Grrr...one ear hasn't popped yet!

[Trinka]

You can also try a nasal spray (just regular OTC Afrin) to clear your sinuses. I do this when flying- right before taking off then again before landing. My doctor told me about this many years ago and it is the only way I can comfortably fly. So helpful! I think it would be worth trying now to clear you up. Hope you are feeling better- that is a drag to deal with.

 

[mpetti]

We (me & my DS) always have this problem. ENT told me to take ibupfrofen and a nasal decongestant before boarding the plane. I bet if you take it now it should help. And remember to take them on your return flight. Our last trip gave it to both my boys and myself and no problems at all. It was very painful when we didn't take it the trip before. Good Luck and I hope you get relief soon.

Maryann

 

[Teacher510]

I feel your pain. The first time I went to Disney I had a really bad cold/sinus infection. I couldn't hear for 2 days and my hubby kept telling me "stop yelling". Now I take sudafed before the plane ride- that really helps!!

We always take Sudafed before flying too. That should help after the fact too.

 

[maryserv]

So - on descent today - one of my ears didn't "pop" so I can only hear well out of one side. Any remedies?

I've tried (to no avail):

pinching my nose and blowing
drinking something
Chewing something
yawning


Help!

I'm in a similar predicament right now. I've been sick off and on with a weird ear thing, and had to have 3 days of prednisone to clear it up. It came back shortly before we left for WDW. Fortunately we drove, but the clicking and bubbling are VERY annoying and sometimes it hurts! I've been doing the 12 hr release sudafed (Walmart brand), Mucinex, and 600 mg of Ibuprofen for the swelling in the eustation tube. I rode Expedition Everest today and it did pop it for a while (gotta love those g-forces), but it started ringing and clicking again a bit after. Have you seen an ENT before or do you have allergies? My allergist is telling me that these are from allergies, but I haven't had something like this in decades! There is something called Eustation Tube Dysfunction I've been reading about because of this. Many various remedies, steroids is the best after waiting to clear up on its own. Chewing gum is supposed to "milk" the e-tubes... but mine clogged up again after. Nose spray remedies work for a short time, and then (in my case) my E-tube and nasal passage re-plugged even more! I'm gonna try the steam and cup trick from another poster in a few minutes! Good luck!

 

[ckotcamp]

A couple trips ago I had a cold and on descent my ear just compacted on itself and I was in pain, to the point of crying. Whenever I looked down and aimed my head down everything went away, could hear perfectly, however that's not exactly how you want to experience Disney. I did everything I could, all of the things listed above, nothing worked. Just had to wait it out. But try antihistamines, they can work.

 

[MapleGirl]

I flew home with a cold during my last trip and was in agony for a couple of days. In my quest to alleviate the pain, I came across an old flight attendant trick.

Get a paper/plastic cup (sometimes I used a small ceramic drinking glass). Thoroughly wet a paper towel and microwave a few seconds until it is hot. Place the waded up, hot paper towel in the bottom of the cup/glass. Now place the open end of the cup over the affected ear. The steam from the hot towel should help to equalize the pressure in your ear.

I hope it helps!

I was once on a transatlantic flight with a sinus infection. The wonderful flight attendants did this for me and it greatly helped with the pain.

Good luck getting your ear to pop.

 

[freepixie]

You can also try a nasal spray (just regular OTC Afrin) to clear your sinuses. I do this when flying- right before taking off then again before landing. My doctor told me about this many years ago and it is the only way I can comfortably fly. So helpful! I think it would be worth trying now to clear you up. Hope you are feeling better- that is a drag to deal with.

I had trouble in the past and my dr. put me on prescription nasal spray - Nasacort. I start to take it about a month before the trip and throughout the trip. I have allergies to begin with, and am on Zyrtec too, but the nasal spray keeps the ears open for me!!

 

[Djali]

I definitely feel your pain. I have not been able to pop my left ear in over a year. I have been to see a specialist and he says I have a malfunctioning eustation tube. I have been on Mucinex and a nasal spray for months with no results. I can hear okay, but I always feel pressure in my left ear that is really annoying. Driving to Disney through the mountains this spring was very painful. I'm going to try the glass and warm paper towel and see if that helps.

 

[bellebud]

this sounds like a different thing - it's for water in the ear (but if you have fluid in your ear, maybe it will work)... a drop of rubbing alcohol dropped in your ear. the alcohol evaporates water (but i don't know about *fluid*)... it works like a charm for me when I swim.

