Ears popping BADLY during flights- causing tears! Any remedies?

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

Here's the thing- My 10 yr old brother is tough! He takes pain so well!
We have flown twice- last summer, and during Christmas. Each time, DB's ears were popping very badly! Mainly during decending toward land.
At first, he just mentioned that his ears were popping. Then it got worse. He tried gum, yawning, shaking his jaw back and forth, plugging his ears (not that it works?) and many other things. Then he began to cry.. a true IN PAIN cry. Which NEVER happens. He also could hardly hear. This happened on both trips.
Once we landed, and got off the plane he was perfectly fine.
Has anyone got any good ideas for helping his pain?
Or what could be causing it? When he was a baby, he did have quite a few ear infections. Don't know if that may trigger it?
Does anyone else ever experience horrible pains like this?
Thanks so much for any help!!

 

[Pdowning98]

For our DS8 we used Earplanes. It seemed to do the trick that gum chewing, yawning and so on could not do. They look like earplugs and you put them in about 1 to 1/2 hours prior to landing and take them out after the plane has landed and the doors open. I bought them at target. I believe they were around $5. Good luck!

 

[momrek06]

EAR PLANES....YUP... they make them for BOTH Adult and Children.

They are about $6.00 for the pair. You can get them most anywhere from
CVS to Wal-Mart to the Airport.

Good Luck...Hope This Helps!!!!!!!!

 

[Meriweather]

Earplanes should help....I have terrible ears. It also depends on the airport and the rate of descent.
So, I use earplanes, gum and decongestants. Some airports that works, some not enough.
My own airport...SEA is the worst!! Always pain for 20 minutes or more before landing.
Good luck.

 

[N.Bailey]

Maybe someone can give you a suggestion that will work, but I remember so vividly boarding my first plane to Florida many years ago. It was SOOOOO bad that I begged my husband to call home and have someone drive down and pick us up. I did not want to ever get on a plane again. It was horrible! On the way home though, it wasn't nearly as bad. We had a nonstop flight down and a transfer in North Carolina I believe on the way home. To this day, I'll never fly nonstop again. I think we hit a higher altitude on the way down, and I NEVER want to hit that height again. My head literally felt like it was going to explode and there was nothing I could do to relieve the pressure.

I hope you're able to find something that works for you because until you experience that pain for yourself, you really can't understand how severe it can be.

 

[Dopey Sharon]

Not sure if this is a good thing to do or not, but it works for me. When I start to feel the pressure (almost always only on the descend), I hold my nose, close my mouth and blow until my ears pop. I may have to do this a few times until we land, but it works.

Good luck finding a remedy for your brother. I know that feeling, it's really painful.

 

[Huggles]

I always take a bag of lollipops on flights with me. When taking off or landing the kids get one to suck and it works much the same as the chewing gum/nose blowing tricks. Frequently I end up handing them round the aircraft to other children or adults who are having problems with sore ears.

 

[MrVisible]

Not sure if this is a good thing to do or not, but it works for me. When I start to feel the pressure (almost always only on the descend), I hold my nose, close my mouth and blow until my ears pop. I may have to do this a few times until we land, but it works.

Good luck finding a remedy for your brother. I know that feeling, it's really painful.

According to The Mayo Clinic, it's an excellent thing to do. Here's some more stuff they suggest:

• Reconsider travel plans. Don't fly with a cold or upper respiratory congestion or infection unless necessary.
• Use an over-the-counter decongestant nasal spray. When you're asked to buckle your seat belt before takeoff, spray about four vigorous puffs in each side of your nose while holding shut the opposite side. Be sure to have chewing gum or peppermint in your mouth so that you are swallowing at the same time. This will mask the medication's bitter taste and place the spray closer to the opening of your eustachian tube.
• Avoid all decongestant pills. Males age 50 and older may experience serious side effects after taking decongestants containing pseudoephedrine (Actifed, Sudafed), including a sudden enlargement of their prostates requiring an immediate visit to the local emergency room and placement of a urinary catheter.
• Time your medication. If you have allergies, take your medication before your flight.
• Suck candy or chew gum during flight. This encourages swallowing. Yawning also activates the muscles that open your eustachian tube.
• Clear your ears regularly upon takeoff and landing. Do this by gently blowing while pinching your nostrils with your mouth closed (Valsalva maneuver). Repeat several times during descent to equalize the pressure between your ears and your environment.
• Avoid sleeping during descent. This allows you to make sure you're swallowing enough to keep your ears clear.
• Have infants and young children drink fluids during ascent and descent. This encourages swallowing. Give acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) 30 minutes before takeoff to help control any discomfort that may occur. Decongestants in young children generally aren't recommended.
• Talk to your doctor. If you've recently had ear surgery, consult your doctor before you fly.
• Try filtered earplugs. These slowly equalize the pressure against your eardrum during takeoff and landing. You can purchase these at drugstores, airport gift shops or your local hearing clinic.
• Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, because they constrict your blood vessels and may increase the risk of ruptured capillaries.
• If your ears become plugged during flight, try clearing them by inhaling and then gently exhaling while holding your nostrils closed and keeping your mouth shut. Repeat as necessary to relieve discomfort. If your ears are still blocked a few hours after landing, see your doctor.

I really hope some of these work for your brother. Best of luck.

 

[barkley]

depending on his situation a doctor might advise no air travel unless an emergency situation (had a friend whose son was given these instructions after a miserable couple of air trips).

i've had problems with my ears all my life, once ended up in the e/r and both the doctor and ear/nose/throat specialist were convinced i'de recently scuba dived and flown with too few hours between the two (near ruptured ear drums). i've gone periods of time with no hearing in one or the other ear due to phantom infections, so i don't play around when it comes to ear safety.

if someone gets intense pain while flying they can try the otc stuff, but they do well to consult with their treating doctor to find out if air travel is advisable (no vacation or leisure travel is worth potential hearing loss).

 

[dnoyes]

It took me years to find something that worked for me. I had so much pain at times I just wanted to jump out of the plane to get it over with. Vick's Vapor Inhaler is the best thing I've found. And, the best thing is you can find them at most any airport.
I tried decongestants, ear plugs, gum you mane it.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Earplanes seemed to be helping my 6yo son the last time that we flew, until he took them out when we were about half way down. He didn't complain as much, so I do think they helped. Sometimes it seems that the older kids have a harder time--don't know if that's true and if it is, why is would be so.

 

[Towncrier]

I feel your brother's pain. I have gone so far as to take an over-the-counter decongestant prior to flying in order to make sure that my ears are clear.

Thanks to all who have posted advice on this thread. I may have to look into earplanes.

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

Thanks, everybody, SO much!!!! I'll definitly have him try the earplanes!

Thank you!!!!!

 

[Cantw8]

I suffer from the same problem, not all the time but when it happens YIKES!!!! I hold my nose and blow until my ears pop as well. Oh, I also drink heavily on planes

 

[puffkin]

I use Earplanes too. I still feel the pressure, and get a little pain and discomfort on landing, but at least my ears aren't all clogged up and I can hear. I have used Earplanes 8 times now and they work great.

 

[ZachnElli]

We use Earplanes for my DS as well. He had horrible ear pain whenever we flew. Last time we flew he was 10 and we went ahead and got him the adult size Earplanes. He's almost as big as me, so we thought the child size might be too small (he's 11 now). Good luck!