any of you guys ever fly with an inner-ear infection, guys?

[Zoomerang96]

i got my meds today, and i'm flying back to canada on saturday. three flights, no less. lots of ups and downs. good times.

i've got unreal pressure in my ears at the moment, and some good ol' pain to go with it. the good news is the doctor said i should be feeling a lot better in a few days. good news indeed, cause i don't think i'd be able to fly like this.

have any of you flown with an ear infection before? how'd you make out?

 

[UberBeaver]

I flew a few weeks ago with a sinus cold. My ears hurt like mother fuckers on the descent, and then they felt like I had water in them for the rest of the day. But I pulled through just fine.

 

[Zoomerang96]

by the way, can i get a refund on my ticket if i cancel on medical grounds? zonelistener, i'm guessing you might know something about this.

i wouldn't want to be re-book, because i'm only going back for my christmas break. it's now, or never. or summer, in other words.

just looking for others experiences. speak to me. share your pain and make me feel better.

 

[anitram]

NyQuil + a glass of wine. The only problem is one time I almost didn't get up in time in a plastic chair in Schiphol. But if you're sitting on a long flight, go for it! It's not like sleeping through their "dinner" is a huge loss anyway.

 

[Zoomerang96]

I flew a few weeks ago with a sinus cold. My ears hurt like mother fuckers on the descent, and then they felt like I had water in them for the rest of the day. But I pulled through just fine.

mine will hurt too, i'm sure... but there's a small miracle out there for those of us who have trouble.

ear planes. they're fantastic. they prevent the sharp pain...
i'll definitely be wearing a pair of those bad boys at the weekend... for 21 hours.
flying blows.

 

[Dalton]

I flew from Joberg to NY once with an ear infection. Thankfully the plane was pretty empty, so I found a row with no one else in it took some sleeping pills and went to sleep.

I had a killer headache for the next couple of days though ....

that part sucked.

 

[Zoomerang96]

NyQuil + a glass of wine. The only problem is one time I almost didn't get up in time in a plastic chair in Schiphol. But if you're sitting on a long flight, go for it! It's not like sleeping through their "dinner" is a huge loss anyway.

does that really knock you out? i like taking loads of gravol...

 

[Zoomerang96]

I flew from Joberg to NY once with an ear infection. Thankfully the plane was pretty empty, so I found a row with no one else in it took some sleeping pills and went to sleep.

I had a killer headache for the next couple of days though ....

that part sucked.

speaking of sleeping pills and gravol... how many can you take before it gets dangerous? i've taken two once and felt stoned for the next 20 hours. i'm thinking in this situation i should take three.

 

[redhotswami]

how'd you make out?

something like this
but i don't think i've ever made out on a plane with an ear infection before.

 

[BoMac]

Re: Re: any of you guys ever fly with an inner-ear infection, guys?

something like this
but i don't think i've ever made out on a plane with an ear infection before.

 

[Zoomerang96]

i knew someone would run with that.

i'm not quite sure how to respond without getting banned.

 

[anitram]

does that really knock you out? i like taking loads of gravol...

Yes. There is already booze in Nyquil (this is what makes you sleepy) - you just have to up the ante a bit....

 

[Zoomerang96]

and you got that in amsterdam? i haven't seen any nyquil in europe... of course, i haven't really looked either.

my nerves are gonna be wracked though. i've gone through this once before in 2005. flying from warsaw to amsterdam en route back to canada. ears went absolutely mental, and was forced to fly the rest of the way the next day.

i don't want a repeat performance. nevermind the pain factor, but i only have 13 days in canada to begin with.

 

[Laura M]

ear planes. they're fantastic. they prevent the sharp pain...

flying blows.

i have a few ear problems and sometimes travelling can be a really painful experience. i never fly without having had painkillers and the aul ear planes.

 

[Gluey]

My 4yr old got a massive middle ear infection when we were in Rarotonga in May....We were due to fly home 4 days after they found it. Filled him up with pain killers and gave him bubble gum to chew the whole way home (just under 4hrs flying)....he was fine....

