Cruise Bruise Blog
April 21, 2009
April 21, 2009
Cruising In Hell: The Story Of Mal de Debarquement Syndrome

Work is continuing in the back end of the website. During this time I am also adding archived articles.  We can only really begin to see how long and how deep the problems associated with passenger ships is, when we look at the past.

To that end, I continue to add the many cases sitting on my desk. It does feel good to see that stack getting smaller.

April 21, 2009
Cruising In Hell: The Story Of Mal de Debarquement Syndrome

Another Cruise Bruise visitor has come telling her story of taking a cruise, pulling back into port, disembarking from the ship but not from the cruise. On the surface, to listen to the story, it seems like a really minor event. So, what? Big deal, crusting is fun, it must be great to cruise forever, right? Wrong.

I suffered the most severe of these symptoms myself for over a year, and the severe symptoms for many years. During that first couple years I was bed-ridden. The pain and nausea was so debilitating it wore my brain out so severely all I could do was sleep 23 hours a day. I didn't sleep by choice, my brain just simply shut down.

For the next ten years, seeing that working at my job was going to be impossible, I tried to learn something new, that I could do in such a diminished capacity. That is when I decided to learn computer programming and html under the absolute worst circumstance in the world.

It is one thing to have a hand, arm, foot or leg that doesn't work right, causing pain and inabilities. When the brain shuts down none of the rest of the body works, it is 100% disabling. The will to do things is simply not enough.

I would sit at the computer trying to read the materials. Five minutes later, I would crawl to the bedroom, climb into bed, and sleep for another 23 hours, my brain exhausted.

Over time, I was able to increase the learning period to 10 minutes, 15 minutes and more. But, it was a slow tedious, painful process. It was not only the most life-changing experience imaginable for me, but also for my family.

While over a period of years I was able to learn "work arounds" to the daily tasks most people take for granted, the dream of programming was just too unrealistic. I had to settle for learning html, a goal that although more attainable, was still something to be learned under severely excruciating conditions.

It was only through determination to make the disability less disabling and a refusal to be defeated that I was able to learn over a period of years enough to finally hand code a web page. My personal motto became, "Failure is not an option" and I still live by that today.

The story this Cruise Bruise visitor brings me is dear to my heart. I have walked in her shoes, for a very, very long time. She is just embarking on her lifetime voyage at sea, and has a long, hard road ahead of her.

You need to really think about what she is saying, because Mal de Debarquement Syndrome can strike anyone at any time and it really is cruising in hell. Gina Panettieri is not the only case of Mal de Debarquement on Cruise Bruise, there are numerous others that can complete the understanding of the full extent of this condition. You can read Gina Panettieri's story here.