I felt as if I was constantly walking on a sponge or a trampoline, everything bobbing and swaying
I was on a family holiday in Parma, Spain, in July 2001. One weekend we rented a motorboat and went cruising around the coast. I remember we were going fast, crashing over big waves. It was exhilarating, but also a strange feeling. I wondered if this was how boxers feel: punch-drunk.
I began to realise something was wrong only when we got back on land. I was using the washrooms at the marina, and said to my sister-in-law: “Why are the sinks coming up to meet me?” We went for a meal, and I sat in the restaurant wondering why the table was swaying. After I got back to the UK, the sensations of being on the sea increased. It made simple tasks impossible: cooking was a nightmare, all that twisting and turning you do when prepping food.