Eardrums, planes, and how they interact
June 20, 2013 8:47 AM Subscribe
I realize you folks are not my doctor or my pharmacist, but maybe someone among you has been in this situation before and knows the way out. Just over a week ago I contracted an ear infection which subsequently spread to the other ear. The infection is on the wane but not yet over, but my eustachian tubes are are still gummed up, rendering me about 90% hearing-impaired at the moment. I was put on basic antibiotics (amoxycillin) last week and as of a couple of days ago, was switched to some more heavy-duty stuff (biaxin), but I am still pretty clogged up. The tricky part: in three days I have to get on a plane.
I fly a fair bit, but have never even flown with so much as a head cold. The consensus is that if I fly like this, it will hurt like hell. Is there any way to ease this? Is there any way to speed up the draining of my clogged head?
My nurse mother-in-law suggested Allegra-D, which is a pretty strong decongestant. My sinuses now feel wonderful, but it has done nothing for my ears. Another friend -- also a nurse -- suggests the old standby of hydrogen peroxide. I protested that the trouble is on the far side of the eardrum, but she insists it will percolate through.
The flight on Sunday is not a hard deadline; I am just making an hour-long hop which, if all else fails, I could do by train in about four or five hours. However, Tuesday I am getting on a much longer haul flight, the first of maybe a dozen in the next few weeks, and these ones I cannot avoid.
What am I in for if I have to fly like this? Discomfort? Agony? Migraine-level pain? Broken-bone calibre pain? Am I in danger of rupturing an eardrum? Can I ameliorate the pain with painkillers? Will chewing gum like mad help to alleviate the pressure? Any insights would be welcome.
I fly a fair bit, but have never even flown with so much as a head cold. The consensus is that if I fly like this, it will hurt like hell. Is there any way to ease this? Is there any way to speed up the draining of my clogged head?
My nurse mother-in-law suggested Allegra-D, which is a pretty strong decongestant. My sinuses now feel wonderful, but it has done nothing for my ears. Another friend -- also a nurse -- suggests the old standby of hydrogen peroxide. I protested that the trouble is on the far side of the eardrum, but she insists it will percolate through.
The flight on Sunday is not a hard deadline; I am just making an hour-long hop which, if all else fails, I could do by train in about four or five hours. However, Tuesday I am getting on a much longer haul flight, the first of maybe a dozen in the next few weeks, and these ones I cannot avoid.
What am I in for if I have to fly like this? Discomfort? Agony? Migraine-level pain? Broken-bone calibre pain? Am I in danger of rupturing an eardrum? Can I ameliorate the pain with painkillers? Will chewing gum like mad help to alleviate the pressure? Any insights would be welcome.
Okay, you're going to take the decongestant that you have to give 5 IDs for at the pharmacist because it will dry out the gunk in your ears. Once your ears are clear, you can fly. You may clear up in time for your flight.
You know the discomfort of your ears popping with the change in pressure, that X 100. It's really painful. You can ask the flight attendant for hot towels rolled up in cups and hold them to your ears and that can help. But OW!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:51 AM on June 20, 2013
You know the discomfort of your ears popping with the change in pressure, that X 100. It's really painful. You can ask the flight attendant for hot towels rolled up in cups and hold them to your ears and that can help. But OW!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:51 AM on June 20, 2013
I was prescribed Flonase by my doctor on my return, by the way. She said it was the best for relieving stuffed ears--I'm still waiting for that over a week later, though.
posted by feste at 8:52 AM on June 20, 2013
posted by feste at 8:52 AM on June 20, 2013
Agony. Mrs. Deadmessenger had "aviation-related barotrauma", which landed her in the ER visibly bleeding out of one ear. In over 20 years together I've never seen her in that much pain, and the aftereffects lasted the better part of a year afterwards.
