Flying

Hi doctor,

I just wanted to ask you whether (in your opinion) I would be okay to fly. I went to my doctor (bearing in mind he is a GP and not a specialist) and he said it was okay. However, I am unsure and wanted to ask your opinion. He still has not referred me to a specialist yet as he hopes if will go away. He looked in my ears and said he cannot see any bubbles if fluid in one now and only a few in the other, which is improvement. He checked my sinuses and I don't think he found anything wrong - he didn't say.

My ears react to pressure when I am driving in a car. As far as I am aware my ears are simply congested which has clogged my eustation tubes, and he reassures me that it should go in time. I just wanted to know whether you thought it would be a good idea.

 

Folks with tinnitus generally should not have any particular difficulty with air travel. If congested before flight, use nasal sprays and decongestants. To help with pressure, perhaps try EarPlanes. Insert them prior to take-off. Remove them at altitude. Re-insert them at initiation if descent. Remove them when cabin door opens at terminal. For noise when EarPlanes are not inserted, consider noise cancellation headphones. All that said, I personally never use any of it - and I fly a lot. Any exacerbation of tinnitus is usually short-lived.

Dr. Stephen Nagler