Je m’appelle Silvia. Je déteste à voler

Yesterday’s tragic plane crash in the French Alps has really rocked me. I’ve never been an enthusiastic flyer and horrific incidents like this amp up my anxiety about getting on a plane in the next couple of weeks. In the big picture, I don’t think it really makes a difference why the plane went down, be it equipment failure, pilot error or some other more dastardly reason like terrorism. All I know is that I’m going to France next month and I’m not feeling too psyched about flying.

Many years ago I flew to London a couple of days after the Lockerbie crash and I don’t recall considering canceling my trip for even an instant – youthful ignorance was my probably my saving grace. The security at both JFK and Heathrow was incredibly intense that December, but there wasn’t anything getting between me and my New Year’s Eve in London plans. I boarded that plane without a moment’s hesitation.

Over the years, though, I’ve become increasingly less comfortable flying. I get motion sickness and find the stale cabin air to be a petri dish of nastiness and potential sickness. Finding balance between staying hydrated and using the airplane’s bathroom facilities as infrequently as possible, is tough to manage.

There was a time when I would have had a couple of drinks before boarding in the hopes that I would pass out fall asleep but, I think the potential for a hangover is too great and I don’t want to waste prime vacation time feeling like merde. I’ve learned to take a prescription medication to help to avoid the travel sickness and yesterday afternoon I took what seems like the next logical – I phoned my doctor and requested something for air travel anxiety.  Hello, Valium prescription.

I’m not taking this step lightly, I don’t really like taking drugs, but I know I will be uncomfortable flying.  Uncomfortable in so many different ways – emotionally, mentally, physically (my hips don’t appreciate sitting for 6+ hours), too.  I can deal with physical pain or emotional or mental discomfort, but the triple whammy of all three simultaneously is a bit much.  Sleeping through some of that sounds like a bonne idée.