Flying & Tinnitus

I went to the doctors again (only a GP; he has faith that it is going to go so he has not referred me to a specialist, at least until another six weeks have passed) and he said it was okay to fly. He looked in my ears and said fluid from one side has gone and there are only a few bubbles of fluid on the other side, which is improvement. He felt my sinuses and as far as I know he didn't find anything - he didn't say he had anyway.

I am just worried about whether flying will make it worse. It's not as much the T that I am worried about: I have pressure in my ears and while it has gotten a lot better, it can act up when driving. I worry whether it will hurt flying, whether I will get a headache. As far as I know I am simply still congested, and suffering from sinus pain.

Do people think I would be safe to fly?

 

Personally I only have T but never had any issues flying.

 

I would not recommended flying it can cause more ETD i would wait till your better

 

I have asked Dr Nayler and he has said I should be fine. I am going to follow his advice and decongest myself by taking a nasal spray, taking a sudafed before I fly, and using some EarPlanes. We've booked the holiday now and I would hate to have to rearrange everything. We're going to Barcelona

Hopefully by 31 May I will be feeling better. I am actually pleased with the EarPlane plugs. My ears generally hurt when I land anyway (I have a feeling it may be linked with my sinus issues) so that will be very useful!

 

Going back to Spain in a week-and-a-half and am naturally nervous after my experience last year (see earlier in thread). If it hadn't been for this forum, though, I'd have felt completely in the dark as to what was advisable or not - so thanks again! I also just ordered some EarPlanes, so will try those for the first time...

 

I used earplanes last month when I flew, they are pretty cool actually.

 

I will start to fly in summer. And I already ordered 2 pairs of earplanes. I am also a little concerned that it could make my tinnitus worse. Of course at the moment its settled into a cycle. Wake up with no tinnitus...slowly get worse over the day until sleeping. I think I will go with the earplanes route...review on amazon look promising.

 

I have ordered EarPlanes, small size since I have small canals. But.. they don't have any filtering protection, they just have a hole in the middle so I guess there is not much noise protection there. I asked the company which amkes them and they said something like, they are not for noise protection but the nois will be smaller since you have something in your ears.. well, I'm not sure if that's enough so I am thinking about those eraplugs soft made, which I posted earlier. Did anyone use them during flight to tell me from a first hand how was it?

 

My EarPlanes have arrived. I've been given some good advice on this forum, for other ways to lessen the potential effects of high-altitude pressure - things like sucking a hard-boiled sweet and keeping your mouth open through take-off and descent.

My question now is: do EarPlanes remove the need to do those extra things? Or should I do it all?

 

I flew a couple of weeks ago - with earplugs, no change nor problems at all with t

 

I am going to take a decongestant before the flight so my sinuses should be clearer, along with earplanes which are said to help when you descend in planes. Since I have had pain in my ears when I land normally this will be helpful and would have got it anyway, with or without T.

 

But what about a protection from noise?

 

I use Bose noise canceling headphones and you can use regular foam plugs underneath if you feel like needing extra protection. But take those out while descending.

 

But the noise is loudest while taking of and descending or? I don't think foam plugs would be problem, would they?

 

I'm not worried about noise, though the earplanes help. I have never found airplanes loud either. It's more the pressure change I'm worried about

 

But they are.. my ENT said that they are so they could possible damage hearing since noise during those times is above 90 decibels..

 

The earplanes I got said they offer some protection... I can't exactly do anything else to protect my ears when taking off/landing - I need to wear the earplanes at those times. Hopefully they should be enough.

 

The only time I've had a really bad experience while flying, since having had T, was when I wore custom-moulded plugs. Completely messed me up.

 

Hey all, I am back from my board break. How is everyone?
I was very worried about flying after I developed tinnitus, as my tinnitus came from barotrauma that occured on a Transatlantic plane flight. First rule of flying: Never, EVER fly when you have a severe cold or congestion.

So I am pasting in below an extensive post I did earlier this year, regarding a procedure I put together for me with my doctor for flying. I have flown twice since. No problems when I followed this plan. They were, however, both non-stop flights. In general, when planning a long trip, the fewer descents you have to make, the better. I am willing to pay more now for non-stops. The below post also includes a link to a long flying thread on TT.

@iAzra: I noticed you have posted on this topic before. In a nutshell, Earplanes don't really protect you much from noise. And yes planes are loud in the cabin. I measured it on my last flight and it was above 90 db (not that my cell phone decibel meter is the best, but still. Confirms what many others have said about plane noise). That 90 db wouldn't be so bad except you are sitting in the plane for hours. But foam plugs can cause problems on the ascent and descent (most descent) because of pressure changes. This is particularly true if you are sensitive to pressure or have eustachian tube problems.

