Flying with an ear infection
 

I was diagnosed yesterday with an ear infection and prescribed antibiotics. I'm flying to Paris on Monday and am hoping to be well on the way to recovery by then. Any information you could provide to help make the trip comfortable and safe ear-wise would be much appreciated. I plan to take a decongestant before take-off and use saline spray. Other tips?

As long as all your nasal and ear passages are clear and you can 'pop' your ears,(by holding your nose, keeping your mouth closed and blowing, or yawning ) you should be O.K. If you feel any discomfort, it should be on the ascent and descent only. If you do have pain, take a painkiller. As you say, by Monday, you should be O.K. Ear infections can be really painful so I hope you will be OK. You can always see a Dr. or a nurse when you get to your destination to check you are OK. Some airports have medical centres.Maybe getting them looked at before you fly would reassure you. <BR>Sucking sweets or chewing gum on the ascent and descent sometimes helps. Have a good trip!

All depends on the type of ear infection. If it is a middle ear infection you may indeed be advised not to fly. If it is an external ear infection, you probably can fly. I would definitely ask my doctor.

If it is a middle ear infection you'd better not fly. My husband did a few years ago and he thought his head and his ears were gonna burst. The pain must have been unbearable. Can you imagine on a 8 hour flight?

I once flew with an ear infection and it was the most painful experience I've ever had. I felt OK on the ground but shortly after takeoff I felt a sharp stabbing pain and intense pressure inside my ear canals. The pain was so severe I was crying. Fortunately this was only on a 2 hour domestic flight. Since you have until Monday you may be OK. My recommendation would be to take the decongestant regularly starting now if you haven't already -- don't wait until Monday -- so that it has plenty of time to work before then. Also, bring plenty of water and chewing gum on the flight with you. Also, remember that decongestants will dry you out and the air on planes is already dry so in addition to drinking lots of fluids and bringing saline spray you may also want to bring saline eye drops, skin lotion, and avoid anything else that will dry you out such as caffeinated beverages and alcohol. Good luck and have a great trip.

Two quick points: <BR> <BR>1. My wife is an RN and she indicated to me that you can place a couple of drops of Afrin in the ear canal. When you inhale Afrin to clear up congestion, it can eventually get there anyway. <BR> <BR>2. This happened to me once, and Delta flight attendant heated up warm damp cloths in microwave, placed in styrofoam coffee cups and had me place over ears duirng landing...worked very well. <BR> <BR>3. Woudl still check with doctor, particualrly with #1. Maybe wife saw big insurance policy...:) <BR> <BR>OF

REcently came back from England with a severe sinus infection and ear congestion. Used "Ear Planes"--special ear plugs that help neutralize the pressure on decent. It's apparently worse when the plane is landing but not so bad when the plane is pressurized for the middle of the flight. I had minimal problems, but my MD friend said you MUST follow the directions exactly. You can buy them at any big pharmacy--make sure you get the exact brand. Stay on your antibiotics and use the plugs and you'll most likely be fine.

Has it ever occurred to you to ask you doctor?

I had the same type of thing and was told to suck on candy during take off and landing to be prevent problems with the ear drum. I did and no problems. <BR> <BR>

I flew once to London when I had a pain in my ear--don't know if it was an ear infection or not. But I was in so much pain during the flight that I actually cried for about 2 hours. I never cry in public. And I tried all of the chewing gum, yawning, sucking on candy, etc. Nothing worked. <BR> <BR>Definitely get checked out when you arrive at your destination and when you get back home. A friend flew with a bad cold, and had pain after he got home. He ignored it for a couple of weeks, and then finally went to the doctor. By then it was too late--he'd already lost the hearing in that ear. The doctor said he would have been fine if he'd come in right away.

lynne unless you have a problem with antihistamines try elixir of dimetapp an otc prep sold in drug stores it will help to open the eustacean tube fast and equlize the pressure. try a couple of test doses at home first. it can be somewhat sedating but is very effective for this purpose. do chech this out with yoour personal physician

And don't just ask any doctor, try to ask an ear, nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist-head & neck surgeon), specifically an ear surgeon. Not only can it be uncomfortable, but ear infections may eventually contribute to future hearing loss, so you don't want to take chances.

Is it really safe to plug your nose, close your mouth, and blow? I always heard you could blow out your eardrum. Anyone?

Hi Lynne, I second old fashioned remedy of a wet papertowel in a styrofoam cup microwaved. IT WORKS REALLY WELL! Just make sure you have one for each ear, and bring your own, just incase the flight attendant thinks your nuts. That way all they have to do is heat it up for a minute. Btw, I do this at home just to relieve sinus pain.

Ouch, <BR>You CANNOT blow out your eardrum. This is just a fable.

why would anyone want to blow out their eardrum, it sounds very painful???

Thanks to all for your replies. Guess I will go the decongestant and saline spray route, as I can't see "popping" my ears (thanks anyway, Annette). Will also take something to suck on and drink lots of water. It's good to know about the microwaved wet paper towels Howard, my HMO MD said "Oh it's safe, I flew from Mexico one time with a bad ear infection and didn't have problems." This reply (N=1) was not of much use. <BR> <BR>Thanks again!

Lynne-I would definitely see if you could see a doctor early Monday morning before you fly.Your doctor can decide if your particular antibiotics are working,your progress in healing,etc. <BR>FYI-there are no microwaves on board airplanes but the hot cup treatment really does work. We use 5-8 thicknesses of paper towels stuffed in a cup,then flooded with hot water for a few minutes and then emptied. The hot water vapor really opens up the eustachian tubes.The pinching your nose and then blowing out your mouth really works but you must be very careful how hard you blow out your mouth. <BR>Speaking as one who broke her eardrum flying with an ear infection-be careful! Its a long road back.Good luck and please give a hug to Paris from all of us?

Thanks Debbie <BR> <BR>Plane leave at 8:30 am, so checking with MD early Monday is not an option, I'm afraid. Antibiotics appear to be working and the congestion diminishing. Thanks for the specifics on the hot towel and cup treatment. Do you think most flight attendants are familiar with this? <BR> <BR>Thanks for the good wishes. I love Paris, but my excitement for the trip is a bit tempered by world events.

Most Flight Attendants should be familiar with the hot water and towels in the cup routine. I used to work for BA and we were not allowed to carry out the procedure from a few years back as one flight attendant forgot to pour out the water from the cups after dampening the towels and the passenger poured boiling water into her ear. !! ouch ! We were then told not to do this anymore. It does work though. Good Luck