Ear pain when flying? [duplicate]
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I’m going to Spain in 3 months, and it will be my first flight in 8 years.
I have always had problems with my ears when I was younger. I have had lots of grommets in because of hearing loss and ear infections and had my last ones removed 2 years ago.
I still get a bit of pain in my ears even now when we drive up a hill, and my ears pop or if we go on a train through a tunnel. Even if my mum has her window open in the car and I don’t, it sends my ears wild.
However, the last time coming home on a plane from America when I was 9 or 10, I had severe pain in my ears when landing. It has always put me off flying and now I have a flight coming up. I’m very nervous.
Can someone give me some tricks and tips to calm my nerves and ease my worries? I really don’t want to not go on a plane ever again. I want to travel and I don’t want this stupid reason to hold me back from life!
I have tried the ear pressure plugs, swallowing, bowing your nose and nothing works!
I will try and get some pain meds from doctors but what if it hurts?
Best Answer
This is a non-trivial medical issue, so let's not fuzz around with this: You need to go and see an good ear doctor and talk it through with them.
The reason for the pain are changes in air pressure. These need to be equalized between the outer world and your middle ear cavity. That, apparently, doesn't work well for you and hence the ear pain. If the pressure between both sides of your ear drum isn't the same your ear drum will be either pushed out (going up) or pushed in (going down). This as a) painful and b) potentially dangerous, so you should NOT paper it over with pain killers.
The best way to proceed depends on the details of your medical condition, so it can only be determined by a trained professional who is familiar with your specifics.
Don't follow medical advice from strangers on the Internet.
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How do you get rid of flight ear pain?
Valsalva maneuverWhy do my ears hurt everytime I fly?
Every time a plane takes off (ascends) and lands (descends), the air pressure changes and the ears need to adapt. Until the Eustachian tubes equalize the pressure, the difference between the inside and outside pushes on the eardrum. This pressure difference causes it to hurt and not work properly.How long does airplane ear pain last?
If it is, it may take weeks to heal and you might not hear very well. Usually, the only treatment is time. If it isn't better in 2 months, you may need an operation to prevent lasting hearing loss.Does ear barotrauma go away?
You may not need any treatment if you get ear barotrauma. Most injuries heal on their own with time, and most people's symptoms will go away. But your eardrum might not heal normally if a blast caused the injury. You might need medicines for your ear barotrauma.BEST Way to STOP Ear Pain When Flying? | Earplanes EP2 Earplug Review
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ferdinando Ferrazzi, Johann Van der Linde, Pixabay, Matthias Zomer