So: Use the Earplanes on the ascent if you have tricky ears, and definitely use them on the descent. DO NOT use regular plugs in on descent, even if you don't have Earplanes. Read the below post completely, which talks about when you need to take them out and put them in. When you get to cruising altitude, take out the Earplanes and put in regular plugs. I use noise cancelling headphones as well. You also could use noise cancelling headphones on ascent and descent, if you want.

Also: In the States, you can buy Earplanes in just about any drugstore, no need to order. You can even get them at airports, although I would go prepared.

And I took a recent trip to the North Carolina -- and found Earplanes are great for car trips when you are driving up and down mountains. My ears have become much more sensitive to pressure since T.

Good luck! Sorry for the long post but hope it is helpful.

FYI: I mention below getting an E.tube function test before flying. I did not do this the second time I flew, but I did see my ENT a few days before my flight. He said the test was not necessary because my sinuses appeared clear and I had not been having any cold or allergy symptoms. So I was fine without doing the test. But if I thought I had a cold or sinus infection, I would have insisted.


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Here is the rest of my original post:

There is an extensive thread already here at TT on flying:

Flying: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/flying-tinnitus.1001/page-2#post-21420

FYI: I flew recently and was scared witless, given I got tinnitus through barotrauma on a long flight. Robert Fahey, on this thread, gives a great piece of advice that I followed: Keep your mouth WIDE open during the descent, as it forces open your eustachian tubes. Yeah, you look pretty silly. You can explain what is happening to the person sitting next to you or not.

Also: I went to the ENT a week before my flight and had both my E.tube function and my sinuses checked, to make sure I didn't have a hidden infection. I then dried my head out completely with Sudafed (decongestant) beginning 36 hours in advance. Dose yourself per directions on the package (I took one pill every 12 hours). Then, I used Afrin nasal spray about 30 minutes before take off and again as descent began.

And: I used Earplanes plugs, as someone else here suggested. Follow the directions on the box; read them in advance. You take the Earplanes out when you reach cruising altitude and then can pop in foam plugs or use noise cancelling headphones to cut the noise from the plane. Put the plugs back in about 30 minutes/one hour before descent. Again, follow directions on the box. However, I think it did say to put them in an hour before descent, which doesn't make sense on a short flight. My flight was two hours and I put them in about 30-40 minutes before descent. Do not take the Earplanes out until the plane lands, is at the gate and the cabin door is opened, which is when the plane will completely equalize. Don't freak out if your ears hurt while the Earplanes are in... they are just a little uncomfortable. If you have small ear canals, like I do, buy the ones for kids.

Finally, if you really are freaked out about flying, consider asking your doctor for just a couple anti-anxiety meds to calm you down. A .25 mg Xanax did it for me; it's not enough to knock you out and asking for only two pills, one for the flight over and one back, should not cause the physician any worries. Or you, for that matter. Or if you are a natural meds person, find a natural relaxing supplement.

By the way: The above routine might be more than you need if you are not pressure sensitive, as I am. But I will tell you it worked for me.

 

Yeah I read that you shouldn't wear normal earplugs for ascending/descending, because they can fiddle with the pressure. I read some reviews about the earplanes (not from people with T, just general ones): one guy said his ears were blocked a few days after he flew, but after he used the earplanes they were fine. Other people say they have helped reduce pain which I also get. To be honest I am expecting my T to be worse after flying, but my ears react to pressure when in a car and that doesn't really change the volume. I am not completely sure what changes the volume of my T other than a shower, and even then it doesn't always make it worse - not that I am complaining, I just wish I knew what caused the spikes. I think I am still a bit congested, so maybe that has something to do with it.

 

Thank you for your long reply. Yes, I have posted here before but still haven't had guts to go on a plane trip. However, I think I should face it this summer since I have always traveled much and loved flying. Haven't had much problems, now that I think of it, only one time I had a slight pressure in my right ear for a week after flying and my ENT said it was cause of sinuses and fluids. So now I recommend everyone to use nasal sprays before flying. As for pressure, I had slight sensations wile taking off but nothing I could stand. Now, after my T and H, I am far more concerned about hearing damage due to a noise.

So I quote this you said about headphones. I didn't understand why is it OK to use headphones and not to use foam plugs? Headphones also could mess up the pressure?

And yes, I have ordered my earplanes online since we don't have it in my Country. I took the child size, I have small canals and left one is a bit curvy so I don't really know will they fit at all

 

Thank you for your long reply. Yes, I have posted here before but still haven't had guts to go on a plane trip. However, I think I should face it this summer since I have always traveled much and loved flying.

