Worried about flight pressure on ears

[Tony97]

Hi, my name is Tony and I will going on a flight to Ireland this month, but I'm worried about my ears. For the past few months I seem to have been having trouble with my eustachian tubes. There seems to be some liquid trapped in them and I continue to get this feeling of pressure in them. I have heard of people rupturing ear drums because of this situation and I want to know what is the possibility of this happening. I was also wondering if you (as a doctor) could give me some advice for reducing the pressure that my ears will experience on the flight. My doctor told me to chew gum and continue taking decongestants. I did a little research online and saw this product called "Earplanes" which are ear plugs that apparantly are supposed to reduce ear pressure, but I would like to hear your opinion.

Thank you for your time,

Tony

[Eric Genden, MD]

Earplanes are an excellent option- They control the pressure that is required to open the E-tube and ventilate the ears- Safe and effective,.

[Jaco13]

Tony97,

My typical protocol is to use earplanes, benedryl, and sudafed for the flight.  Recently, when I was considering flying with some sinus trouble, my otolaryngologist suggested using Afrin.  I never did take the flight so I never tried it and I can't tell you how well it works.  You should run it by your doctor to see what he thinks.

-Jaco

[Tony97]

Thanks for your comment. I'll purchase a couple pairs for my trip and see if they help any.