Have any of you dealt with this?

Sometimes as the plane is landing, I get a very, very sharp pain above my right eye (under my eyebrow) like someone is stabbing me with a knife. The pain lasts until we hit ground and doesn't go away for several hours after that.

As far as I can tell, this isn't linked to any specific plane-type, airline, or nasal congestion. The last time it happened was between London and Helsinki on Finnair.

The pain seems to appear sporadically, and I'm at a lost on how to predict or prevent it. Taking a decongestant 1-2 hours before landing seems to work -- but I can't be sure since the pain is unpredictable in the first place.

Any ideas?

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"What do you mean you didn't get miles for that?!"

While not being a doctor or playing one on TV, I had the same problem, for me it was alergy related. A Dimeatab would clear out my head and usually keep it at bay. It feels like somebody is sticking an ice pick up into your head.

Unfortunatley, the Dimeatabs are no longer available in the same formulation because of the stroke thing, when I run out hopefully one of the others will work, if they are needed.

Johnny,

I feel your pain! This has happened to me three times in 15 years of flying. Oh, man is it ever incredibly painful (and I have had several broken bones). The pain of having just had your leg broken is minor in comparison.

I inquired with a Dr about the above. He said that it was probably due to the exceptional dryness in the cabin air. Apparently your nasal passages get used to this dry air. As you approach to land, outside air is being brought in. It is not necessarily the air pressure differential that causes the problem, it is the humidity differential.

Not much one can do about this. The Dr. did suggest drinking lots of liquid, especially hot (humid) coffee/tea about 20 minutes out. Also, he suggested holding a moist, warm (if possible) towel over your nose and mouth during the final 20 minutes or so of the flight.

Interestingly, he said that he had only heard of this in a grand total of 4 males over his entire practice. Maybe this is due to women flying less, or ?

[This message has been edited by Butcher Bird (edited 06-27-2001).]

I have had it happen 2x in its most severe form. Both times it felt like someone was taking glass bottles and shattering them repeatedly in the sinus cavities. (1) Decongestants will help (not after it has started), and (2) Have the flight attendant put hot wet paper towels in cups to place over your ears. This can cause ear damage, however. There are some old message threads about this somewhere.

Yes... the icepick up into the head, the shattering bottles, more painful than a broken bone. Sounds uncomfortably familiar! This has happened to me maybe 4 times max, and I'm always afraid my eyeball is going to pop out or the blood vessel above my eye will explode.

The allergy suggestion is a good one. I've never had a problem when I take a Claretin about 30 minutes out. The dryness could also be a very valid point!

I've searched for other resources such as WebMD or medical journals, and even talked to a few FAs, but no one else seems to know why or how.

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"What do you mean you didn't get miles for that?!"

Several years ago, I first felt that sinus pain---and finally understood why small children scream on planes. one popped eardrum later, I got some advice from an ENT pal.
The common thought is: If you have any reason to think you've got the slightest bit of congestion, take any over the counter decongestant BEFORE taking off. Repeat if you're inflight for more than 4 hours. And drink loads of water during the flight.

If you feel this pain on more than one occasion, you're prone to pressure problems. If that's so, you may consider taking it per the dosage the night prior. Each time you fly---not just when you remember.

Allergies are a major culprit, as are colds that you think ended a week earlier. The slightest bit of congestion can cause pressure problems and while you won't pop an eyeball, you may pop an eardrum as the pressure just has to dissipate. That's not as serious as it sounds, as they usually heal up quickly...but once it happens to you, you never want to go through the agony again.

I keep a small spray bottle of Afrin in my briefcase - one spray up each nostril before departure keeps my sinuses clear for about 4 hours. I use it when I've got a cold or an ear infection and can't avoid flying.

Finally! And I thought that I was the only person suffering from this weird condition! Usually the pain comes on when we begin the descend, and I always feel as if a major artery near the brain above the eye socket is about to burst. It's usually worse if I have a cold and a nasal congestant to begin with. Agreed - I always have a bottle of Afrin within close reach. But note that Afrin has been declared an addictive substance, do not overuse.

Occasionally if the pain is not excessive, I squeeze my nose with 2 fingers and "blow out". This clears the pressure from within and helps momentarily. Keep doing it several times - it should help. Does anybody know if something up there will indeed burst one day due to this problem??

Just a couple of ovservations - Don't be repeating decongestants every four hours if you are taking the 12 hour variety. Check the box first.

If dryness is an issue, I forgot to mention that there are a few brands of saline spray meant for dry nose. I use it in the winter, and sometimes on airplanes. They are usually with the cold stuff, but they don't contain any medication, just saline to keep your nose from drying out. No side effects, not any worries about getting addicted to the stuff. It won't clear a stuffy nose, but it will help.

I Love this board!! Here I've been thinking that I have some kind of defect! The pain I get is incredible! I keep thinking that at any minute my good eye will witness the other one pop out and hit the seat in front of me.
From my experience, it is definately a congestion problem. Often, I haven't had any real congestion syptoms before the flight, yet I get the pain anyway. I guess there can be alot of fluid in there without knowing it. It has come to the point where I take a decongestant before just about every flight. I also experiment with breathing to help relieve some pressue up there. I'm not sure is Afrin helps me much. I will try the moisturizing mist also to see if that helps any. Seems like the problem area is deep inside the sinus cavity, behind the eyes.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one. Let me add my "I feel your pain" to the group.

I also have a concern if you don't mind me asking, When travelling and even a few days after, I feel this pain on the sides of my head above my ears. Its a pulsing pain, and feels like there is pressure built up on the sides of my head. Don't know if anyone knows what it could be but any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

...and I thought I was the only one! This has happened to me on several occasions. I also try to take a decongestant before we take off and that seems to work but, when I forget, I get a quick reminder as we descend through 17K-10K feet. Since guys aren't cool when they scream in pain on an airplane, I now realize that there might be several people around me also screaming silently to themselves. All I picture is someone jamming knitting needles into my head and thinking that this is what a lobotomy must feel like. Thanks for bringing up this topic. Maybe everyone could try to remember what type of aircraft they were on to see if there is a similarity?

While I'm not a dr and no longer living with one and have switched from reporting on medicine to reporting on music, I can offer that the post-flight pain could be due to the same in-flight pressure buildup.

If it feels like it's routing to your ears,if your ears keep popping or clicking or feeling clogged and your hearing is dulled, you could have very common eustachian tube problems.

If that doesn't sound familiar to you, your Eustachian tube connects the middle ear space to the back of the nose. Its primary function is to assure normal pressure inside the ear. It is normally closed, but when you swallow or yawn, it opens to allow air into the middle ear, which equalizes the pressure on each side of the eardrum. You feel the pressure pain when things aren't working correctly or there is a blockage.

Yes, yawning or swallowing can sometimes remedy this, but decongestant by mouth or nasal spray almost always works.

So, think ahead if you've recently had a cold, or a sinus infection or suffer from allergies....because a stuffy nose leads to stuffy ears and to that lovely axe in the head feeling.

Sudafed before the flight helps.

Also I dont fly with contacts anymore -
except for really short flights.

Add me to the list. Just before boarding, I take one shot of 12-hour Afrin in each nostril for long flights (international), or 4-hour decongestant for short flights. I also have a roll of Lifesavers in my pocket to help me swallow on the way down.