We are leaving for Europe next week, and I am concerned about the flight. For the past few months, I've had an awful time flying- my ears won't pop on the descent. I went to the doctor and on his recommendation, I have tried the nose sprays and decongestants, but I still have the problem. He has said just to keep trying them and is not concerned. On my last flight, I tried the hot towel in a cup, and that helped, but not completely. I read about EarPlanes and thought they might help. Has anyone tried these? Any thoughts/experiences are appreciated.

Thanks,
Heather

Hi Heather,

Have you tried chewing gum?

Yep, I have tried chewing gum, sucking on candy, drinking a lot to swallow- none of them seem to work. Thanks for the suggestion though...

Good luck with the Earplanes.

Heather, there is another thread on this subject and after reading it I convinced my husband to try Earplanes. He has the same problem you do. Many posters on that thread thought they were great.

As far as he was concerned, they made no difference at all. For the price, you might try them out and see. Otherwise, you just have to wait for that painful pop sometime after you land.

Try this: pinch your nose real tight, then try to blow through it (as you're holding it pinched). Once should do it.

I have a similar problem - left eustachian tube is very narrow and swells at the slightest provocation, such that it doesn't respond fast enough to changes in pressure. In fact it is somewhat blocked today (local allergy I suspect as cause.)

"Flonase", which you can get from your doctor, is a steroid nasal spray that if used for a few days prior to the flight, might help when decongestants don't - it did for me.

Earplanes are an expensive variation of ear plugs with a sort of fancy leakage system. It is hard to compare anecdotes since the flight paths followed on ascent and descent can vary from flight to flight and it is the steepness of the ascent/descent, or in other words the speed of the change in pressure, relative to the speed with which your eustachian tube widens or narrows, that is the problem.

In theory, an ear plug inserted just before ascent or descent will trap a small amount of air at current air pressure between the plug and the ear drum. The trap won't be permanent since the plug isn't a perfect seal, but again in theory there should be a more gradual exposure of the ear drum, and in turn the eustachian tube behind the drum, to changing pressures. If this theory works, then it should work about as well with an ordinary pair of ear plugs as it does with Earplanes. Good luck. Remember, if you are very badly congested, you might face the possibility of a ruptured ear drum - with or without Earplanes, ear plugs, or anything else.

Thank you all for your recommendations- the good news is that I don't have congestion (taking allergy medicine now), so maybe the Earplanes will help make the pressure changes more gradual...I will have to ask my doctor about Flonase though. Thanks!

My husband has used them for similar problems and swears by them! I'd definately try them.

What the heck is the hot towel in a cup trick?

My husband has this problem but did better on our last trip with decongestants and Flonase. I'm curious about the towel and cup. I have a great vision of my husband holding coffee cups with hot towels up against his ears for the entire 10 trip to Europe. If it doesn't work on his ears, it would probably help me with my fear of flying since I'd probably burst into laughter every time I looked at him.

But seriously, if it helped you, maybe it would him. Please let me know.

DONT LAUGH....
Its an old remedy but it works !!!
Go in the bathroom and suck your thumb. Works for my friend with ear problems

I say, try anything and everything. I was once on a business trip with 12 clients going to London. We were flying Virgin "Upper Class". I had a sore throat before leaving which developed into a nose and ear thing. As the trip progressed my ears began to pound and was certain that the ear drumbs would burst mid flight. The steward was very kind. Lots plastic cups with steaming hot towels rolled up inside for each ear. Did provide some relief but oh boy unpon decent I wanted to just die. My clients were all sympathetic but still insisted on asking me one million questions even with cups over my ears. I was in poor shape for the first few days but made a full recovery. Moral of the story...do whatever it takes, buy whatever you can. I hope you never feel the way I felt on that flight!

You all have some very funny stories lt Calamari described the cup trick well (I found it somewhere on the internet when searching for "unblock your ears and flying&quot.
You take a hot, steaming paper towel and place it in a styrofoam cup (to keep the heat in) and then immediately place the cup over your ear. The moist heat is supposed to help open up your Eustacian tube I believe. I've asked a few flight attendants and they knew exactly what I was talking about, and prepared "the cup" for me. It is rather silly, and hard not to laugh, but it did provide some marginal relief.

I used Earplanes this year for the first time and they made a tremendous difference. I used to suffer a lot of pain on landing. With the Earplanes, I had a little discomfort as we started to descend, but that quickly went. And I wasn't deaf for an hour or two after landing either. Worth every penny.

I know that some of you are probably sick of hearing my flight attendant stories, but I am one, and often feel the need to respond. Due to liability reasons, most airlines can not give you the hot water. Some flight attendants will give you water, just not hot. We have been told not to do it. The "holding the nose and blowing" works the best. I do it every flight. This is what flight attendants are told to do by our doctors. I have SEVERE ear trouble and that helps me more than anything. (Although I sometimes walk through the aisle making strange faces to get my ears to pop.) Other things that help me are 1.taking a decongestant, alka setzer cold, etc. 2. putting Vaseline in my nose. The Vaseline keeps your sinuses moist. The alka seltzer cold can sometimes help you sleep if you take the one for nighttime. Last, don't have the regular(not Earplane) earplugs in your ears on descent...this will only make it worse. I have to tell you, "don't take any meds on the plane that you haven't tested on the ground first." I have seen people get wired over taking a cold med for the first time. I hope you do okay.

Not al all, jal716 - please keep your stories coming! It's good to hear from an insider!

I find that yawning helps pop my ears sometimes. Also yawning and holding my fingers over my earlobes over my ears to "close" my ears completely - sometimes helps.

Also the seating - aisle seats seem to give me less earaches than window seats. Seating along the wing, rather than fore or aft of the wing section, seems to help also.

HeatherP: Hope you find something that helps you!

Thanks jal716 - I think one of the flight attendents on my flight told me that she wasn't supposed to do it. I have really tried everything, including the "holding the nose and blowing" trick, but it still does not work. I do appreciate your ideas, and will try the Vaseline! If you see someone on the plane with cups over their ears, vaseline on her nose, and sucking her thumb, you'll know it's me lt Thanks to all! I'll let you know how it goes...

jason888: appreciate the thanks...sometimes I feel like everyone on this site hates airline employees. I happen to love my job and love helping people. That is why I am a flight attendant. I get the greatest joy helping others have a good trip. This site has helped me have good trips on my off days.

I fly twice a monthe and have been using earplanes for 2 years. They are wonderful but can be a little difficult to insert. I usually leave them in for the entire flight and they do not impair my hearing. Follow the directions and they will give you much relief.

Jal716, You're very welcome!

I haven't been a poster to Fodor's for very long, only about three months (was formerly just a "lurker" - pop in to read a bit and then pop out), but it appears to me that all sincere and knowledgeable input to this forum is very much appreciated!

And THANK YOU for putting up with us demanding travellers. Tough job, you have!