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Coping with MdDS

• Whenever possible, avoid the back seat when traveling in a car        
• For many, being the driver is better than being a passenger.  If you have to be a passenger, look straight ahead instead of looking from side to side.    
• When taking long trips, stop every couple hours and take a 10-15 minute walk.  This is good for your balance as well as your circulation.

• Be well rested before your trip        
• Reduce stress by packing early and getting to the airport well in advance  (Stress increases symptoms)        
• Try Earplanes, an earplug sold at most drug stores.  Betty Sue says, "I don't take them off until after I disembark and I put them in before the door closes.  They helped me a lot."        
• Marla suggests sitting by the wing section because it's less turbulent        
• Avoid reading        
• Discuss medication options with your physician.  Some Support Group members' physicians have suggested taking benzodiazepines or slightly increasing their dosage prior to and for a short time after air travel.   Benzodiazepines suppress the vestibular system and may help minimize the affects flights have on MdDS symptoms.  While many Support Group members claim this course of action has helped them during travel, clinical studies are required to prove their effectiveness across the population of MdDS sufferers. 

 REMEMBER, travel affects each of our symptoms differently.  One Support Group member suggests, "we need to experiment, gently, in order to see what we can tolerate."