Altitude and Ear Issues

I’ve always had issues with flying and ear pain.  In fact, this situation was so bad at one time that I didn’t fly again for twenty years.  I wasn’t only embarrassed and extremely sick, but I was on a business trip to a conference at the time when I worked for a big company years ago.

My ears ached so bad I wanted to scream.  Nothing I did would unstop them.  Imagine someone digging around in your ear with an ice pick.  To add to this, I was so dizzy I couldn’t walk.  The dizziness caused severe nausea.  Could things get any worse?

I went to the initial meeting and could hardly sit there in the conference room.  We broke for lunch and I stumbled around as if I’d been drinking.  I have no idea what my boss must have thought after paying for my airfare and room.  I couldn’t eat anything. Someone helped me to the elevator because I simply couldn’t walk there on my own and make it back to my room.

That was the most miserable four days of my life.  I didn’t attend any of the conference, had to sleep sitting up propped against the headboard because I was too nauseous to lie down.  I spent quite a bit of time in the bathroom throwing up.

 Altimeter

The last thing I wanted to do was get on another airplane.  I didn’t look forward to the flight home, but that was the only way home.  So dizzy and with stopped up painful ears, someone helped me board.  The barf bag was my best friend on that four-hour flight.  I was so glad to touch down and swore I’d never fly again.  It took about two weeks for my ears to finally pop.

When we had a cabin in the mountains many years later, I had the same ear problem driving there and back, minus the nausea.  I think I’m not one to live in high altitudes, or even visit them for prolonged periods.

Finally, I took the plunge again about four years ago when my nephew passed away unexpectedly.  The only way to get to Texas quick was to fly and my sister needed me.  So I was determined to make it somehow and hoped I could be of use once I got there and wouldn’t be too sick.

Well, guess what?  I made it and it wasn’t as gruesome.  My ears were stopped up and painful, but it subsided after a while.  I did take an allergy pill and had my nasal spray too.  The secret was buying a large orange juice after I got through security.  I nursed that all the way to Houston and it helped to swallow little sips for that three-plus hour flight.

I was ecstatic that I found a way to fly again.

Do any of you suffer from this problem, which I learned is barotraumas and not altitude sickness?  It’s caused by the changes in air pressure.