Ear trouble

jackieb

Sounds painful! It sounds as if your eardrum has perforated too. If so, then it might actually be better when you're flying.

My daughter's ear has been runny for about 3 days now. She's had to have it packed for the past 2, and has to go back tomorrow to get it done. I've never heard of getting an ear packed before. Everywhere i've read on the internet says that it's usually left to heal on it's own, with antibotics getting prescribed sometimes.

Carlakoala

You dont want to be flying with blocked ears - can cause excruciating pain. When flight crews have colds they are usually not allowed to fly for this reason.
I am a body worker. I use several different methods of treatment to get results and can say that the Bowen Treatment is quite amazing for clearing the ear tubes by releasing the back, shoulders and ear nose throat channels. One treatment should do it. And try HOpi Ear candles. You can do it yourself for the final bit to clear tubes. bit sideways maybe but if other medications arent working you may need manual drainage.
Carla

ceewash

I consulted a beauty therapist who recommended I have a treatment where small pads are put around your face and electric currents stimulate the muscles. This apparently clears out the sinuses and relieves the build up of wax in the ears. I had a trial 10 minute session which was ok but the actually treatment is over 10 sessions and costs £200. I will gladly pay it if it works but am a bit sceptical. The up side is it also improves wrinkles and bags around eyes. Anyone had it done? Sorry don't know the name of the treatment but the girl did have awhite coat on!

hollydays

This is an interesting thread,I have twice flown when I had a cold,owch it really hurt,might try some of there methods

mr_rush

I consulted a beauty therapist who recommended I have a treatment where small pads are put around your face and electric currents stimulate the muscles.

Ah yes, beauty therapists. Those well regarded fountains of medical knowledge.

ceewash

You sceptical then? She had a white coat and qualifications! (in something)

mioliere

My DS2 suddenly started having ear problems eleven years ago at the age of 15, having never had them before, not even as a child. Several visits to the doctors' surgery ensued during which no-one had a clue what was wrong so I insisted on an ENT appointment. He was diagnosed with an apparently rare condition called cholesteatoma; basically a non-malignant (NON-cancerous) tumour behind the ear drum. It caused him excruciating pain and a lot of yukky discharge. He ended up, over the course of two years, having to have three operations, one to investigate and try and remove the tumour, one to see what damage had been caused and to see about re-constructing the bit they had removed and one to do the reconstruction. (Besides that, he also came off his learner motorbike and snapped his little finger which meant another operation in between the last two on his ear!) He now has to have annual appointments to 'hoover' out the ear and check both ears, but has had no further problems. The GP said the tumour looked like an onion! Left untreated we were told it could have lead to abscesses on the brain (which scared me to death!). I'm only posting this to point out that many GPs do not recognise the condition (our own GP admitted that!) so, if Nordictat2 is in the least bit worried, ask to be referred to the ENT clinic at your local hospital - better safe than sorry! Although my son lost about 40% of his hearing in that ear he is coping fine with it and, also, it didn't affect his balance. Left too long, it may have had a worse outcome. Please see your GP again if you are worried.

laurajayne

I suffer from ear infections on a regular basis (gosh darn it!).

My first in the loooong line was the worst, I had a massive abcess actually in my ear, it took three different courses of antibiotics (oral) and ear drops to finally shift it. Was gross, the discharge was awful. Spent most of my time with a hot compress to my ear cos it made it feel a little bit better.

Anyhoo, I ended up flying with it - I was due to go to the lake district with my then boyfriend (who lived in Manchester), and as I couldn't drive, flying was the most economical option for me. I was petrified, after flying with a killer cold before and I was in agony. Well, this time, it didn't hurt at all - in fact, for the rest of that day I felt much better. Next day though was a different story - ended up in minor injuries in Cumbria trying to get more drugs :rolleyes:

Since then, I've had a fair few infections. The stupid thing is, it swaps ears! It can be either that gets infected. After my last drs appointment (for the second course of ABs for that particular infection), he said it's a common occurance. He took a swab (actually, must see if they've had it back yet), and asked a few questions about my lifestyle. It appears that stress makes them worse. Swimmers suffer....I've been told to use earplugs when I'm washing my hair, as the water/shampoo can affect the pH levels in your ears, and he's placed me on a repeat prescription for the drops so I don't have to waste their time with yet another ear infection- although I can make an appointment if I want to, I suppose they'd refer me if I got to a certain point.

Good luck OP!

mr_rush

You sceptical then? She had a white coat and qualifications! (in something)

what makes you think that?!

frivolous_fay

I asked my doc about pain when flying (landing) - she suggested taking a decongestant before flying. I'm fairly convinced now that it is congestion related (at least for me). I have been half-heartedly diagnosed with allergic rhinitis, but I'm too lazy to medicate for it, plus I hate putting stuff up my nose. I flew a few weeks back and the outbound journey was excruciating... the return was completely painless. Odd. The sweets made no difference at all.

As for ear infections... when I was small I used to get them a lot - probably because I hated blowing my nose (made my ears pop, which hurt) and the mucus used to end up infecting my ears. Another time, I woke up on the last day of a holiday with a sore throat. We drove home - by the time we got there it had spread to my ear and I was practically delirious with pain.

My mum got so fed up with it she stopped taking me to the doctor and made me sit them out until they burst... nice.

Someone told me chewing gum helps, as it keeps the fluid in the ear moving, and stops it getting worse... touch wood I haven't had a bad infection since, so I can't testify if it helps or not... or perhaps the chewing gum is why I haven't had a bad one