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So I have an ear thing. I've searched here on the forum and apparently it's a "thing" so I wanted to ask you guys about this and flying. The ear thing is like trapped fluid and ear pain. It feels like there is a fish bowl in my ears, and it's accompanied by ear pain. Sometimes pressure, sometimes sharp stabbing pain. I also have some issues with trapped fluid in sinuses right now. I'm working to try to remedy these things and seem to be having small progress, but nothing to write home about yet. Here's my question. Since this seems to be a "thing" that a lot of people get/have during treatment, have any of you ever flown in an airplane with this? I flew with a cold not long ago, and it was a nightmare on my ears. I'm not flying for a couple of months, but you know how time can sneak up. I'm hoping, but not expecting it to be gone by then. Have any of you ever flown with the ear thing? What was your experience? Thanks!! :)
Hello,
Hello,
I can finally fly without taking a decongestent. For the first time in 30 years, the horrendous ear pain is gone. Now, if everything else would fix itself I'd be perfect......:)
Hey Tinkerbell! So sorry this
Hey Tinkerbell! So sorry this keeps lingering, sinus and ear pain is awful. I have an awful time flying because of my ears but I use those special ear plugs they sell for specifically for the air plane I put them in before they close the door so the pressure stays that way through the whole flight and don't remove until the door is opened again. You have to make sure they are in good, but have really helped with the ear pain and pressure changes. I always ask Dr. M too about what to take before flying and start taking this the night before I fly, take it during my lay overs, etc. I do hope it clears before you fly. Hugs!
Thanks C!! I'll definitely
Thanks C!! I'll definitely try the ear plugs!
never tried the ear plugs
never tried the ear plugs good idea. Christina what does dr give you to take?
The ear plugs are the
The ear plugs are the earPlanes and don't remove during the flight and Dr. M usually has me take ear and GML, but I would check with Dr. M just to be sure that's what she would use for you too.
Tinkerbell - my worst
Tinkerbell - my worst experience with ears and flying, before IC, was a really bad one: I landed in a hospital right after landing! I too flew with a slight cold, it was slight so that I didn't really notice it, but just a month before I had had a bad pneumonia with a week in hospital and lots of antibiotics, was officially cured from the pneumonia but some catarrh/sinus issues probably were still there. So my ears got totally stuck before landing, the pain was horrible and did not subside after the landing. We waited for an hour or so that my ears would open up again, they didn't so went to the emergency care point at the airport. There they could not do anything and accompanied me to hospital - it was an international flight, I didn't speak the language and they didn't speak any of the languages I spoke, so imagine the chaos! At hospital, a nice doctor managed to unplug my ears with a kind of mini vaccum cleaner and forbade me to fly in the next 14 days if I didn't want to risk my eardrums tearing apart - the funny thing is, I had to return home just 4 days later and I did, it was very bad again though less bad. From that time on, I always used chewing gum before landing and a desgongestant nasal spray. Then I tried some sinus pills with descongestant effect - they worked fabulously. All this was before treatment, so I know it's not very helpful. Now I'm in treatment myself and there won't be any chewing gum nor nasal sprays, so I am wondering myself what to take when I have to fly again. I'll try to find the earplugs Chrsitina mentioned, hope I can find them where I live. Obviously I'll ask Boaz what he recommends. Luckily I don't have to fly again soon. I only know that I'll try to get away without taking anything if I don't have a cold/catarrh, but if I DO have it and must fly, I'd rather take something descongestant than risk a torn eardrum. It's one of the cases when one must be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of taking vs not taking something, and chose for themselves.
Thank you for sharing this,
Thank you for sharing this, Nika! It sounds like your experience was a lot like mine when I flew with the cold, except I didn't go to the hospital. I just waited a day or two for it to clear. It really was horrid though. I'm surprised my ear drum didn't rupture at the time. I did lose much of my hearing until the issue cleared several days later. It's really scary. Probably one of the most painful experiences I've ever had, which is why I'm trying to prevent it from happening again.
I'm considering canceling all plane trips until this problem resolves for me. My ears hurt enough as it is, I'm terrified of adding plane problems on top of it. My dilemma is that I live on the opposite coast from my family, and there are some really huge family milestone events coming up that I really want to be there for. I know I would regret not being able to make the trip. Until the time comes though, I'll just take it day by day.
I don't know if it helps, but
I don't know if it helps, but once I had a slight ear infection (I've had many, but that one was rather mild), with ear pain and irritation, and was concerned bc I had to take a plane. I went to a doctor to ask whether I should cancel the flight for health reasons (was already booked), and she said NO, ear infections were no problem. If it's just your ear that hurts, it will not necessarily get plugged on landing. It's rather the nose/catarrh and sinus issues we must fear. Nose full = problem. Ears plugged / hurting = no problem. That's more or less what the doctor said to me and in fact, I had no problems on the flight. So try to cure your cold as much as you can. Good luck!
And Christina's earpluggs from the drugstore might be an option. I want to find them myself.