Glad to hear I'm not alone with this problem, sorry for your pain. I too have considered driving for fear of the pain. My symptoms are slightly different..my pain gradually gets worse as we ascend and peaks when the plane peaks. My upper left teeth get numb, like I had a shot of Novacaine at the dentist, and the sinus' above my left cheek and eye are in agonizing pain. I've tried everything, and thougt I hit on the magic formula with Prednisone. My Dr convinced me the Sudafed I always relied on was so drying the sinus' could not drain and equalize. I was taking the Prednisone for two days prior to flying and the day of. Also, the day of, I'd use Afrin and take some Tylenol. I flew to Spain from NY this way pain free! Then, on a recent trip to Florida, all the pain and numbness came back. I'm SO discouraged. My pain, by the way, tends to dissipate very soon after the plane begins its descent. I sometimes can clear it during the flight by bending over - the maxillary sinus in your cheek actually drain up, so bending over gives them a gravity assist. Hope these ideas help someone.