That said, Sudafed (the real stuff, not the placebo you don't have to show ID to get) will help, nasal sprays will help, but by all means talk to your doctor and follow their directions to the letter. Those directions, though, might include one telling you to not get on that plane, and you need to follow that too - having seen someone I love deal with that, I can assure you that there is *absolutely nothing* on the other end of those flights that is worth going through the kind of pain she did.
posted by deadmessenger at 9:04 AM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
That said, Sudafed (the real stuff, not the placebo you don't have to show ID to get) will help, nasal sprays will help, but by all means talk to your doctor and follow their directions to the letter. Those directions, though, might include one telling you to not get on that plane, and you need to follow that too - having seen someone I love deal with that, I can assure you that there is *absolutely nothing* on the other end of those flights that is worth going through the kind of pain she did.
posted by deadmessenger at 9:04 AM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Your nurse friend is incorrect. Hydrogen peroxide is sometimes used for otitis externa (outer ear infection), not otitis media (middle ear infection, behind the tympanic membrane/eardrum). You do not want hydrogen peroxide to percolate through your eardrum - in fact, air travel increases your risk of barotrauma to your eardrum, which can perforate the eardrum when the pressure changes. Hydrogen peroxide (and most stuff you would put in your ear canal) is not recommended with a perforated eardrum.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:05 AM on June 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:05 AM on June 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
Get earplanes and put them in as soon as you are seated. Take them out after the door is opened after landing.
posted by brujita at 9:12 AM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by brujita at 9:12 AM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
When I had to fly with a terrible sinus / ear infection, my doctor prescribed me a 3-day course of prednisone to pull the inflammation down. It was very effective, although not without some unpleasant side effects.
posted by KathrynT at 9:18 AM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by KathrynT at 9:18 AM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Another friend -- also a nurse -- suggests the old standby of hydrogen peroxide. I protested that the trouble is on the far side of the eardrum, but she insists it will percolate through.
That sounds... Painful. I have perpetually perforated eardrums (tubes x3), and once put in swimmer's ear drops during such a time. It's not Hydrogen peroxide, but I thought my brain was going to explode once the drops passed through the eardrum. I'm guessing the hydrogen peroxide would be about as pleasant.
That said, I've flown under your conditions and it did get extremely painful during takeoff & decent. Felt like my eardrums were going to bust- and really, I'm guessing they were about to take on deadmessenger's issue, though never got that bad. I've found decongestants do help, though.
posted by jmd82 at 9:22 AM on June 20, 2013
That sounds... Painful. I have perpetually perforated eardrums (tubes x3), and once put in swimmer's ear drops during such a time. It's not Hydrogen peroxide, but I thought my brain was going to explode once the drops passed through the eardrum. I'm guessing the hydrogen peroxide would be about as pleasant.
That said, I've flown under your conditions and it did get extremely painful during takeoff & decent. Felt like my eardrums were going to bust- and really, I'm guessing they were about to take on deadmessenger's issue, though never got that bad. I've found decongestants do help, though.
posted by jmd82 at 9:22 AM on June 20, 2013
Listen to treehorn+bunny. She is correct. Also, a decongestant will dry you out, which is good. Personally, I find that original Claritin-D (around $1/pill, but lots of paperwork to buy them because apparently they are used to make meth) or the Costco "Kirkland" clone of Claritin-D (half the price) to be the most effective, but everyone reacts differently to medication. I would also combine this with an anti-inflammatory-- it will reduce some of the swelling, which is causing a lot of pain. I have written here before about my personal hard-learned lessons for ear-infection pain relief. I might go so far as to suggest you bring along a hair-dryer for the trip in case have the chance to sneak into the bathroom with it (do airline bathrooms still have electrical plugs? I'm not sure...).
posted by seasparrow at 9:29 AM on June 20, 2013
posted by seasparrow at 9:29 AM on June 20, 2013
Not to scare you, but my stepfather flew under similar circumstances, had "aviation-related barotrauma" and now has permanent hearing loss in that ear.
posted by Flamingo at 9:35 AM on June 20, 2013
posted by Flamingo at 9:35 AM on June 20, 2013
I have twice been in this situation and chosen to take the train. Times when I absolutely have to fly, this is my routine:
Sudafed one hour before the flight
Afrin nasal spray as close to boarding the plane as possible
Earplanes put in before takeoff and and taken out after landing
posted by ainsley at 9:39 AM on June 20, 2013
Sudafed one hour before the flight
Afrin nasal spray as close to boarding the plane as possible
Earplanes put in before takeoff and and taken out after landing
posted by ainsley at 9:39 AM on June 20, 2013
My daughter used Afrin to keep her ears unclogged the last time we flew. I personally am a big fan of Flonase for clearing my ears out when I have the upper respiratory cooties.
posted by PJMoore at 9:42 AM on June 20, 2013
posted by PJMoore at 9:42 AM on June 20, 2013
When I was in Navy flight training/in an out of pressure chambers, they taught us the Valsalva manuever to clear our ears. Always worked like a charm for me, and everyone I flew with. YMMV.
posted by timsteil at 9:58 AM on June 20, 2013
posted by timsteil at 9:58 AM on June 20, 2013
I had barotrauma and rupture because of my gummy ears a few months ago. DECONGEST ALL THE THINGS (with the REAL STUFF, as others are discussing).
