Post: #1

I have been flying for more than 10 years and up until recent, I never had any problems with ear pressure/pain from changes in elevation.

Last week, I was flying to Miami and as soon as the plane started to descend, I began having intense pain in my ears to the point of feeling like they were bleeding. It took 24 hours before my hearing was any better than maybe 50% of usual.

The next day, I flew to Sao Paulo on my way to Rio and the same thing happened again. Ear pressure and hearing loss for almost 2 days.

I had already booked a ticket to Buenos Aires to meet some friends and of course the same thing happened again. It has now been almost 4 days and my hearing is still not back to normal. It is maybe at 80% of usual at this point and feels like they just cannot pop. They feel constantly plugged.

I am considering going to a doctor here although I am pretty convinced that the issue is temporary. I chewed gum on each flight, took decongestants, and currently am taking Loratadina 5mg and Pseudoefefrina sulfato 120 mg from the local farmacia.

Has anyone else dealt with the same situation and found a way to cure or prevent hearing loss/pain/pressure?

Again, I have tried checking gum, decongestants, plugging nose and pushing air, hot tea, hot showers, and q-tips. Is this something that just needs time to resolve itself or am I risking any long term damage by waiting. Would a candle wax treatment possibly help? How can I prevent this from happening again during my two flights home?

Any advice appreciated.

Post: #2

You probably suffer from barotrauma due to change in barometral pressure as the plane lands or takes off.In severe case it can cause injury and perforation of the tympanic membrane with permanent hearing loss but it is rare.Personally I have found out that when I close my ears with hands during landing or take off or when I use earplugs during the same time barotrauma seldom happens.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/...001064.htm

Post: #3

I suffer from this really bad - every time I fly. Even to a lesser degree when driving with big altitude changes. Ascending and descending is agony, crusing altitude is still painful and frustrating because I am deaf. Then when I land I spend as long as three days with 40-60% hearing loss until things finally clear.

I tried chewing gum, sucking on hardboiled sweets and every other old wives tale and trick to clear it. I bought this little hand pump which supposedlly re-inflates blocked tubes in the ear but it had no real effect.

One thing that helped a little was using a nasal decongestant spray a few times before, during and after the flight - hearing and nasal passage are somehow linked.

I tried the cadle wax / ear candling treatment (hippie ex-gf) and found no benefit when flying.

Then I found the solution:
   

EarPlanes - they basicly filter the change in pressure, allowing your ears to slowly adapt rather than be overwhelmed by sudden changes. Though I still do not enjoy flying it solves the problem and I no long dread flying and the recovery period.

I put the plugs in just before takeoff. If its a short flight (under 2 hours) I usually just leave the plugs in till after landing, however for longer flights the plugs themself can become a bit uncomfortable and I will pull them out.

The plugs do not block out a lot of noise, you can hear the person next to you and cabin crew announcements just fine. I quite like that it dulls the background noise of plane full of people chattering and shuffling in there seats. I usually read or stuff around on my laptop if I am not trying to sleep, however I'm sure some over ear headphones would work just fine.

The manufacturer naturally recommends you replace them after every return flight, I ignored that and didnt replace my first pair until about 35 hours and by then it's benefit was significantlly reduced. Now I replace after about 25 hours of use, when performance begins to drop off as the filter degrades.

These are the ones I use, but there are different varieties -
http://www.amazon.com/FRANZUS-TS-157EP-E...0000C1KT4/

Manufacture page -
http://www.cirrushealthcare.com/EarPlanes-C8.aspx

I will not fly without them now and always have a fresh pair in my bag. As an added benefit I've had a number of flight attendants and hot fellow passengers open me about them.

Hope that helps you out.

Post: #4

I have the same problem and pseudoephedrine works for me. I start taking it a day or two before I fly and I also drink lots of water. I make sure to take it during my flight as well. I get the 12 hour kind. I just take that, keep drinking water, and I don't have any problems anymore.

Post: #5

Thanks for the replies.

@greek - I tried plugging my ears with my fingers during landing last time and it made the pressure worse.

@basil - I remember seeing the Earplanes in the airport stores, and will def use them on the way back.

@Rio - I have been taking pesudoephedrine for days now and so far nothing has changed.

It's now been 5 days and my hearing is ranging around 70-80% of normal. It feels like I am under water, and I can hear myself talk inside my head. Recently there has been a low level ringing. I still have 6 days left in BsAs, but due to all the holidays taking place, I will not be able to see a doctor until next Monday. I cannot imagine that this will not resolve itself, but I can honestly say that I will not be taking good hearing for granted again. If you spend a few days trying to game with hearing loss, you will feel like a damn champion once you actually have your full abilities to hear what someone says clearly and respond with knowledge of how loud you are speaking.

Post: #6

Hope the earplanes do the trick. I remember the pain and furstration I used to endure, what you describe is almost identical to what I used to go through. It would drive me insane and make those first few days of travel in particular misery. Definitely makes you appreciate hearing.

Post: #7

I purchase earplugs before almost every flight that I take. I really only need them during takeoff & landing. There's this one brand that most US convenience stores carry that is pretty decent. It's called "Earplanes". I started using them after I realized that the discomfort I experienced during takeoff & landing phases (esp. landing) could be quite uncomfortable. Plus the level of noise in some of these planes is just ridiculous as well. The earplugs don't eliminate the problem completely, but they certainly help a great deal.

Whoops, I just noticed that "basil" praised the exact same product. To put a long story short, I'm on the SAME page as basil.

(04-04-2012 12:13 PM)IVth_Element Wrote:  I have been flying for more than 10 years and up until recent, I never had any problems with ear pressure/pain from changes in elevation.

Last week, I was flying to Miami and as soon as the plane started to descend, I began having intense pain in my ears to the point of feeling like they were bleeding. It took 24 hours before my hearing was any better than maybe 50% of usual.

The next day, I flew to Sao Paulo on my way to Rio and the same thing happened again. Ear pressure and hearing loss for almost 2 days.

I had already booked a ticket to Buenos Aires to meet some friends and of course the same thing happened again. It has now been almost 4 days and my hearing is still not back to normal. It is maybe at 80% of usual at this point and feels like they just cannot pop. They feel constantly plugged.

I am considering going to a doctor here although I am pretty convinced that the issue is temporary. I chewed gum on each flight, took decongestants, and currently am taking Loratadina 5mg and Pseudoefefrina sulfato 120 mg from the local farmacia.

Has anyone else dealt with the same situation and found a way to cure or prevent hearing loss/pain/pressure?

Again, I have tried checking gum, decongestants, plugging nose and pushing air, hot tea, hot showers, and q-tips. Is this something that just needs time to resolve itself or am I risking any long term damage by waiting. Would a candle wax treatment possibly help? How can I prevent this from happening again during my two flights home?

Any advice appreciated.