Re: I'm Baaaaaaack! Question re: a new symptom??????

[Guest guest]

Hi Grma Lee,

I have had the same experience that you have had but I never knew why I had it

happened. This was 20 years ago before I knew I had chiari but I was having bad

headaches. My head felt like it had a lot of pressure in it before I went on the

airplane. I was taking sudafed because I didn't know what was wrong with my

head. At that time, I thought maybe I had some kind of sinus infection although

I wasn't sick otherwise. I was on the airplane to California from NJ which was a

longer flight than I'm used to taking. I fell asleep on the plane and when I

woke up I felt sick and I stood up to go to the bathroom. I then started to feel

funny and I lost my eye sight. Before loosing my eyesight I saw a flight

attendent near me, so I asked for help and I said I couldn't see. They took me

in the back and put an oxygen mask on me. My vision returned probably about

30-45 seconds but it felt like forever. I was by myself travelling to visit a

friend. They were going to

land the plane but since I started to get a little better we waited, it wasn't

too much farther to go. When we landed the plane they had a doctor waiting for

me. He was useless. He said I looked fine and that it wouldn't have been the

sudafed causing problems. Then he said he was going to charge me $150. I said

why should I pay that when you didn't even look at me. We were only standing by

the planes gate. I left with my friend and luckily never received a bill from

him. At that time, I was seeing a lot of floaters on the sides of my eyes and I

had worse headaches at that time. Well, I will never fall asleep on an airplane

again. On my flight home I was so nervous that it was going to happen again, I

went home on the night flight and was the only one awake. It has not happened

again. I went to an eye doctor and MD after that happened but they didn't find

anything. I just think that there was so much pressure in my head at that time

and I think that

falling asleep made it worse. I don't really know what advise to give you but I

try to drink a lot of water and not eat big meals before travelling.

erica

________________________________

To:

Sent: Tue, March 23, 2010 8:16:19 PM

Subject: I'm Baaaaaaack! Question re: a new

symptom??????

Evening Group Members --

It has been several months, several, since i last posted and check the CCI group

page.

No, I really didn't fall off the face of the earth. LOL

I was decompressed and fused to C-5 in Nov. 2007 and detethered in Apr 2007 just

to refresh. it took approx. 1 1/2 years to actually start feeling better after

the decom/fusion. Actually had a 3-4 period of NO headaches! Well, the

headaches have returned since last July or August.

Plus, my legs just ache, esp. at night when I lay down and the ol' feet are

going numb. Bummer.

And then a yr. ago a new symptom has appeared. At least I think it is a new

symptom and am looking for input on anyone else experiencing this and what can

be done to help.

I have flown several times since all my surgeries and have never had a problem.

Then a year ago as the plane was descending I nearly blacked out and had to have

oxygen put on me. Was just fine after the oxygen. The return flight home I

took dramimine and no problems. Then about 4 weeks ago I flew to AZ to visit

grandkids and didn't have any dramimine and guess what -- yep -- got to the

point of blacking out and they put oxygen on me again and this time I even lost

control of my bowels. Yikes!!!!! On my flight back home i had dramimine and I

did not have a problem.

If anyone has had similar experience, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks.

Grma Lee

------------------------------------

Please Visit Our Website at: http://www.chiariconnectioninternational.com/

Lots Of Information That May Be Helpful

[Guest guest]

Maybe it is a vasovagal response after sitting for a long time then the pressure

changes in the plane, setting it off. 

Perhaps the Dramamine helps some mechanism in the neck or head to not react to

the change, thereby not setting off the vasovagal response. Next time also try

plenty of leg movement and leg raises during the flight, and your arms, and as

others have said, hydrate well, no coffee sodas or alcohol, even try deep

breathing exercises that you do during the flight.

I have vasovagal syndrome.  If you Google it you will see that there is a long

list of things that can trigger a vasovagal faint, that does not include the

additional triggers that we have with multiple problems, surgeries and

anamolies.

Flights make me dizzy and I find that without even thinking about it, I wiggle

and squirm a lot, the longer the flight, the higher the chance I will be dizzy,

disoriented and a migraine starts. Now that I know about the vasovagal, I think

I was unconsciously preventing an event. Now I conscisouly sit on the aisle so I

can stretch and raise my legs, I stand up when safe, etc, to reduce the problems

i have after the flight.

I often take dramamine or sudafed and migraine meds before or during the first

cart service of the flight.

And salt. My neurosurgeon and two cardiologists tell me to eat more salt, to

help keep blood volume up -- all the time, not just for flights.

The weird thing is that for most of my vasovagal events, I have fainted but not

fallen down. Instead, I freeze -- even sitting up. I grab things as I am

fainting and they can't pry my fingers open, usually a chair arm but one time I

grabbed the edge of a doctor's lab coat. Next time he will listen when a

patient says " no, don't press th.... "

Hanna

Subject: I'm Baaaaaaack! Question re: a new

symptom??????

To:

Date: Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 8:16 PM

.... as the plane was descending I nearly blacked out and had to have oxygen put

on me. ... The return flight home I took dramimine and no problems. ...