- nose spray
- the most powerful decongestant you can find
- gum gum gum
Remember, your job here is to dry out your head, not to get "unsick".
I want to anti-recommend Valsalva manuever. With blocked (gummy) ears, that was was actually caused my rupture. The pressure there has to come out *somewhere*, and the weak point is the eardrum.
posted by gregglind at 10:20 AM on June 20, 2013
- nose spray
- the most powerful decongestant you can find
- gum gum gum
Remember, your job here is to dry out your head, not to get "unsick".
I want to anti-recommend Valsalva manuever. With blocked (gummy) ears, that was was actually caused my rupture. The pressure there has to come out *somewhere*, and the weak point is the eardrum.
posted by gregglind at 10:20 AM on June 20, 2013
The specific drug in the Sudafed you want is called pseudoephedrine.
posted by dobi at 10:23 AM on June 20, 2013
posted by dobi at 10:23 AM on June 20, 2013
I have had ear infections (tubes, etc.) all my life, with accompanying ear pressure/pain during flights. I have a sailing friend who is an ear, nose & throat surgeon in real life - I mentioned post-flight ear pressure to him once (I have had my ears "stuffed" for days after a bad flight - agony) and he said it's all about two things: strong decongestants and a maneuver he called the "maxillary thrust" which is basically thrusting your lower jaw forward as far as you can until you can feel it pulling down and opening up your ears. (try it right now!) It looks ridiculous but I have found that it works surprisingly well. It's a similar to, yet more extreme than, the movement that you get from chewing gum. On a flight where I'm stuffed I'll perform the "maxillary thrust" quite a few times - the feeling when your ears finally release is heaven indeed.
posted by gyusan at 10:33 AM on June 20, 2013
posted by gyusan at 10:33 AM on June 20, 2013
I unfortunately have some amount of direct personal experience flying with ear infections.
The first thing I would suggest doing is speaking to your doctor about a Flonase or Nasonex prescription. Both are steroid nasal sprays that reduce inflammation. It will take 2-3 days for them to start working, but they are quite effective at clearing out your earways. There are steroid ear drops that are also available that may be more appropriate for you, but are less commonly prescribed.
Second I would suggest that you take pseudophedrine (the active ingredient in Sudafed as well as the decongestant portion of Claritin-D and Allegra-D) religiously at the maximum recommended dosage between now and when you fly. This won't help your ears directly, but will definitely speed the drainage by keeping everything dried out.
Afrin will work for 4-6 hours, but the rebound congestion is hellish. Personally I try to avoid it. Also not mentioned on this thread is the neti pot - this is great for sinus gunk, but can result in fluids in the ear for some people, so probably not a smart choice for you.
If you're not currently in a lot of pain, you probably won't suddenly become agonizingly painful if you get on a flight. I will say that Advil is your friend. Talk to your doctor about a safe dosage for you - for most people in most circumstances this is significantly higher than the recommended over the counter dosage.
However, with 3 days to go, your best bet is to get the Flonase or Nasonex, use the pseudophedrine, and get those tubes unclogged.
posted by psycheslamp at 10:34 AM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
The first thing I would suggest doing is speaking to your doctor about a Flonase or Nasonex prescription. Both are steroid nasal sprays that reduce inflammation. It will take 2-3 days for them to start working, but they are quite effective at clearing out your earways. There are steroid ear drops that are also available that may be more appropriate for you, but are less commonly prescribed.
Second I would suggest that you take pseudophedrine (the active ingredient in Sudafed as well as the decongestant portion of Claritin-D and Allegra-D) religiously at the maximum recommended dosage between now and when you fly. This won't help your ears directly, but will definitely speed the drainage by keeping everything dried out.
Afrin will work for 4-6 hours, but the rebound congestion is hellish. Personally I try to avoid it. Also not mentioned on this thread is the neti pot - this is great for sinus gunk, but can result in fluids in the ear for some people, so probably not a smart choice for you.
If you're not currently in a lot of pain, you probably won't suddenly become agonizingly painful if you get on a flight. I will say that Advil is your friend. Talk to your doctor about a safe dosage for you - for most people in most circumstances this is significantly higher than the recommended over the counter dosage.