 

[dragonye]

this happened to me 2 years ago and DH thought I was crazy and didn't think i should have been making such an issue of it - I could not hear and it was like listening to charlie browns teachers all day....finally during the night it popped - woke me up too
good luck

 

[taymacsmom]

Along the same line...I tend to have problems with my ears when I have flown in the past but chewing gum and swallowing alot taking off and landing helps alot. My DD has had alot of pain and plugged in ears in the past from flying as well. Last spring she flew to Europe and we got her the ear plugs which she said worked well. My questions is does anyone have any suggestions for my DS4. He doesn't chew gum yet and I don't think that I can keep him swallowing. Last time he flew he was 10 months old so I gave him his pacifier. Help?

 

[squirrel]

Give your son some chewy candies or a chewy granola bar. Try getting him to chew them as long as he can-some kids inhale their food without chewing much.


The hot paper towel/washcloth trick works well for kids with ear infections also. If you can't find a microwave, just run the hot water in the bathroom for a while till it gets hot.

 

[Leajess99]

You can use peroxide in your ear to help clean out the wax. Just let it bubble until it stops and then lay on that side to let the ear drain. My doctor has told me to do this as I have a history of ear issues. I used it the other day to clear my plugged ear. I hope you can get relief soon

 

[pickles]

hang head down between legs, like one person suggested

also, I make my hand wet, and lay it flat against the ear and move it kind of like a plunger to create suction, sometimes that helps

may also try meclizine (dranamine stuff) helped me a long time ago

 

[mom22bless]

Get some 24 Hour Sudafed.


That'll work!!! Promise!!!

 

[goofy67]

Several years ago when we flew to Florida I got sick while there with a terrible sinus infection (have these often as well as allergies). I was taking prescrip. sinus meds and on the flight back home with we were taking off my ear drum actually ruptured. My dentist of all people told me about the ear plugs but I have to get the ones that look like jelly or rubber. The others called ear planes did not work for me but the jelly looking ones do. I buy mine at Wal Mart or Wal Greens. Our trip this past Feb/March, I was just on the verge of sinus problems. I completely lost my voice while I was there. On the return flight my ears didn't pop until I went to bed that night but several days later one of them stopped up again and after 2 shots, antibiotics and 3 visits with my ENT I finally had to have a tube put in that ear. Good Luck getting it unstopped before the flight home. My ENT always tells me the best way is to hold your nose and blow...he is so against putting any liquid in your ear. He hold my nose and blow several times off and on during the day until it popped.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

Omg this has happened to me recently. I was very sick with the flu then as it was clearing up my ears would NOT pop! It was driving me crazy!

Eventually they just got better but everyone would make fun of me when I a) couldn't hear anything and b)would open my mouth to try to pop my ears.

 

[mulderxcoltrane]

Completely forgot to reply to this.

The same night we flew in (around 8 hours later), we were walking near Norway and......pop...fizzle...I could hear!!
But - I was full in that ear for the next day or so.

 

[Pixiedust34]

Along the same line...I tend to have problems with my ears when I have flown in the past but chewing gum and swallowing alot taking off and landing helps alot. My DD has had alot of pain and plugged in ears in the past from flying as well. Last spring she flew to Europe and we got her the ear plugs which she said worked well. My questions is does anyone have any suggestions for my DS4. He doesn't chew gum yet and I don't think that I can keep him swallowing. Last time he flew he was 10 months old so I gave him his pacifier. Help?

There are child-sized Earplanes you can buy him, though the child sized ones aren't easy to find. CVS is the only place I can find them. Also, bring anything chewy he might like to eat and buy a couple of juice boxes to bring on the plane.

I've had ear/sinus issues bigtime on planes. The pain is horrendous. I do just about everything listed--take Sudafed, use a nasal spray (the dr. told me to use it only when I fly), use Earplanes, and drink a lot of water to swallow. I sometimes use gum or a Tootsie Pop, though I prefer a Halls cough drop because that'll help clear sinuses a little. With all of these methods in place, sometimes I have a good flight and sometimes I don't. We fly tomorrow and I'm sure hoping that I'll be pain free. I'm already taking the Sudafed so it's in my system and working.

OP, I hope your ear pops soon!

 

[geenerbell]

Get some 24 Hour Sudafed.


That'll work!!! Promise!!!

Yes it will or dimetapp!! Also, my BIL had this problem on vacation last month and my DS8 said try jumping up and down and it worked instantly.