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Sinus Pain? More like an Icepick in my Head..

Sinus Pain? More like an Icepick in my Head..

Old Jan 5, 2007, 4:34 pm
  #31  
 
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Sinus Pain During Decent

This is my first time on this site and was immediately interested in this thread.

I too suffered this intense pain during the descent (both to and from) a business trip to Arizona. My assistant had accompanied me on this trip and couldn't believe what was happening to me. She felt helpless as I reacted to this horrible pain.

Upon returning home I went to the doctor. They suggested it was a sinus infection and prescribed an antibiotic.

A few weeks later...another business trip. This time the flight was to Bermuda. The same seniaro on the descent. It was so frightening!

Upon returning home....another visit with another doctor...resulting in a stronger antibiotic.

I should let you know I had no signs of a sinus infection at all when these were prescribed, but I assumed the doctors knew what they were doing.

Long story short. I had an Esthesioneuroblastoma! It was a tumor that was within a half an inch of growing out of the right side of my nose and had grown in the right side of my face and forehead (sinuses) and up to my brain. I had no other symptoms...except a slight feeling of blockage in the right side of my nose. No headaches....nothing! The painful flights were the real reason this cancer was discovered.

I hope I haven't alarmed anyone....this is a very rare form on cancer. Doctors don't know what causes it, but believe it is not passed down genetically.

I guess what I'm saying is be safe and listen to your body. Don't always assume the doctor is right....two of mine were so wrong! See a specialist if you have to...that's what I did. I was only 32 years old when this happened and had no symptoms. The result was a 10 1/2 hour craniotomy in Boston, but six years later I'm doing great!

Take care all....Happy New Year : )
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Old Jan 5, 2007, 7:00 pm
  #32  
 
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Wow. Welcome to FlyerTalk, SunnyDay

Glad you're okay!

This thread reminds me of the time I was trying to do the sinus flushing thing with saline and accidentally swallowed the water (all the plumbing is connected mystically back there). It was pretty yucky, but wouldn't you know, my sinuses cleared up too.
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Old Jan 8, 2007, 7:48 am
  #33  
 
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Great thread,
what specialist do you recommend to check allergy and cancer?
how do you get hot towels and cups if not in first class?
any good doctors/spec recommended in USA or France?

I find this to be an occasional and yet terrible problem
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Old Feb 8, 2007, 6:55 pm
  #34  
 
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Hi Owlchick and Frank_10b

Thanks for the warm welcome Owlchick I hope you are well!

Frank_10b ~
I would see an ear, nose and throat if you have any concerns. I saw one locally and after they realized what was going on with me, I was sent to Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, MA.

Be well
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Old Feb 8, 2007, 7:24 pm
  #35  
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here's the deal. If you take antihistamines they constrict your sinuses and make descent worse. If you take only pseudephrine you will be fine. Avoid those combo drugs that have antihistamines and avoid antihistamines completely when you fly.

Otherwise you will be susceptible to having this icepick pain and even damage your eardrums on descent.

Pseudephrine=okay
Antihistamines=bad idea
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Old Feb 11, 2007, 6:25 pm
  #36  
 
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Originally Posted by frank_10b
how do you get hot towels and cups if not in first class?
Frank_10b, You don't have to be in first class to get this. Just ask any flight attendant before the descent to bring you styrofoam cups with hot towels in them. They don't need be cloth towels either (although the heat does keep longer with cloth) they can be just a bunch of paper towels. Just as long as they have been wet and heated till steaming. Hope this helps.
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Old Feb 12, 2007, 7:35 am
  #37  
 
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Thanks for your suggestions, if the problem is clear cut is there anything a doctor can do other than RX prescribe antibiotics?
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Old Feb 12, 2007, 1:28 pm
  #38  
 
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I have two home remedies for sinus infections, although they are both difficult to use on a plane, unless, perhaps, you are flying on certain airlines.

The first is hot, spicy, soup. When I feel sinus trouble coming on, I take plenty of tissues and head for the nearest Thai or Vietnamese restaurants and order a bowl of one of their spicy soups. If I do that early enough, my nasal passages start clearing, and the infection never develops.

I used to wake up with sinus headaches on dry winter mornings until my sister-in-law recommended (don't laugh) greasing the inside of my nose with sesame oil the night before. It actually works, and I've had no further problems with morning headaches.

(Hearing everyone else's stories about altitude-induced sinus headaches, I'm amazed that I haven't ever had one.)
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Old Aug 3, 2007, 7:01 am
  #39  
 
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I can relate to this!

I searched the web to see if anyone has had this, i was going to call my doctor and get a scan done. I flew back from Turkey yesterday and had the same thing (had it once before a few months back coming back from Belfast) as ppl have mentioned it's like my eye is bleeding/going to explode/ice pick in my eyebrow and seems to last anything from 5mins to 20 mins, VERY painful, i have also broken my leg which was sore...but this is worse! i am flying again soon and REALLY don't want to suffer this again.

Aside from the short term suggestions, Advil etc, did anyone report this to their doctor and get any advice?
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Old Aug 3, 2007, 9:09 am
  #40  
 
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hot water bottles

Another variation on some tips already mentioned here...

I also had the terrible sinus pain on the plane's descent. A flight attendant brought me 2 little liquor bottles -- emptied out and refilled with hot water -- wrapped in a tissue or paper towel. I applied these to my face and it provided some relief almost instantly. It didn't take the pain away completely, but at least enough so that I didn't think I was going to die anymore!