However, with 3 days to go, your best bet is to get the Flonase or Nasonex, use the pseudophedrine, and get those tubes unclogged.
posted by psycheslamp at 10:34 AM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks, all. A couple of extra points:
Won't be able to get to the doctor again between now and departure, so more prescriptions are not in the cards. The Biaxin to combat the ear infection and the non-prescription but quite powerful Allegra-D -- 120 mg of psuedoephedrine hydrochloride twice a day -- look to be my principal chemical allies.
Having some trouble locating earplanes (I am in Canada, for what it's worth); will silicone earplugs be sufficiently non-permeable?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:27 PM on June 20, 2013
Won't be able to get to the doctor again between now and departure, so more prescriptions are not in the cards. The Biaxin to combat the ear infection and the non-prescription but quite powerful Allegra-D -- 120 mg of psuedoephedrine hydrochloride twice a day -- look to be my principal chemical allies.
Having some trouble locating earplanes (I am in Canada, for what it's worth); will silicone earplugs be sufficiently non-permeable?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:27 PM on June 20, 2013
Just saw your update while I was writing this but will post anyway. Some pieces may be useful to you, and it may be useful to future people with the same problem.
So: you *must* get pseudoephedrine: do not fly without it. Take it 90 minutes before the flight, again at takeoff, and 90 minutes before landing. Err on the side of taking too much rather than too little. You must be completely dehydrated throughout takeoff and landing.
You can also use earplugs (I use Ear Planes, which are specifically for air travel), but they won't be sufficient alone. You can also chew gum during takeoff and landing, but that won't help much. Afrin and other nasal spray decongestants will help too, but only a little. You can try using a neti pot before the flight too: that will help you heal a little more quickly overall, but won't directly affect your reaction to the pressure change. You might also ask your doctor if it would be a good idea to get your ears cleaned before your flight: that has helped me cope with pressure changes in the past, but I've never done it when I have an active ear infection, and it may be inadvisable. Ask an ENT not your GP.
Do not sleep on the flight, and definitely not during takeoff or descent. If you sleep you won't feel pressure and won't be able to respond by swallowing hard, chewing gum, using nasal spray, etc.
It's hard to get pseudoephredine: it's restricted throughout the United States, and I think outright banned in some, such as Oregon. Make sure you don't accidentally buy the wrong version of Sudafed that doesn't have it. The non-pseudoephedrine type is called PE (confusingly! obnoxiously!) and contains phenylephrine -- it is often stored behind the counter in pharmacies too (maybe because addicts steal it thinking it has pseudoephedrine in it), but it will not help you at all. If you can't get pseudoephedrine, I'd advise you to cancel your trip. Make sure you take plenty with you because you may not be able to buy more for your return in your destination city: it's banned in Japan, and heavily restricted or banned in most of Europe, for example.
My credentials for this answer: IANAD but I've consulted with some very good ENT people over the years, because I am prone to ear infections, colds and flu, and I fly a lot. I've had barotrauma probably 10 times, and it's been awful -- the worst pain I've ever experienced, and it was not uncommon for me to be completely or partly deaf for up to a week after landing. It could make you useless on your trip, and yes, you can cause yourself permanent damage.
To keep myself from getting sick / sicker on flights these days I use Nozin swabs, lots of hand sanitizer, and antiseptic wipes to wipe down the tray table, armrests etc., on the plane. That combination has actually been super-effective: since I started doing it about two years ago I haven't gotten sick once.
And -- the effects of multiple flights in a short time period by the way are to some degree cumulative: if you can skip the short hop before the unavoidable long flight I would do it.
Good luck!
posted by Susan PG at 12:54 PM on June 20, 2013
So: you *must* get pseudoephedrine: do not fly without it. Take it 90 minutes before the flight, again at takeoff, and 90 minutes before landing. Err on the side of taking too much rather than too little. You must be completely dehydrated throughout takeoff and landing.
You can also use earplugs (I use Ear Planes, which are specifically for air travel), but they won't be sufficient alone. You can also chew gum during takeoff and landing, but that won't help much. Afrin and other nasal spray decongestants will help too, but only a little. You can try using a neti pot before the flight too: that will help you heal a little more quickly overall, but won't directly affect your reaction to the pressure change. You might also ask your doctor if it would be a good idea to get your ears cleaned before your flight: that has helped me cope with pressure changes in the past, but I've never done it when I have an active ear infection, and it may be inadvisable. Ask an ENT not your GP.
