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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    22

    Default How do you fly on an airplane?

    I would like to go visit my niece in Texas this summer. I've flown a few times but not in the past 15 years and when I did I always have had another adult to help me. I'm not terrified of flying, I'm terrified of being on a plane with no control of the others around me. The first time I flew a lady sat down beside me and picked up a barf bag. I panicked. She said she had been on planes all day flying from China and you could tell she had had some alcohol. I was a nervous wreck on that flight but it was only a short ride, 45 mins and she was off the plane. The rest of the ride was great. On this trip I would like to take, it's a 3 1/2 hour ride and I would either be by myself or with my 17 year old daughter. So my question is what do others with emet do to get through the flight. I can visualize my heart racing sitting in the airport waiting to board the plance. I have a fear of me and others v*. I wish there was a place where one could go to be alone. I would love any advice you could give.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    4,960

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    I ALWAYS have my ipod with me on planes, and I sit and close my eyes, or look out the window if I have a window seat. I find it best to NOT look at other people before I get on the plane, because if I do, I find that I'm assessing who looks like they're ill, who looks like they've been drinking, who might be eating something which might make them ill (In a gate lounge one day, I watched a four year old eat about seven chocolate bars, and then got on the plane to find she was sitting next to me, and she was travelling alone... I FREAKED.)

    You'll be fine, it's less common than you think that people get ill on a plane. I've travelled a LOT on planes, and I've not once seen someone get sick. Never. And I'm talking a couple of times a year, every year that I travel.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    1,051

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    I get a lot of meds and try to sleep the whole way. Last time I had two motion sickness meds and xanax (all prescribed and taken following doctor's instructions) and I pretty much slept the whole way, except waking up to pee, and for takeoff/landing.
    "I'm not supposed to be like this, but it's okay" -- The Wrong Child, R.E.M.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    France
    Posts
    63

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    I travel several times a year. I always take distractions(magazines, ipod, notepad...) I also take one dramamine even though i have never felt sick on a plane just reassures me. I agree 100% with Kaydeejayde, I force myself not to look at the people around me otherwise same thing i start overanalyzing!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    114

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    I have kind of an embarrassing story not meant to scare you. I was on a plane and had the window seat and the girl who sat in the middle seat brought a huge Macy's bag and was v* into it the entire time. I guess she always gets airsick so she didn't eat before or anything so it was just water basically. I felt really bad and she kept apologizing but I started to panic so I went in the back of the plane, told the flight attendants I couldn't be there and they gave me a chair type thing and I sat in the back of the plane (totally in their way) for 90 minutes hahaha. So embarrassing. Then they made me go back for landing and I didn't want to be trapped against the window and the guy on the aisle wouldn't trade with me, so the poor sick girl moved to the window for me. I felt so bad. Anyways. Moral of my story is I ALWAYS make sure to get an aisle seat so I will never be trapped and can turn all the way away if I need to. That is, unless, I'm flying with friends or family. Then I clearly get the window.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    22

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    Thanks for the suggestions. I would probably prefer the aisle seat too. I always have to have an outside seat at restuarants, movies or anywhere public when I'm sitting in case I need to escape. But on a plane you can't escape. I would have gone into a FULL panic attack if I was beside the lady with the Macy's bag. I agree that an ipod would work and keeping my eyes closed. The anticipation is the worse for me and yes I watch people to see if they look sick. I would have to have someone distract me cause I don't think I could do it myself.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    6

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    Hi Bitsy, I havent been on this website for a couple of months now, but I joined at the end of November after I had a really bad experience of someone V*ing. The main reason I joined was that after the horrible event I was set to fly overseas on a 21 hour flight! I like you was so scared. At the airport I was assessing everyone and preparing myself for the worst... and you know what? It never happened. I spent the whole flight there terrified and my whole holiday being really scared about the flight home which was a month away. By the time it came to flying home, I was so exhausted from stressing for five weeks during my holiday.. I just found the best way to get through it was to have a few strong scotch and cokes at the airport and on the plane and to have my ipod close at hand. I also made up a little "survival kit" which calming things like lavender oil, valerian and I even printed some of the nice advice I got from some of our members on here which I read at times when I felt at my worst. I know how you feel and its horrible... Isle seats are great too btw

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    4,960

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    Sometimes you CAN'T make sure you get the window or the aisle, but when you can, I always try and get the aisle if I'm by myself, as well.

