Taking off and landing has always been a painful experience for me…at times I feel my head is in some sort of medieval head vice, and at any second it will pop like a balloon. Although it never stopped me from traveling…I dreamed of flying like “normal” people.
It turns out my ailment had a name, barotrauma – which is injury, pain or discomfort mainly affecting the middle ear…caused by a significant difference between air pressure in the middle ear and the atmospheric pressure surrounding it outside the eardrum. Once I had diagnosed my mystery disorder the next step was to find a solution…it came in the form of earplugs with a very specific purpose, EarPlanes.
According to Cirrus Healthcare, the inventors of EarPlanes, these wondrous earplugs relieve ear discomfort, clogging and popping with the use of their exclusive CeramX filter that regulates air pressure naturally. They are made of hypoallergenic and latex free soft silicone, so they are comfortable to wear.
EarPlanes cost around $8 for one pair and are disposable…they recommend you only use them for two flights as they loose their effectiveness after a while. Although that can seem a bit pricey, as a victim of barotrauma…I wouldn’t dare fly without them. They can be found at most drugstores and airport gift shops.
January 15th, 2009 - 4:13 am
Great tip. As a fellow barotrauma sufferer I’ll be giving these a try.
January 15th, 2009 - 2:34 pm
Donna Hull » They are amazing….make sure to put them on before they close the door on the plane….and don’t take them out until the plane reaches its cruising altitude. Then at decent put them in and don’t take them out until the door is open. I took them out once right before the door opened and i got some ear popping.
Let me know if they work for you…..I love them and buy them in bulk!