Plugged Ears

Fred Choate wrote:

I did just purchase a new headset that seals much better than the old set I
had, and this was my first flight with them, and the passenger was wearing a
set from the FBO that seals pretty well too. Could headsets have been a
factor, or is it more likely it was just a fluke situation.

I don't see how headsets could have caused these symptoms. If anything, the
increasing pressure would simply have clamped the headsets a bit more and you
would have had fewer ear problems.

Also, would it have been better to level off when we first started feeling
the pressure, and see if things would have equalized?

Perhaps. A better idea is to hold your nose, close your mouth, and exhale
slightly, forcing air through the eustachian tubes and equalizing the pressure.
A less drastic approach is to open your mouth like you're yawning and wiggle
your jaw back and forth -- that opens the tubes wider.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.

Right.....we both did that, and it certainly helped. I guess I just never
experienced such a bad case of ear plug-itis before, and it surprised me.
Thanks George.

Fred

"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:ibO6f.4162$tl5.632@trnddc02...
Fred Choate wrote:

I did just purchase a new headset that seals much better than the old set
I had, and this was my first flight with them, and the passenger was
wearing a set from the FBO that seals pretty well too. Could headsets
have been a factor, or is it more likely it was just a fluke situation.

I don't see how headsets could have caused these symptoms. If anything,
the increasing pressure would simply have clamped the headsets a bit more
and you would have had fewer ear problems.

Also, would it have been better to level off when we first started
feeling the pressure, and see if things would have equalized?

Perhaps. A better idea is to hold your nose, close your mouth, and exhale
slightly, forcing air through the eustachian tubes and equalizing the
pressure. A less drastic approach is to open your mouth like you're
yawning and wiggle your jaw back and forth -- that opens the tubes wider.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your
neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.

Fred,
I had never experienced plugged ears while flying but occasionaly had
problems in scuba diving. Plugged ears resulted from both the rate of
pressure change and your physical condition (onset of a cold etc.).
I'd suggest leveling off the next time that your ears felt
uncomfortable. Continue to descent may damage your eardrums. If any
discomfort lingers after a flight (or a dive), antihistamine pills
provide great relief. We always pack Benadryl for our dive trips and
take it only at night, never during the day time, and at least 12 hours
before the next dive. However, for flying both Rick ad I draw the
limit of not taking Benadryl at least 24 hrs before acting as PIC.

Hai Longworth

Never thought of the Benadryl....thanks, I will try that if this happens
again.

Fred

"Longworth" wrote in message
oups.com...
Fred,
I had never experienced plugged ears while flying but occasionaly had
problems in scuba diving. Plugged ears resulted from both the rate of
pressure change and your physical condition (onset of a cold etc.).
I'd suggest leveling off the next time that your ears felt
uncomfortable. Continue to descent may damage your eardrums. If any
discomfort lingers after a flight (or a dive), antihistamine pills
provide great relief. We always pack Benadryl for our dive trips and
take it only at night, never during the day time, and at least 12 hours
before the next dive. However, for flying both Rick ad I draw the
limit of not taking Benadryl at least 24 hrs before acting as PIC.

Hai Longworth

Fred Choate wrote:
Never thought of the Benadryl....thanks, I will try that if this happens
again.

Fred

"Longworth" wrote in message
oups.com...

Fred,
I had never experienced plugged ears while flying but occasionaly had
problems in scuba diving. Plugged ears resulted from both the rate of
pressure change and your physical condition (onset of a cold etc.).
I'd suggest leveling off the next time that your ears felt
uncomfortable. Continue to descent may damage your eardrums. If any
discomfort lingers after a flight (or a dive), antihistamine pills
provide great relief. We always pack Benadryl for our dive trips and
take it only at night, never during the day time, and at least 12 hours
before the next dive. However, for flying both Rick ad I draw the
limit of not taking Benadryl at least 24 hrs before acting as PIC.