Do not sleep on the flight, and definitely not during takeoff or descent. If you sleep you won't feel pressure and won't be able to respond by swallowing hard, chewing gum, using nasal spray, etc.
It's hard to get pseudoephredine: it's restricted throughout the United States, and I think outright banned in some, such as Oregon. Make sure you don't accidentally buy the wrong version of Sudafed that doesn't have it. The non-pseudoephedrine type is called PE (confusingly! obnoxiously!) and contains phenylephrine -- it is often stored behind the counter in pharmacies too (maybe because addicts steal it thinking it has pseudoephedrine in it), but it will not help you at all. If you can't get pseudoephedrine, I'd advise you to cancel your trip. Make sure you take plenty with you because you may not be able to buy more for your return in your destination city: it's banned in Japan, and heavily restricted or banned in most of Europe, for example.
My credentials for this answer: IANAD but I've consulted with some very good ENT people over the years, because I am prone to ear infections, colds and flu, and I fly a lot. I've had barotrauma probably 10 times, and it's been awful -- the worst pain I've ever experienced, and it was not uncommon for me to be completely or partly deaf for up to a week after landing. It could make you useless on your trip, and yes, you can cause yourself permanent damage.
To keep myself from getting sick / sicker on flights these days I use Nozin swabs, lots of hand sanitizer, and antiseptic wipes to wipe down the tray table, armrests etc., on the plane. That combination has actually been super-effective: since I started doing it about two years ago I haven't gotten sick once.
And -- the effects of multiple flights in a short time period by the way are to some degree cumulative: if you can skip the short hop before the unavoidable long flight I would do it.
Good luck!
posted by Susan PG at 12:54 PM on June 20, 2013
Also, don't use a Neti-pot with clogged ears--this is just my personal recommendation. I had always used a neti-pot for sinus pressure, and I loved it, but with this last round of allergies I've had the ear thing, and neti-pot both made my ears worse, and was painful.
posted by feste at 1:33 PM on June 20, 2013
posted by feste at 1:33 PM on June 20, 2013
earplanes are really great. i've had trouble finding them in stores in recent years for whatever reason (usa) and had to get them online. i have seen them in airports though, so maybe check the little magazine/candy/water stores and see if they have them. worth the stupid price for sure.
good luck!
posted by misanthropicsarah at 1:40 PM on June 20, 2013
good luck!
posted by misanthropicsarah at 1:40 PM on June 20, 2013
I don't think the regular ear plugs would help. The point with the earplanes is that they specifically help regulate the air pressure. Amazon has them.
posted by ainsley at 1:49 PM on June 20, 2013
posted by ainsley at 1:49 PM on June 20, 2013
I had to fly with an ear infection. My experience was that it was excruciating, on par with a migraine. (I've never broken a bone so I can't compare with that.) You have my sympathies.
I OK'd the flight with my doctor, who helped me work out pain relief: alternating Motrin and Oxycontin, every two hours. (He also recommended Sudafed to try to drain things out, but I don't feel that it was very effective.) He didn't seem concerned about rupturing the eardrum in my case, but I started treatment 3-4 days before the flight. Can you just stop by some kind of convenient care / urgent care / whatever they call it in Canada, to get set up with drugs and to assess the danger of rupturing your eardrum?
As it turns out, oxycodone (and codeine, and hydrocodone) do nothing for pain for me, so I switched to Tylenol to avoid the grogginess, so that's a non-prescription option.
Heat is like magic for earaches, also. An electric heating pad that you can plug in before/after/between flights might be a big help.
posted by BrashTech at 1:59 PM on June 20, 2013
I OK'd the flight with my doctor, who helped me work out pain relief: alternating Motrin and Oxycontin, every two hours. (He also recommended Sudafed to try to drain things out, but I don't feel that it was very effective.) He didn't seem concerned about rupturing the eardrum in my case, but I started treatment 3-4 days before the flight. Can you just stop by some kind of convenient care / urgent care / whatever they call it in Canada, to get set up with drugs and to assess the danger of rupturing your eardrum?
As it turns out, oxycodone (and codeine, and hydrocodone) do nothing for pain for me, so I switched to Tylenol to avoid the grogginess, so that's a non-prescription option.
