Most people have experienced motion sickness at some point in their lives, but imagine battling the nausea and the feeling of motion every day. It's a rare and mysterious disorder that one woman says has turned her world upside down.

KVUE News

Wendy D'Entremont

The disorder is rare. There are probably less than a handful of cases locally of Mal de Debarquement Syndrome, (MDDS), and not many doctors know much about it.

For some people, riding the gentle waves of the water is a source of relaxation and fun, but not for Wendy D'Entremont, 53.

"It's like you're out on a boat and it never comes to dock," said D'Entremont.

The feeling of motion is one she hasn't been able to shake for three years.

"You have constant rocking. You're sitting and you're rocking constantly," said D'Entremont.

Her problem started after taking a three-hour road trip.

"I woke up at two in the morning and the whole room was spinning and spinning," said D'Entremont.

Soon after, she was diagnosed with MDDS.

"It's a disequilibrium or disregulation of how the brain perceives your environment," said Dr. Robert Izor, a neurologist. He says he's not sure what causes MDDS.

He's only seen one case in his practice, but says most patients usually experience persistent symptoms after long cruises, plane rides, or even road trips.

"When you're out on an ocean liner or a boat, your body's rocking up and down, it accommodates to that and you almost feel like you're on solid ground after being on the ocean for weeks or months and then when you're body's asked to revert to a normal perception of the environment, which is being on stable ground, there is a problem in that accommodation," said Dr. Izor.

D'Entremont now takes countless medicines and vitamins to help treat her disorder. She even uses an oxygen tank to prevent headaches associated MDDS.

"Is it fatal? No. Are we going to die of it? Not that I'm aware of, but probably about 80 percent of my life I've lost," said D'Entremont.

MDDS is the focus of Wednesday night's episode of Primetime: Medical Mysteries.