal de Debarquement Syndrome induced by flying In response to A life on the ocean wave I live in Australia and flew to London to visit my daughter. When I got off the plane I noticed I had the swaying, like walking on an air bed in a swimming pool. When I went to bed that night I felt like I could feel the force of the aeroplane landing in the centre of my back in the thoracic region. A really weird feeling. I have previously experienced the swaying/rocking sensation after being on a cruise boat for 3 days. The swaying sensation went after about 6 weeks. This time it has not left. I have had Mal de debarquement for 3 years. It is very debilitating. I, too had trouble with my vision and tinnitus. I would find it very difficult to comprehend at times what people were saying to me at work. I work in a medical specialist practice. To describe how I felt after about the first three months would be to say that I aged over night. I was extremely exhausted. I had to keep working even though I was so very very sick. I had the MRIs etc like everybody else and eventually after about 8 months got diagnosed by a neurologist at the RPA hospital in Sydney with this condition. For the first 12mths it was a huge struggle to go out anywhere and to get through the day at work. I would cry and pray that it would go away. I tried physiotherapy, acupuncture, diet, etc. Time is probably the only cure. I find also if I get tired, it worsens. Before I took the flight to London, I must say that I was extremely exhausted and stressed out from work. I really do think that this makes you a strong candidate for this condition. After struggling to cope with this condition for the first 6 months, I went to see my GP and asked for anti-depressants. He prescribed Efexor, a small dose. I do feel that it helped. The symptoms did not go away. It just helped me to cope a little better. In my opinion, I think the best management for this condition is DE-STRESS, get plenty of sleep, exercise, move, move and more move. I bought a treadmill which has helped also. Trying to explain to people who have not suffered with this is very difficult. Unless you have had it, you have no idea how AWFUL it is. Three years later, my symptoms are only about 15% of what they were initially. Thank GOD. Comment on this article Tell us your story