jet_lagged

At the end of my last vacation I had the worst cold, but that would not be the worst of it. I had to go back home by air and once the plane started down and the pressure changed, I lost most of my hearing in both ears.

Arriving back in America I went through immigration. The agent at customs asked me a variety of questions but I could barely hear him. He must of thought I was messing with him, even though I told him that I had gone partially deaf flying with a bad cold. He kept asking me questions.

It took me three days to get my hearing back after flying with a cold. Can you relate?

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Oh, yes. It's happened to me, but the effects lasted less than three days. Fortunately, it was only a few hours after landing, but it was agony.

WillTravel

This may not solve the problem, but I always take decongestants about an hour before takeoff and an hour before landing. I started doing this after I got an ear infection after a flight.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I know people who say they get relief from Sudafed or the generic pseudoephedrine, as WillTravel mentions above. You have to sign for it at the pharmacy counter. You should not take it if you have high blood pressure.

baysidegirl

This is my worst nightmare. I have suffered from ear, nose and throat problems all my life and flying is something I dread even without a cold.

Before every flight I take a product called Bisolvin - it is available in tablet or liquid form. It is a mucolytic and basically breaks down any mucus and lets it drain. I also take this an hour before landing plus I use a decongestant. As long as I do this I have no problems.

I have used Sudafed but found I developed a tolerance to it and it also made me feel sick.

dutyfree

Always use some type of saline solution or saline gel when flying as it keeps your nasal passages moist and keeps you from picking up stuff in the airplane cabin through your nose. You arrive at your destination feeling alot better than all dried out.

surfmom

my dd had an ear infection while on vacation - I asked the dr. about flying home - I was concerned about exactly that.

He suggested Afrin (or similar nasal spray) about 12 hours before flight and then about 30 minutes before. He said it will help open nasal passages and keep swelling down. We did (and a dose of Motrin) and she seemed fine.

I also always fly with sudafed personally. But I frequently am conjested due to allergies.

EricH

Wow, I can't believe that noone has suggested taking the health of your fellow passengers into account and not subjecting them to your cold. It took you three days to recover. How many total person-days do you think you may have caused among those who sat in proximity to you on that flight?

MarthaT

I had a real bad cold flying back from Germany last Christmas and I could not clear my ears while on the flight. My hearing went down to nothing for the flight but after I landed they got back to normal.
It was painful and not pleasant. The pressure on my eardrums was awful.

jet_lagged

ERIC Said: Wow, I can't believe that noone has suggested taking the health of your fellow passengers into account and not subjecting them to your cold. It took you three days to recover. How many total person-days do you think you may have caused among those who sat in proximity to you on that flight?
--------------------------

I asked the airline if I could postpone my flight and they said yes, if I wanted to pay for a new ticket. I used your argument and they just rolled their eyes.

hilda

8 years ago flying back from hawaii I had a resolving cold that concerned me. I saw a physician in Hawaii before I left, she gave me antibiotics in case it was a sinus infection. 12 hours after I got home I had pressure in my ears so severe I thought my head would pop off, I went to an ER. There was not much they could do, it got worse over several days. I saw an ENT a couple times. From time to time I could not hear. A physician friend told me I was experiencing similiar issues divers have, he told me to get on Prednisone which I started. The Prednisone helped
This was one of the worst experiences of my life, I will never forget it. I am always nervous when I fly now.

scotlib

I had the same problem .. a cold and plugged ears when going through immigration. My guy must have believed my, "I haf a gold and cannot hear."

Coming home, of course, was two legs. Going up for first one was okay, landing was the problem: both ears plugged and never cleared, even after waiting for a long layover.

I got a package of Ear Planes for the second flight. Put them in about an hour before landing and they at least seemed to not increase the pressure problem.

I had along a Vicks nasal stick .. pah, nothing. Halls menthol cough drops did a better job of clearing the sinuses (for me). I went through quite a few on the trip home.

Traveling with me next trip: Halls drops, Ear Planes, and another gadget, a neti pot. SinuCleanse is one provider of these. Certainly not glamorous while you essentially wash out the sinuses, but they feel lots better after, I find.

Momliz

love my neti pot! I personally would never use sudafed, or any decongestant because I get so dried up anyway and the decongestant only makes it worse. I like to use an expectorant, and one of the best is Guaifenesin, found in Robitussin and other cough syrups. makes the mucus more liquid so it drains better. and saline spray! and, drink lots of water.

HariS

Do not blow your nose hard to get rid of the congestion - that apparently worsens the situation due to the cabin pressure and can make things worse......

FainaAgain

Happened to me once, but not cold. I even went to the doctor - the ear ache was so bad on the plane and at home. Now I double the allergy nasal spray, and I'm fine.

Do you have medical insurance? Can you see a doctor? Can be something more then just a cold.

belyta

I arrived last Sunday from a long trip (24 hours in the air with a 6 and 4 hour wait in airports) and had a cold. Today is Friday and I feel I'm losing more and more hearing in my right ear My doctor said I had been really lucky as nothing was ruptured and that it would eventually resolve, but I see no signs of getting better; on the contrary, I hear this echo on the right side inside my head. I'm on antibiotics (Amoxyl) and cortisone (Nasonex) and Have tried all possible movements with my head. My balance goes berserk in my left ear (which was never affected with hear loss) if I put my little finger in. My right ear hurts inside and outside... Nearly a week has passed. I'm so afraid I've lost most of my hearing in the right ear for good..... I am glad you guys didn't go deaf....

sumrcr

The problem is not always a cold, at least it was not in my case. While visiting Sicily a few years ago, I went swimming off the coast at Taormina, the day before our flight home. By evening I was feeling woozy and a little disoriented, the whole stuffy head effect. I thought it was a cold but managed to push on through with the flight, which was delayed an extra day due to an overnight layover in Paris. The fourth day, the day after arriving at home, I was finally able to visit a doctor. She diagnosed the problem not as a cold but as water on the ear. She drained the ear with a suction cup, and the problem cleared up almost immediately.

belyta

Absolutely blocked and not getting better after 10 days ago. ENT specialist says I need prednisone and may need grommets

atravelynn

I'm glad it came back. Must have been a scary 3 days, though.