I can't believe the trip for the misophonia fMRI study is finally here! It seems like yesterday that I was officially accepted as a participant to the study. (In actuality, it's been a good couple of months.)
Even though my tests for the research study don't begin until Wednesday, I wanted to arrive in London a couple of days early, not only to give myself a travel buffer in case this insane/unpredictable winter weather might delay or cancel any of my flights (I have three legs going over to the UK), I also wanted to give myself ample time for my body to adjust to the time zone difference. The last thing I'd want to happen is for any jet lag to impact my brain's ability to function and give false results for the tests. (I already know from the aftermath of last year's car accident, when I was completely loopy on Tramadol, that a delirious mind is much less sensitive to triggers.) I even got up super early so I could try to get on a 7 a.m. flight instead of my original 11:15 a.m. flight. I succeeded in getting the 7 a.m. flight, but unfortunately was unable to get on an earlier flight for the second of three legs. Oh well. At least I had no problems making my last leg, which was the most important one.
Trigger-wise, it's been the same ol' stuff when it comes to traveling, except this time I'll be continuously traveling for almost 24 hours! I constantly see anxious people waiting for their flights, bouncing their legs/feet or fidgiting with objects. When debarking from my first leg, the guy directly behind me started to whistle very loudly in my ear, so I quickly stepped aside on the gangway connecting the plane to the terminal to let him pass me. I also had to ask one of the flight attendants to not lean against the back of my seat as she was monitoring people pass her into the rear of the cabin. She was very apologetic when I said that I was sensitive to the bouncing of the seat back as she leaned against it. I think if I had snapped at her instead of asking her politely not to lean against the seat, the situation might not have been as pleasant, but as I've mentioned in previous posts, I still believe it's all in how the message is delivered.
As much as I'd like to take my usual long afternoon nap when I arrive in London (my typical routine when traveling eastward on trans-atlantic flights to adjust to the jet lag), I'm only going to be able to take a quick cat nap after checking into the hotel because a couple of hours later, I plan to attend the UK Misophonia MeetUp group. (I've already warned the others that they'll need to have toothpicks ready to prop up my eyelids.) It will be interesting to see how their support group works, especially since the meeting is being held in a pub. (Maybe getting drunk helps dull the senses like my Tramadol did. LOL!)
Anyway... I've got to head over to the gate for my last leg. I'll do my best to post updates while in the UK, but I don't know what kind of internet access I'll have. If I can't get online, I'll try to post new blog entries as soon as I get back into the US.
Cheers!
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