Yeah, I love traveling and flying, too. It broke my heart, in the beginning, to think I never could get on an airplane again. But I can do it! My first flight after tinnitus was so exhilarating, when I got on the ground and was fine, I felt like an eagle.

So I quote this you said about headphones. I didn't understand why is it OK to use headphones and not to use foam plugs? Headphones also could mess up the pressure?

Plugs seal up your ear canal, especially custom plugs. Headphones are on the outside of your ears. If your headphones fit tightly to your head, you always could put a little piece of cotton under the rim and prop them open some. But I personally do the descent with just the Earplanes, no headphones. You aren't exposed to noise for long and the Earplanes do give you a little protection. Both flights, no spike in my tinnitus.

And yes, I have ordered my earplanes online since we don't have it in my Country. I took the child size, I have small canals and left one is a bit curvy so I don't really know will they fit at all

I also have weird, curvy, very small ear canals. Child size should work for you. You kind of screw them in. I found them uncomfortable but not unbearable. But then, I am used to custom molded plugs, which are super comfy.

 

That is true about custom and hard plugs but I was talking about soft ones. I don't see how it is ok for headphones and this not, I guess I am still scared to go without foam plugs due to my H. Thanks for the advices.

 

Anybody get pressure problems during the flight??

 

Make sure you get a seat towards front of the plane, engine noise is louder at the back of the plane.

 

Yes, but it always resolves back to normal in a few days at most. Make sure NOT to wear normal earplugs (you can wear the pressure equalizing ones - like flitemates or earplanes) when you're ascending and descending. I also use bose headphones in the air, sometimes foam earplugs once we're cruising. About the same story as @LadyDi

 

Do you @awbw8 use headphones while ascending and descending?

 

Hi @iAzra, I have used the bose noise-cancelling headphones going up and down before. I got my tinnitus from a loud concert and have been on a few 5-7hour flights since it happened a year go - the first time I had to fly with a minor cold and it took my ears a few days to pop, but after that they were back to normal.

You just can't use any actual ear plug going up and down. Headphones may feel like they're sealed to your head, but they really aren't. Air is always flowing in and out, the little curves in the cushioning, the not-completely-regular shape of the human head, your hair etc. - those all prevent a perfect seal. You can see how small the holes in earplanes are - it only take a hole that small to let pressure equalize. So headphones are totally safe, they have a lot of space for air to come in. Just don't use regular headphones and pump the volume over the plane noise - use noise-cancelling ones.

Also, earplanes and flitemates do give you sound protection, they're rated at 20db noise reduction, which is still a lot. Let's say the cabin is 88db. Take away 20db and you're already down to 68db - a completely safe level. Don't let tinnitus stop you from getting on a plane - it will be okay

 

Hello! Just wanted to update everyone about my flying experience. I have just returned from Barcelona and am happy to report that my ears were absolutely fine! I did feel a tiny bit of pain in one ear on the way there and they felt a little bit deaf landing on the way back, but as far as I can tell there has been no damage to my ears. If the T did spike, I did not notice it. I could feel my Eustachian tube in my left ear opening and closing as I was flying - I could tell because when I opened my mouth I could hear better. My ears seem to have returned to the way they were before I flew i.e. no change.

I would like to thank @LadyDi for all her help in this. I read your information on flying with T and followed all your instructions: keeping my mouth opening on ascent and descent; taking a decongestant every twelve hours for a day and a half before flying and one hour before the flight; using a nasal spray; had a doctor check up before I went; and most importantly the earplanes. I think the other stuff helped, but in truth I believe they were life-savers. I wish I had known about them sooner, even before T. In fact my ears have been less of a problem flying this time than many times before getting T, because I use to have a lot of pain when landing. I put my earplanes in even before I entered the plane, and did not take them out until I had gotten off. So thank you LadyDi for all your help and allowing me to fly. I had such a good time and allowed myself to de-stress and gave myself some time without thinking about T. I really needed the break.

P.S. Just in case anyone is curious I flew right near the wings of the plane where the noise is loudest and it didn't impact my T. However, my T is not noise-induced.

 

Thanks for the update, @citigirl13, and for your sweet note. Actually, you were the one who did the hard work: refusing to give into your worries about your T and taking that flight. I just helped a little. Congratulations! Doesn't it feel amazing to reclaim your life and kick that tinnitus to the curb?

And I, too, wish I would have known about Earplanes pre-tinnitus. I have to say: I enjoy flying more now than I have in years. It feels like a miracle to be up among the clouds.

Glad you had a good trip.