Hai Longworth

Please be careful. Some of the drugs mention in this thread can cause
drowsiness and/or aggrivate blood pressure. Your AME can provide useful
info.

I agree. This is why I stated our 24 hrs limit for taking Benadryl
before flying.
Here are the FAA guidelines from this website
http://www.aviationmedicine.com/allergies.htm

Over-the Counter Antihistamines

"The over-the-counter products such as chlorpheneramine (Clortrimaton,
CTM) and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) found in many commercial products
cause drowsiness. They are not permitted by the FAA and a pilot should
wait at least twice as long as the dosing recommendation after the last
dose to fly. For example, if the directions read take every six hours",
the pilot should wait at least twelve hours after the last dose before
considering flying. These medications may have subtle adverse effects
for much longer in some individuals. Chronic treatment with over the
counter antihistamines requires a 24 hour wait after the last dose
before flying, according to the FAA Guide for Aviation Medical
Examiners."

Decongestants

"Decongestants, such as Sudafed, are often used with allergies to
constrict blood vessels in the nose and relieve the running nose.
Pseudoephedrine, found in Sudafed, and phenylpropanolamine, found in
many other products, are both approved. These medications act
throughout the entire body by constricting blood vessels. Side effects
may include an increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure and
difficulty urinating in men with prostate problems. Because the
frequently keep individuals awake, they are often combined with
non-approved antihistamines sold over the counter. These combinations
of decongestants and OTC antihistamines are not approved within twelve
hours of flying."

Longworth wrote:

We always pack Benadryl for our dive trips and
take it only at night, never during the day time, and at least 12 hours
before the next dive. However, for flying both Rick ad I draw the
limit of not taking Benadryl at least 24 hrs before acting as PIC.

Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride works better for PIC. Take it about 1 hour before
the flight.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.

George,
I forgot to mention that we also take Sudafed (Pseudoephedrine
hydrochloride) before each dive. It does help to clear the nasal
without any drowsy effect. Because of its drying effect, we try to
drink plenty of water before and right after each dive to reduce the
chance of decompression sickness. The antihistamines work to reduce
swelling in damaged eardrums and also help with sleeping especially on
a diveboat. For flying, Rick takes Sudafed every so often before a
flight but only when he is not the PIC. With two pilots in the family,
we want to play safe.

Hai Longworth

Hi Fred:

I'm in the same area as you.I'm based at Spanaway. During are last couple of
days of beautiful weather I noticed that I had a LOT of sinus congestion. I
wonder if you might have allergies you are unaware of. There was a lot of
smog down low and a lot of wood smoke in the air where I am at. You could
see a dirty brown layer topping out at around 1500 AGL. I never got above
2000, but I'll bet if I went high I would have noticed the pressure.

Flew Friday--Saturday says the Spouse "You were at the airport all day
yesterday, honey do day today" Sunday IFR

Cheers:

Paul
N1431A

You are right Paul.....it was a great weekend to fly. I flew Saturday
afternoon out of Thun Field. That smog layer you talk of was for sure
there. We took off and got great views of Rainier, and then went south over
Morton and at 6000 to 8000 we got great pictures of Adams and Helens as
well. We could even see Hood down to the south! But, looking back to the
north, you couldn't see much......you may be right about the allergy
thing....

Fred


"Tri-Pacer" wrote in message
. ..
Hi Fred:

I'm in the same area as you.I'm based at Spanaway. During are last couple
of days of beautiful weather I noticed that I had a LOT of sinus
congestion. I wonder if you might have allergies you are unaware of. There
was a lot of smog down low and a lot of wood smoke in the air where I am
at. You could see a dirty brown layer topping out at around 1500 AGL. I
never got above 2000, but I'll bet if I went high I would have noticed the
pressure.

Flew Friday--Saturday says the Spouse "You were at the airport all day
yesterday, honey do day today" Sunday IFR

Cheers:

Paul
N1431A