Ear pain when flying
 

Any suggestions for preventing intense earache when descending in a plane?? I am in total agony with ear ache when everyone around seems fine.I have tried the special ear plugs, chewing etc. Has anybody who suffers this any solutions please. Thanks.

I used to suffer from incredible pain - both ear and forehead, as if somebody was sticking thousands of daggers into me. A few years ago, the stewardess would give me a cup filled with boiling water and I would place this near the ear that hurt. I don't know why but that remedy seemed to help. Lately, I can't get anyone to do that for me.
Now I take decongestants and nasal spray prior to flying. These seems to give me some modest relief.

Does this occur only enroute to India?

Try taking an antihistamine before landing and or consult your ENT doctor. If this only happened when flying to India like Marija said above then consult a psychiatrist.

Ear barotrauma is discomfort and possible damage in ear due to flying,http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/001064.htm
I have had this due to allergies and small eutacian tubes.
Usually antihistaminse od decongestents and nasal sprays
work great but see a good ENT MD he will suss it out.

If it's as painful as you describe, then I also concur that you should be evaluated by an Ears, Nose, and Throat doc. Depending on how often you fly, you may benefit from the insertion of eustachian tubes (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/874348-overview).

The advice to consult an ENT is good.

That said: check this link, it's by an ENT

http://www.fauquierent.net/etd.htm

You may be suffering from an allergy at the time of flying, so that even if you don't have a cold, your Eustachian tubes are swollen and rather sluggish to respond to changes in air pressure. The above linked article gives other possible causes.

I have found that 'Rhinaris' - a moisturizing nasal spray, used in advance of and during the flight, helps. That, and inhaling the steam of a cup of hot water, or pressing a hot towel to my neck (just behind the affected ear) helps. If I have a bad cold, though, these and other measures help, but I still have to just try and stay as relaxed as possible, and tell myself the pain won't last forever.