Heat is like magic for earaches, also. An electric heating pad that you can plug in before/after/between flights might be a big help.
posted by BrashTech at 1:59 PM on June 20, 2013
I had to do this about two weeks ago. I got the ear infection (in both ears) while away, flew with it to get home, went to the doc for antibiotics, then had to fly again the following weekend. She told me to:
Take pseudoephedrine.
Use Afrin before the flight.
I did both those things, and also got earplanes (they had them in the shop at the airport) and chewed gum all the way up and down. I also did a hot compress on my ears before leaving for the airport to try to get things to calm down.
My ears were clogged in such a way that I actually found that I felt great once I got in the air, better than I did on the ground.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 2:32 PM on June 20, 2013
Take pseudoephedrine.
Use Afrin before the flight.
I did both those things, and also got earplanes (they had them in the shop at the airport) and chewed gum all the way up and down. I also did a hot compress on my ears before leaving for the airport to try to get things to calm down.
My ears were clogged in such a way that I actually found that I felt great once I got in the air, better than I did on the ground.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 2:32 PM on June 20, 2013
I had an ear clogging from hades last summer. My eustachian tubes swelled shut. I took zpacks, Sudafed, Claritin, fluticisone (nasal spray) and nothing worked until I found a new ENT and got a round of steroids. I was right as rain in two days. I had been nearly deaf for almost a month. Are you sure no new scrips are possible? Can you go to urgent care or have your doctor paged? YMMV, with the meds you have, obvs. in my experience, once the trouble is truly found, the right treatment works a pretty quick trick, is my big takeaway. Good luck on your flight!
posted by pazazygeek at 3:35 PM on June 20, 2013
posted by pazazygeek at 3:35 PM on June 20, 2013
The Biaxin to combat the ear infection and the non-prescription but quite powerful Allegra-D -- 120 mg of psuedoephedrine hydrochloride twice a day -- look to be my principal chemical allies.
That is plenty. Do not take more than that.
I would also start taking an NSAID now, and make sure it is in full effect while you are on the plane. NSAID + decongestant + proper hydration is the way out for me.
I'm not sure getting dehydrated is the right answer, that seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater so to speak. If there IS gunk in your ears, drying it out is the last thing you want to do. What you want to do is decongest and remove inflammation so that the gunk can get out.
posted by gjc at 7:40 PM on June 20, 2013
That is plenty. Do not take more than that.
I would also start taking an NSAID now, and make sure it is in full effect while you are on the plane. NSAID + decongestant + proper hydration is the way out for me.
I'm not sure getting dehydrated is the right answer, that seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater so to speak. If there IS gunk in your ears, drying it out is the last thing you want to do. What you want to do is decongest and remove inflammation so that the gunk can get out.
posted by gjc at 7:40 PM on June 20, 2013
i have broken my leg and i grew up with debilitating migranes. neither condition was as painful as the excruciating agony of takeoff/landing with an ear infection. i sobbed, i begged God to make it stop. it was horrible. horrible. horrible. never again- i will cancel my flight before flying that way again.
seriously i would suggest serious pain medication on the order of percocet or vicodin or something. or get drunk. seriously. worst.pain.ever.
posted by TestamentToGrace at 8:58 PM on June 20, 2013
seriously i would suggest serious pain medication on the order of percocet or vicodin or something. or get drunk. seriously. worst.pain.ever.
posted by TestamentToGrace at 8:58 PM on June 20, 2013
One more tip that was recommended to me if I had a problem in flight: ask the flight attendant for a cup and a hot towel. Put the hot towel in the cup and hold it over your ear. The steam is supposed to help clear the ear. Just in case!
posted by ainsley at 9:07 PM on June 20, 2013
posted by ainsley at 9:07 PM on June 20, 2013
Starting now, make sure you are well hydrated and chew gum. Take hot showers two or three times a day.
If your ears don't clear before your flight, don't fly.
Do not use the Valsalva manuever, this will only increase the pressure.
posted by yohko at 11:36 PM on June 20, 2013
If your ears don't clear before your flight, don't fly.
Do not use the Valsalva manuever, this will only increase the pressure.
posted by yohko at 11:36 PM on June 20, 2013
I flew with an asymptomatic ear infection. I ended up with damage to my middle ear, requiring surgery. Now I have about 75 percent hearing in that ear.
posted by kathrynm at 3:44 AM on June 21, 2013
posted by kathrynm at 3:44 AM on June 21, 2013
Just to be clear because I'm not sure it's obvious: there are two separate issues here: short-term pain and medium-to-long-term damage.
