Airplane Ear?

[Steve Kroll]

I realize this has nothing to do with cooking, but has anyone here been diagnosed with this?

It was the strangest thing. I picked up a cold while in Las Vegas and decided to take a decongestant before boarding the flight home. Everything was fine during the flight but, as we were landing, I noticed my wife tapping me on the arm. I guess she had been talking to me but I wasn't responding to her (ok, granted, that in itself is not that unusual among married men).

It wasn't just her. I couldn't hear other people talking around me at all. The only sounds I could hear was anything high pitched. Yesterday, things were a little better, but still not anywhere near normal. So I went to the urgent care, and was told I had "airplane ear", which is caused by the Eustachian tube collapsing on itself due to a pressure imbalance. The doctor also said it was probably caused by taking the decongestant before getting on the plane, and that it would most likely clear up in a day or two.

Strange what he said about the decongestant being the cause, because all of the reading I've done since recommends taking a decongestant before flying in order to prevent it.

Anyway, my hearing is somewhat back as of this morning, but what a weird couple of days this has been.

 

[taxlady]

Glad your hearing is back to normal. Must have been a bit scary.

 

[Dawgluver]

Oh yeah. Sad you had to experience it, Steve, but it happens to me everytime I fly. I'm pretty much deaf for the first couple days after we land, then it's OK, then deaf again for a couple days after we get home. I can't scuba dive because my ear canals are too small, and I can't equalize the pressure, so I have to stick to snorkeling. Check out EarPlanes, they're screw-in plastic plugs with ceramic baffles that equalize the pressure, and they help a bit. You can get them at Walgreens, they have a generic version too.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Horrible, I hope it clears soon.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Check out EarPlanes, they're screw-in plastic plugs with ceramic baffles that equalize the pressure, and they help a bit. You can get them at Walgreens, they have a generic version too.

Thanks for the advice. The doc mentioned those, too, so I will give it a go.

I really hope this doesn't become a recurring problem. I fly quite a bit, and it would be awful to have deal with this after every flight. I can't imagine how you do it.

 

[Dawgluver]

Thanks for the advice. The doc mentioned those, too, so I will give it a go.

I really hope this doesn't become a recurring problem. I fly quite a bit, and it would be awful to have deal with this after every flight. I can't imagine how you do it.

I always tell DH I'm deaf for a few extra days. What he doesn't know I don't have to listen to.

 

[Addie]

Steve, both Poo and myself have had this problem since birth. The first time I flew with him, I kept my fingers in his ears as we were landing and stuck a solid wad of cotton in mine. It was all I had on hand. Like you, Poo flies a lot and carries the ear plugs all the time. Instead of passing out headphones, the airlines should be passing out ear plugs. They really make a difference.

 

[bakechef]

I've had this a couple times while flying. I now take a single sudafed (the real stuff) and haven't had a problem. I find it interesting the advise that the doctor gave you, but he obviously knows more than I do.