Mal de Debarquement

I have a tendency to ramble, so sorry if I should happen to lose you! :-)


I am a 46 year old MOM to 3 beautiful children. They have all grown up and gone, and started families of their own, so I am also Nana to 2 and another on the way this year.

In Novemeber of 2011, I went on a car trip from Houston to Oklahoma for a visit with family. I have never really "returned" from that trip.

You see after a 6 hour car drive back to Houston, my brain decided to flip a switch and stay in the car. It (my brain) now thinks my body is still in motion. It has been 19 months now that I have felt this way and I can honestly say it has gotten to me.

I was a healthy, active Nana and Mom always running here or there, spending time with friends, doing normal "life" stuff and then WHAM! i AM NO LONGER EVEN ME.

It took a full year, specialist after specialist, test after test and through process of elimination, I was diagnosed with MAL DE DEBARQUEMENT SYNDROME. You can read more about that here:

                                             http://www.mddsfoundation.org/



Its a horrible, delibilitating condition with no cure. I have days when I can function in my home and then there are the days that all I can do is sleep. So far no medications have helped and a few of them have actually caused other issues.

If you are like me, you have probably never even heard of this before. I had no idea any such medical condition even existed. Would have never guessed it either.

I do remember being younger and having days at the lake with family and getting out of a boat, I would have those "sea legs" for a few hours.. You know the ones that make you feel as though you are still on the boat??

Well guess what.... Thats how I feel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week now. I can say I have gotten much better than I was in the beginning. I can at least function most days now, at least to the extent of being able to brush my hair, but I still have bad days. Bad days that make it impossible to shower, cook, clean