"George A. Graham" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Dec 2004, Corky Scott wrote:

It's pathetically obvious she's uncomfortable. The
pressure changes hurt her ears.

Good man Corky.
BTW, When she gets to fly often enough, she will likely learn to
manipulate the pressure in her ears.

You hold your nose and attempt to breath in climb, blow your nose
when coming down.
SNIP
--------------------
I had a serious ear problem a few months ago when I flew a couple of puddle
jumpers while having a very slight upper respiratory infection (cleaning cat
fur from my basement workshop sans respirator). The pain was pretty severe
and I could not clear my ears using normal techniques.

Finally, I found an ENT chap who after fixing the problem recommended that I
always fly with EarPlanes in my ears. These are a variety of ear plug that
have a small hole to cause a controlled leak between inner and outer areas.
Thus, the outer ear takes longer to equalize with cabin pressure changes and
does not overtake the middle ear. They also reduce noise about 20db.

Consequently, I've had zero problems flying at least twice a week.

The EarPlanes cost around $10, are usable for a few flights. They are
available pretty much everywhere. I've seen them in drugstores, health food
stores, and airport kiosks.

Michael Pilla