Originally Posted by
as219
Oy.
OP, you should really,
really get a qualified medical opinion before flying with these kinds of ear problems. A couple of years ago, my wife and flew ORD-LGA when she had a moderate ear infection. I'll spare the dramatics and just quote her: "It felt like someone was jamming an ice pick into my brain with my head in a vice that kept getting tighter and tighter." She sobbed in pain on the way up, and sobbed even harder on the way down. She says the pain was only second to her gallstone.
She was lucky. After the fact her doctor said she could have ruptured her eardrum. I seriously wouldn't risk this.
That's just the thing though. The internet is filled with stories of how horrible the pain is if you attempt to fly with an ear infection. I'm asking because I already have a ruptured/perforated eardrum. There's already a large hole in my eardrum. I know it hurts like hell to fly with an ear infection in a normal, unperforated eardrum and I know it's nice to fly with a perforated eardrum because it means there are much less if any pressure issues within your ear. What I'm not sure of is if an ear infection would still cause you that same supposedly unbearable pain on a flight regardless or if the perforation remains unblocked and will allow the air to flow like normal so that there are no pressure issues and thus no pain. It seems no one knows. I guess I really will have to try to speak with him. Thanks for the reply though.