    Honestly, something like that happening is SO rare. I've never been aware of anyone vomiting on a plane that I've been on. Don't let this phobia stop you going to see your niece! You'll be absolutely fine

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    New England
    Posts
    1,448

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    It's actually a total myth that you're more likely to catch something while flying. Dramamine is made for this, so if you take one you won't get sick. It's pretty rare for people to get sick on airplanes even from motion sickness, and the odds of it happening nearby are quite small. It's only happened twice while I was on a plane that I knew about and I fly a LOT.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    1,086

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    I hate to fly despite the fact that I do it alot. I love everything about flight itself, but I hate to fly. It is definitely the emet thing that hampers my flying experiences . I hate turbulence because it may make me or someone around me sick. I can give no advice to you because I just cant seem to relax on a plane. Once I do, either we hit very rough air or someone gets sick so I am just anxious the whole time.

    I can share a funny story that happened to me once on a flight. I have shared it here before and think it will add some brevity to your situation.

    Like you, beofre I get on a plane and while people are boarding once I am on the plae, I look around to see who is sick, may get sick, who is drinking and eating disgusting greasy food that could make them sick. I got on a Southwest fight once and notice that the girl across the aisle from me gathered up the sick bag, which scared the daylights out of me. I figured that she knew ahead of time that she was sick. As it turned out, she changed her tampon at her seat and needed the bad to discard it in!!!!. Yes, you read it right. I notice she was moving around a bit, and looked (like we all do, even though we shouldn't) to notice that she was squrming around more than one would do if they were ill. Then she pulled her pants down midway on her thighs and scooted her butt over the seat. When I saw this stunt, I just stared at her. Her boyfriend was in the aisle seat and she was in the middle. Her handbag had the window seat. Anyway, I noticed that she pulled her tampon out and put in a clean one. She put the dirty tampon in the sick bag and rang for the flight attendant to take it away. When she handed the flight attendant the bad, the flight attendant asked her if she had been sick. Before she could answer, I said, "No, she put her dirty tampon in there." The flight attendant got a horrified look on her face.

    I made sure I was one of the last people to get off of the plane so I could share the full story with the flight attendant. She just about fell over.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    1,086

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    That should be bag not bad. Sorry about the typos.
    Stella

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Bedfordshire
    Posts
    365

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    I'm sort of glad and not glad I read this thread, being trapped against a window whilst someone is ill never occurred to me before D:
    I'm guilty of being innocent
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  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    22

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    Stella, that is the craziest thing I've ever heard. Wonder why she couldn't wait to go to the bathroom. Maybe she had a bathroom phobia.....

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Toronto
    Posts
    171

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    I had a 7 hour flight with a v* 10 year old. NEXT TO ME. the ENTIRE flight.
    i had nightmares about it for days afterwards. while there, i just walked around a lot (aisle seat indeed) and forced myself to feel sad for the kid, and not myself. it was bloody hard, but i survived

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    4

    Default Re: How do you fly on an airplane?

    A similar story with me --

    I was taking off on a 8hr flight from London -> Vancouver. Not five minutes into the air we hit some really bad turbulence and the old lady next to me (we were sitting three seats across and I was in the middle) picked up the barf bag. I started panicking and quietly begged my sister to trade with me, and she started shushing me and people started looking at us because we were making a bit of a commotion.

    I turned around, expecting the worst, and the lady was cracking nuts and putting the shells into the bag and eating them quite happily. Ah.....

 

 

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