Good luck!
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Old Aug 3, 2007, 1:33 pm
  #41  
 
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Every single time I have flown in the last 12 years, I ended up with a sinus infection. I finally got a clue this year, when an ENT diagnosed allergic rhinitis (triggered by dry cabin air). He put me on a daily regime of corticosteroid (e.g. Nasonex, Flonase, et al.) that works directly on the nasal passages to reduce swelling and inflammation. No more occassional sinus migraines, either.

I use an OTC saline nasal spray when flying, and also carry a washcloth that I wet with warm water & place over my face to breathe through often during the flight. Anything to counter the extremely low cabin humidity. I've read that in-flight cabin air is drier than any of the world's deserts, with humidities gradually fall on long-distance, high-altitude flights to, in many cases, something approaching 1%.

Be careful with drying decongestants; they can dry your sinus passages to the point one can experience more "icepick in the head." A Rx decongestant I was given had me in so much pain just above the upper jaw, I thought I needed a root canal.

I second the suggestions that you consult a doc, specifically a sinus specialist.
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Old Mar 3, 2008, 8:31 pm
  #42  
 
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Okay, here's my weirdness:

1) I have been flying all my life (since a little kid, my parents would put me on the plane and I'd fly to Denver, CO to visit my grandmother). NEVER had a problem with "popping" my ears or the stabbing pain.

2) About 4 years ago, I got a cold and had my 2nd (possibly third) ear infection in my entire life (I was like 30 at the time). I ended up with tonsilitis. Ear infection did go away.

3) Anyway, I had to fly to my grandmothers funeral (3 weeks before my schedule tonsillectomy). Flying from New York to Denver. Not a problem. On the return trip, descending into Chicago, I thought I was going to die or have a stroke or something. The most seering pain I have EVER had (right above the eye). I almost passed out. From Chicago to Albany, NY wasn't as bad.

Now here's where it gets really weird. I fly at LEAST once/year from Albany to SLC, Utah and usually Albany/Orlando. Round Trip. I've flown once to Hawaii last year.

The weird part:

I have NEVER had the seering pain going West (don't ask, I don't know why). Flying into Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta, GA, Newark. Not a problem. The RETURN trips though are what kills me.

Especially from Denver.

I concluded that it must be the high altitude, but coming back from Hawaii I almost died too (not literally of course). I went from Honolulu to Minneapolis on the return trip. I didn't think Honolulu was that "high" above sea level. Of course, it WAS a 7.5 hour trip (2nd longest I've ever been on a plane).

Now, my ears have ALWAYS "popped" just fine in every case. I usually just "yawn/chew" motion with my jaw and that part works. But my God, the seering eye pain is terrible.

I have allergies (always have, always will), but they're seasonal in nature. I don't take my allegra-D or Rhinocort during the winter.

But at least I know i'm not alone. I suppose I should probably go get this checked out just in case. I DID have a nasal septum/turbinate reduction surgery (both nostrils) when I was a kid (let me tell you, THAT was not fun). But again, never any problems until that stupid cold/ear infection and my tonsils.

I'm flying to SLC in 2 weeks, so I'll buy some Afrin and take a saline mister or something to "snort" (the air DOES get dry on the plane) and we'll see how it goes. Of course, Utah and Colorado are considerably dryer than Albany, NY, so I always get stuffed up anyway.
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Old Apr 14, 2008, 2:44 pm
  #43  
 
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I've developed sinus problems a while back. I've been using a sinus irrigator available locally at most drug stores. It doesn't completely solve my problem but it has made a huge difference over the years.

http://www.unimedprod.com/
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Old Jul 19, 2008, 7:52 am
  #44  
 
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Hi, just registered as was interested to see some of the comments on this site.

I have now had a similar problem twice, a few years ago during a descent the whole right side of my face appeared to go very cold which caused a slight headache, and I felt like I was bunged up.

Later on during the evening I blew my nose and my nose bled quite heavily. I did feel fine after this and just put it down to air pressure.

I had never had any problems again since despite travelling by plane quite a few times.

What I experienced on Sunday felt entirely different and was practically unbearable.

We were descending into Barcelona and I suddenly felt a very sharp pain start just to the right hand side of my right eye, it is one of the worst pains I have ever felt, my eye began to water and the pain spread across the whole right hand side of my face.

It was extremely painful for probably about 5 minutes I would estimate, but started to gradually wear off once we had landed.

The pain remained in my eye, the side of my head, my right cheek and also in what appeared to be all of the teeth in the right hand side of my face for several hours afterwards, at times it felt like it was about to go completely but would then start to get worse again. It also felt like the right hand side of my face was throbbing, and my girlfriend could feel a pulse in the side of my head when she felt it. I was quite worried about it to be honest as I had never felt anything like this before.

Thankfully after an early night and a good nights sleep the pain had gone, and I also never had the problem when landing back in Birmingham during the return flight.

I think I will definitely be taking some kind of medication for when I visit Toronto in September so would just like to thank those who have given suggestions in the above replies on how to try and prevent it happening again.

Last edited by Brummiered; Jul 19, 2008 at 5:06 pm
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Old Jul 20, 2008, 10:49 am
  #45  
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Welcome to FlyerTalk Brummiered!

I'm glad you found some suggestions for handling your problem in this thread. I am always amazed at the information available on FlyerTalk and have accumulated many helpful things along the way.
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