Air Travel and VM advice and experiences with it?

Dear all,

Hello, I am new to this forum, thank you for being here. I was diagnosed with VM last November after suffering for the past 20 years with it. I am trying to find my way with various treatments and need some advice with travel. I am going on a long air flight (11 hours) and am worried about how it will go for me. I don’t want to spend my holiday in bed… I would love to hear about other peoples experiences and what they have done to help deal with the journey and travel in general.

Cheers, I am grateful to you all,
B

Its not bad at all. I found the turbulence got me worked up but rest of flight was normal.

Use a nasal spray for congestion during take off and landing. Chew on something during take off and landing. Both of these help the eustachian tubes stay clear.

Stay hydrated.

Avoid airline food if possible (sometimes high in sodium). Take a low sodium choice if given one.

Are you currently on VM medication, make sure you take them on time.

Otherwise stay distracted and watch a movie or sleep. Have a fun trip !

1 Like

I’ve traveled a lot while afflicted with this. Been to Brazil and back twice. I actually find the change in routine (waking up early for a flight) messes me up more than the flight itself

I always keep a couple Advil migraine in my pocket in case I feel migraine creeping in, but otherwise I wouldn’t worry too much about flying. You’ll be just fine!

1 Like

General travel advice from someone in the trade:-

1.Always pack your pills in your hand luggage not your hold luggage.
2. Dont drink alcohol while travelling
3.Buy your own copious water supplies in the terminal before boarding.Make sure you keep hydrated even if it’s not easy to get to the toilet ie if not in aisle seat.
4.Check if your pills are legal in your destination country and if not make sure you have a doctor’s letter to show customs/cops if required.
5.Also have doctors letter that says you are safe to fly if you are likely to appear drunk, anxious ill or confused on boarding. The cabin crew may deny you boarding if they feel you are not healthy. Sometimes they ring a specialist helpline to check your symptoms.
6. If travelling alone have a letter explaining your condition you can thrust in someones hand if required. Ideally in the local foreign language and English
7. Check the legality and insurance issue of driving in your destination country with VM
8. Don’t forget to declare to your travel insurer
9. Allow plenty of time for connections especially flight connections. The minimum connx time stated on the airlines website is not enough believe me.
10. If you have an attack in flight and need a wheelchair at dest, the earlier you ask for one the better
11. Take your own food and eat on your own schedule if meal timing can be a trigger
12.Always pack your pills in your hand luggage not your hold luggage.

1 Like