Good luck!

 

[anitram]

and you got that in amsterdam? i haven't seen any nyquil in europe... of course, i haven't really looked either.

Sorry dude, I always bring my meds with me from the Canookian palace of Shoppers Drug Mart.

 

[DaveC]

Eat some acid before your trip.

I guarantee you will not even think about your ears for about 12 hours. Also guaranteed that it will make the trip a whole lot more interesting.

 

[elevateandy]

I flew from LA to Philly with an inner ear infection. When I got home I had to go to the ER. It ruptured- now my right ear is damaged. Basically- don't fly

 

[BVS]

Once, and it was probably one of the worse pains I've ever felt. I was almost in tears.

I hope you heal quickly or are allowed to change your flights.

 

[Liesje]

I second the double dose of gravol/dramamine. I did that once and slept 9 hours with my forehead on the tray. The nice Dutch stewardesses tried to hold me up and spoon feed me, but all I wanted was sleeeeeeeep. When I'm having a really stressful time (in general, not necessarily flying), I take 1/2 a pill a few hours before bed and I don't have trouble sleeping at night for the next week.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Good luck, bear. Do you have an equivilent of panadeine forte in poland? Or Mersyndol ? Mersyndol isn't a prescription medication, but seems to work on every person I've ever met who's had one. You can even get Mersyndol Forte, for that extra kick. It's a muscle relaxant so it will make you generally a lot more comfortable and there's a good chance it will make you drowsy. You may need to take some on board with you because their 'half life' isn't fantastic, but they work fast and work well.

 

[zonelistener]

by the way, can i get a refund on my ticket if i cancel on medical grounds? zonelistener, i'm guessing you might know something about this.

Unless you have used your ungodly amounts of wealth to purchase a refundable ticket, you will most likely lose money.

You do have some options. I would call the airline. Most likely, yet not guaranteed, you will could use your ticket against a future or return trip minus a change fee. I t all depends on the type of fare though.

Best of luck, my friend. I do not envy anyone flying with an ear infection.

 

[gherman]

If you Sudafed it will help... a lot. Don't take the OTC one with phenylepherine you need pseudoephedrine from behind the pharmacy counter.

 

[Zoomerang96]

this thread is depressing.
thanks for the help and opinions, everyone.

i'm not sure what to say. to be honest, it's a pretty discouraging situation.

thanks again, though.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

looking to join the mile high club?

how'd you make out?

flying blows.

 

[Carek1230]

I flew from Hawaii to Calif with an ear infection and it was pretty painful. I had a prescription decongestant at the time and pain meds. Those taken I was at least relaxed. The landing was most painful, but once on the ground I was a happy camper. Good luck.

 

[Liesje]

If you Sudafed it will help... a lot. Don't take the OTC one with phenylepherine you need pseudoephedrine from behind the pharmacy counter.

It's a stimulant though, so don't take in combination with any downers!!!

 

[kellyahern]

I think by Saturday, you should feel a lot better, like your doctor said. I flew with an ear infection after having been on anti-biotics for a few days and it was just annoying, rather than painful. I felt a twinge of pain on take off and landing (when the pressure changed) and when I landed it took a good day for the pressure to completely go away.

I would chew lots of gum and take some sleepy pills and you should be fine. If you hadn't started anti-biotics today, well that would be differenty .




Now the time I flew to Boston with what I later found out was a sinus infection and I felt like my eye was going to pop out of my head . . .

 

[DaveC]

It's a stimulant though, so don't take in combination with any downers!!!

Stimulants + downers = a really funny feeling

Downers + downers = sleep you wake up from in a hospital bed

Stimulants + stimulants = exploding heart

 

[Liesje]

Downers + downers = sleep you wake up from in a hospital bed

Yeah, that's one you wanna avoid! We had a student die a few years back after having not enough alcohol to make her legally drunk and a normal adult dose of OTC sleeping medication.