You want to avoid the pain of barotrauma because it is excruciating. You risk feeling some pain at takeoff, and excruciating pain on descent. Someone said upthread you won't feel pain during the flight itself: that is almost certainly true. But, the pain of descent can be really awful. It's also scary because you'll worry the whole time that your eardrum is rupturing.
But the worse problem is damage. If you fly congested (i.e., non-decongested, or not-entirely-successfully decongested), you risk damage that will likely take days or longer to recover from. I would describe it as similar to having water in your ears but much much worse. Your head will feel stuffy and boomy and echoey, you'll be partly or fully deaf, when you talk it will sound very loud to you and practically inaudible to people around you. You will experience weird noises and sensations. Normally it doesn't hurt much, but it does feel very uncomfortable. I found it to be a very strange experience from a psychological perspective: because you sound very loud to yourself and other people are inaudible, I found myself feeling alienated, detached, and extremely self-conscious. (I am not like that normally, LOL.) And what you do hear has a kind of nightmarish quality.
Sometime from about 24 hours to 10 days later, your ears will clear, but the period before they do will be horrible. Like I said, this happened to me frequently, and during the clogged-up period I was pretty much completely unable to interact with other people, especially in a work setting. I was pretty useless at anything other than working alone. As you can imagine, this made business trips (meetings, social events, public speaking) pretty terrible. And it's an invisible disability, that you have to repeatedly explain to people.
And you risk permanent damage, as several people in this thread have pointed out.
So, you need to separate out the two issues and take preventative measures for both. If you solely treat the pain (symptom) that will not help you with the real underlying issue, which is the one that matters.
Again, good luck. I've been thinking about you and I'd seriously advocate you cancel the trip if your ears haven't cleared up by flight time. The trips I took when I experienced barotrauma -- not one of them was worth it.
posted by Susan PG at 7:30 AM on June 21, 2013
You want to avoid the pain of barotrauma because it is excruciating. You risk feeling some pain at takeoff, and excruciating pain on descent. Someone said upthread you won't feel pain during the flight itself: that is almost certainly true. But, the pain of descent can be really awful. It's also scary because you'll worry the whole time that your eardrum is rupturing.
But the worse problem is damage. If you fly congested (i.e., non-decongested, or not-entirely-successfully decongested), you risk damage that will likely take days or longer to recover from. I would describe it as similar to having water in your ears but much much worse. Your head will feel stuffy and boomy and echoey, you'll be partly or fully deaf, when you talk it will sound very loud to you and practically inaudible to people around you. You will experience weird noises and sensations. Normally it doesn't hurt much, but it does feel very uncomfortable. I found it to be a very strange experience from a psychological perspective: because you sound very loud to yourself and other people are inaudible, I found myself feeling alienated, detached, and extremely self-conscious. (I am not like that normally, LOL.) And what you do hear has a kind of nightmarish quality.
Sometime from about 24 hours to 10 days later, your ears will clear, but the period before they do will be horrible. Like I said, this happened to me frequently, and during the clogged-up period I was pretty much completely unable to interact with other people, especially in a work setting. I was pretty useless at anything other than working alone. As you can imagine, this made business trips (meetings, social events, public speaking) pretty terrible. And it's an invisible disability, that you have to repeatedly explain to people.
And you risk permanent damage, as several people in this thread have pointed out.
So, you need to separate out the two issues and take preventative measures for both. If you solely treat the pain (symptom) that will not help you with the real underlying issue, which is the one that matters.
Again, good luck. I've been thinking about you and I'd seriously advocate you cancel the trip if your ears haven't cleared up by flight time. The trips I took when I experienced barotrauma -- not one of them was worth it.
posted by Susan PG at 7:30 AM on June 21, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. I discern a wide range of possible outcomes from the input above, ranging from mild discomfort to please-for-the-love-of-God-kill-me-now agony, with the added possibility of permanent damage thrown in. For what it's worth, the trip involves a bunch of site visits, but there is no all-fired urgency, so my scheme currently is to continue doing what I can to recover and if by the time flight #1 to site A comes up, if I am still not recovered, to cancel flight #1. If circumstances permit, I will subsequently schedule a new flight to site B and pick things up from there (rescheduling my trip to site A for a later date); if not, rinse, repeat and aim for site C (now rescheduling B as well), and so forth. This seems the optimum balance of the work and my well-being.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:50 AM on June 21, 2013
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:50 AM on June 21, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by feste at 8:51 AM on June 20, 2013