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Need your input! Help a young pilot...

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While not fun, a blown eardrum isn't as bad as some people make it sound. You usually don't have to be out of work for more than 2-4 weeks. I blew out my left eardrum last month and my hearing is completely back to normal now. When the eardrum actually gives way isn't the really painful part. That's actually kind of a relief. The really painful part is right before the eardrum blows when all that pressure is pushing against it. When it finally gives way, there's a short burst of pain and then it feels a lot better since the pressure is gone. I had a ringing in my ears for about 2 weeks after and it took about 3 weeks for my full hearing to come back. My advice: definitely don't fly with any sort of ear or sinus infection. It's really not worth it.
 
I flew with blocked ears for a couple of days, not fun at all. Like a previous poster said, its not the climb thats bad, its the descent, and the farther you descend from cruise altitude, the more painful it gets, as the pressure differential increases.

I was in a Seneca hauling freight in the frozen north in Minnesota and NoDak, and of course right about in the flare is when it hurt the most. Figured out if I did a pretty hard valsalva, opened it up, but still was not fun.

Had a doc clear everything out, told me it was from using QTips. He said do not use those, they tend to push wax back further. He recommended just using a washcloth to get what you can, but dont use qtips.
 
every time you burst an eardrum you lose 5% of the remaining hearing is what the dr told me.

sinus probs can be more than just medical... mine were surgical, but since duh surbery ib jus finb!
 
Update -

I talked with my friend yesterday and I think he learned his lesson. Turns out that flying that day brought on a full-blown cold and the accompanying misery. He has been in bed for several days recovering and says he won't fly in that condition again.

Thanks for all the replies.
 
English said:
Update -

I talked with my friend yesterday and I think he learned his lesson. Turns out that flying that day brought on a full-blown cold and the accompanying misery. He has been in bed for several days recovering and says he won't fly in that condition again.

Thanks for all the replies.

glad to hear hea's doing the right thing. sorry he learned the hard way.

good to have a friend like you, but to me most important would be to point out the regs of medicated flying and not the fact it was uncomfortable.
 
Tell him to get better soon!

As a F/A I withstood all kinds of crap from pax, but nothing or no-one ever reduced me to tears. The day I decided to fly with a sinus infection that I self descibed as 'not too bad', had me in tears during our descent into CHS. It was horrible! To this day I will never forget the misery of that flight....nor the look on the faces of my crew as they exited the cockpit to find me crying in pain. Will I ever do it again....oh heck no! NEVER EVER!

:)
 

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