anacc

Hello everyone,

I'm writing because I really need some help.

I've always had many ear infections and it was worst when I was a kid but now that am I'm 22 I still get them like 3 or 4 times a year.
When I was younger I put the ear tubes.

I've only been on flights twice and I went to France both times. The first time I was 6 and I barely had any pain. However, the second time when I was 13 I had severe ear pain which started shortly after the beginning of the flight. My ears began to pop and they popped throughout the entire flight. I was in pain the whole time and for a week after, and I think my ears have never been the same ever since.


Sometimes I go to a "higher" place like a mountain and my ears start popping and I always have pain.

I haven't been on an airplane ever since, because I'm terrified about going through that again and I just can't stand the idea. I've been to multiple ear doctors but no one can help me with is.

Another thing I'd like to say is that since the last flight, I can pop my ears on my own, whitout yawning or chewing gum or anything. Has this happened to anyone? Besides, I can't do the valsava maneuvre.


I'm sorry for my english mistakes.

Thank you very much

Ana

fumje

There was a time, around age 16-20 perhaps, when I would regularly get severe headaches during descent. They would start at the beginning of descent, maybe as the plane descended below ~30,000ft., and continued until nearly landing. They seemed to be focused in my forehead, probably the frontal sinus.

I never found a remedy, but by the time I was about 24 they had ceased. I guess as my skull bone structure changed, whatever pressure differential that persisted before during altitude change began to equalise more easily.

So from my personal experience, if you can surmount the psychological stress and try again occasionally, you may find at some point that your headaches do not recur.

Of course, if they do, it is a painful experiment.

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

Welcome to FT!

Have you asked an ear, nose, and throat physician whether it is safe for you to fly? You might also ask your physician whether EarPlanes ear plugs could be helpful.

http://www.cirrushealthcare.com/EarP...Adult-P49.aspx

Philatravelgirl

I've had inner ear issues since childhood and had tubes as well - I often get ear drum perforations (hole in ear drum from bad colds) which keeps me on the ground since I can't fly.

I'm able to pop my ears too and have been flying ok for over twenty years up to fourteen hours without issue. While flying I stay hydrated drinking on flights and make sure I have Claritin and a decongestant to ensure no fluid backup. I fly with Bose noise canceling earphones to listen to music while traveling.

I understand the anxiety but think you should be ok if your ENT has cleared you. I would try a small flight first before a long haul - good luck!

Gamecock

Welcome to FT!

I had problems as a child but outgrew them at some point.

Chewing gum during takeoff and landing may be benificial. I would also consider taking a decongestant like pseudoephedrine for a few days before flying.

Of course this doesn't take the place of a qualified medical evaluation.

DanishFlyer

I am terrible at clearing pressure in my ears, have always been. It used to be that my hearing was affected for about a week after every flight, on top of the pain particularly on descent.

However, maybe ten years ago I started using Earplanes (also mentioned above), and they do wonders for me. My ears are still not entirely comfortable, and I do have some slight hearing issues for maybe 24 hours after flying (like for a bad cold, maybe), but that is it.

I also tried decongestant nasal spray, but that never did anything for my (in connection with flying).

If you doc says it is safe for you to do so, I'd definitely try the Earplanes. Maybe go somewhere not too far, where you can take the train home/drive, if need be?

DanishFlyer

timfountain

Yawn whilst moving your jaw side to side. Always works for me except in the most dire of colds, when I prefer not to fly.

TObject

I have read this good advise on these forums:

Take a Sudafed 30-60 minutes before take off, and another one 30-60 minutes before landing.

Sudafed may be illegal in some countries.

MSPeconomist

Benadryl is good too, although it tends to put you to sleep rather than keep you alert as Sudafed does.

You can ask your doctor or a pharmacist to suggest some mild prescription or over the counter medicine to use for flights if you tend to have ear or sinus problems when flying.

ProTraveler

I am going to second this suggestion. After dealing with excruciating ear pain when taking-off and landing, I tried EarPlanes, and they have been a game changer!

GeorgieNZ

I'm not a physician so please take any advice with caution as if from a man on a bus.

I've always treated the issues with pain of ascent and descent in aircraft in the same way as diving equalization challenges. Some SCUBA divers seem to equalize (similar pressure either side of the ear drum and inside cavities in head with changing pressure of ascent, and particularly descent under water) really easily and quickly, whereas others take a long time and need to actively equalize every 30cm or so of descent.

I get my children to actively equalize all the time on ascent and descent while flying - and it has stopped their earlier ear issues. You could try http://www.scubadiving.com/11-tips-easy-equalizing for some tips or google elsewhere.

You can do these things from even before you get in the aircraft - and if you live in a hilly area, practice them as you ascend and descent large hills in your car. Good luck, ear and sinus pain is absolutely debilitating.

Tinman76

I flew once about 10 yrs ago with an ear infection in both ears and terrible cold. Upon descent, I felt the most severe pain i've ever felt. By the time we landed, I was crying, i honestly expected blood to be shooting out of my ears. The pain evidently was blood vessels exploding in my ear drums, and I damaged my Eustachian tube (google it) I was completely deaf for about 2 weeks, it gradually came back but I figure I lost about 10% permanently.

Now, every time I get a cold, I lose most of my hearing (whether I'm flying or not), and it can take 1-2 weeks for it to return to normal afterward. I bought one of these in the event i have to fly with a cold again to pop my ears, haven't had to use it for flying since though. I haven't flown with a cold since the injury.

travellingwineO

1) I am genuinely sorry for your hearing loss and my response is not meant to diminish the difficulty associated with poor hearing. There are many different options for managing Eustachian tube dysfunction (which seems to be what your underlying problem is), you should read about them.

2) the OP was looking for helpful tips and/or some reassurance. This post was clearly neither of those things. This was anecdote and speculation portrayed as something factual.

3) Temporary hearing loss due to barotrauma (which is what happens to ears when a pressure differential develops quickly between the middle ear and the outside world) is not uncommon, but permanent hearing loss related to this phenomenon is rare ("google it") and can usually be prevented if treated by a physician.

RAAng

My skull plumbing is fairly messed up and I have moderate pain on descent if it's gradual. One time on a fairly steep descent because of weather I actually got a nose bleed along with severe pain. I accidently found that Sudafed, the behind the counter kind, works for me. I need to take it a couple hours before the landing, but if I do I either don't get pain at all or I simply feel some pressure. YMMV

lalismom

The best advice typically comes from the flight crews and one told me one time about sudafed I believe, but that it was essential to time it according to when it kicked it so that it would be active at the time the plane began its descent...you need to check with the crew to get a sense of that timing.

You might want to consult either with an ENT or someone in travel medicine...

I flew one time with a cold and the pain as noted was excruciating beyond comprehension. I swore even if it cost hundreds of dollars to stay longer some place, I would never fly with a cold again.

It also was interesting one time that I remarked while getting off a flight that my ears didn't pop at all...the captain overheard me and shared that he had problems with his ears as well...and so he made his descent as gradually as possible which alleviated the problem for most.

Until you have this issue, you never realize how early descent begins and how long it lasts.