Never EVER fly with a sinus infection. Ever.

[Beausoir]

As bad as you think it could possibly be...it's 10 times worse than that.

Never in my life have I experienced such agony as I did last night. I was actually crying. The FA was very kind and brought me some hot towels.

I took 3 vicodin, 4 advil and still the pain was perfectly excruciating.

What's weird is...this was on the return flight. Going out 4 days ago, I had some ear trouble but nothing...NOTHING....like the pain I had at altitude last night.

I should've listened to my ER doc.

[Parche]

1. Flying

Or with a cold, or ear infuction, or Flu.........:hi:

[Beausoir]

2. That's for sure. I am tough...I can take alot of pain. But there is a reason people warned me.

Good god.

[trof]

3. I was a pilot for over 30 years. Always had Benzedrix Inhaler.

They're 5 times better than the wimpy Vicks Inhaler.
I've cleared many an ear/sinus block with one.

[Beausoir]

11. What is a sinus block? My FA gave me some kind of nasal inhaler. God bless her

and her rule bustin' heart.

She was so kind.

[pokerfan]

24. I had an ear blocked once due to a cold

Ascending wasn't too painful but once we reached altitude with the cabin pressure at what, 8K feet or so, my ear suddenly equalized with an incredibly loud "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek" sound as the now pressurized air leaked out. I looked around to see if anyone had heard that but either they hadn't or they were just being polite.

Descending was the worst though. I can usually clear my eustation tubes by just "clicking" my ears, if you know what I mean. I dive so I resorted to discretely blowing against my pinched nostrils as hard as I dared, to no avail. I felt every drop, 1000 feet at a time, and my inner ear felt like it was getting crushed.

It got to the point where I was so insane with the pain that I started entertaining the thought of walking up to the flight deck (this was pre 9/11) and telling the crew to knock it off.

I didn't clear until I had been on the ground for an hour or so. Now, I always carry Sudafed just in case, but it's never happened since.

[Skittles]

29. my ears do that on landing

if it's really bad the FA gives me a steaming towlette in a cup - that helps

[driver8]

32. Thanks for the tip!!

I have the worst time with my ears when I fly.

I usually get sick about a day or two after I fly, also.

It sucks.

[Pithlet]

4. Even a mild cold is unbearable on a flight.

I flew with a cold, once. I'll never do it again unless it's absolutely necessary and I can completely knock myself out with some sort of narcotic pain medication.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. I'm so sorry...

Agony is not fun. :pals: Hope you're feeling better soon!

[BobMorr]

6. don't od on acetaminophen

Watch what you take. My friends 24 yr. old niece took a number of pain killers, all with acetaminophen. She destroyed her liver. Had a transplant last wed.

[Beausoir]

12. Yes, that's why I did not take tylenol with the vicodin. Still..it was a large dose but I was

in agony.

[Westegg]

7. Yep. I got blood on my ear-drum! Ow.

[Rude Horner]

8. I've done that and it was horrible

The pain was excruciating. I feel for ya.

[Sequoia]

9. Are you the person last week who mentioned your first sinus and earache infection?

And how your doctor said flying would be horrible for you?

[Beausoir]

10. That would be me. ER doc said the only time she has ever cried from pain was on a plane with a

sinus infection.

I didn't believe her. I'm a tough, stoic Norwegian.

Wow. She was right. I'm officially a moran.

[Sequoia]

31. Ha, ha.....now you'll listen next time, eh?

I lost my sense of smell for two years due to a sinus infection. Yep, I was camping in Yosemite and it was "foggy" but then why where those helicopters with buckets of water flying around....?!! I would burn things in the oven and all sorts of dangerous things all because I couldn't detect a scent for anything. Sinus & earaches...the worst pain...next to childbirth of course.

[Beausoir]

33. Wow! Helicopters with buckets of water. That's funny but scary.

[Shakespeare]

13. That's why I always, ALWAYS load up on sudafed before flying.

I'll deal with dry sinuses (the side effect from sudafed); the converse is too painful to contemplate.

And not the wimpy stuff they're selling OTC now--get the kind you have to ask the pharmacist for (and show your driver's license).

[yellowdogintexas]

14. amen to that, in fact I often take it before I fly even if I am not feeling

sick because if your sinuses are even the least bit out of balance, those cabin pressure changes will wreck your head. Especially if you are on a DC9.

Sudafed (the real original one) is a lifesaver. If I had to fly with a sinus or ear infection, I would take Mucinex for 24 hours before flying, and Sudafed and double the sudafed the day of the flight. Ibuprofen, not acetaminophen for its anti-inflammatory properties. Plus whatever antibiotic the doctor ordered.

And I would have been flushing my sinuses with my Neti Pot too.

[Beausoir]

16. I just started using the Neti-pot. It's weird at first. But after awhile, you kind of crave it.

As you well know, when you have a sinus-infection, you will do anything to relieve the pain.

My mistake was not using Sudafed or the Neti-pot before my return flight.

Both really help.

Lesson learned.

[fortyfeetunder]

27. Agree, a sinus wash does do the trick

After a couple of swishes last week, it gets the crud out, and started recovering.
Sorry to read about your ordeal on the plane though. :hug:

[Beausoir]

15. I got that! The under the counter stuff. But...I ran out before the return flight.

Never again.

From now on...I am stocking Sudafed.

The real stuff.

[pitohui]

17. it could be worse

you still have your hearing, other people who have done what you did don't

[Beausoir]

18. Well, I have a hard time imagining that.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

25. It's rare but possible.

A very severe infection combined with a pressure change, especially a sudden one, can result in ruptured eardrums.

[Poiuyt]

19. I did. It felt like a spike was being driven into my forehead

[Beausoir]

21. I thought it would be the ears....but it was the forehead.

And my back began to hurt, too. Along with my hair, my skin, my teeth, etc.

[KitchenWitch]

20. I have never flown with a sinus infection

but back in April I flew with a mild cold, and ended up with a 4 week bout of antibiotic resistant pneumonia.

[Beausoir]

22. Ummmm...shit. What the hell is that?

[KitchenWitch]

23. It is regular pneumonia

that needed three different rounds of different antibiotics to get it killed. They almost hospitalized me for the last round.

[zanne]

26. If three vicodin didn't knock you on your ass.....

It must have been the mother of all sinus infections. A few months ago, I had a sinus infection that was so bad my doctor had me rushed by ambulance to the ER; and that was on the ground! I'm glad you're OK now, but what a horrible thing to go through.

[Hissyspit]

28. I did once. I thought my sinuses were going to explode. Literally.

I was surprised they didn't.

[Midlodemocrat]

30. I flew with a cold once and I thought I was dying.

Horrible, horrible pain. Never again.