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Has anybody been on a flight with a cold before?

mayerling

mayerling

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
2,357
I''ve had this terrible cold for the past couple of days and I have to fly tomorrow so now I''m freaking about it; not just because it''s going to be uncomfortable, but also because I''m worried about my ear drums bursting due to nasal congestion.

Has anybody been through this before. Any suggestions as to how to handle it?
 
Yes. At least a handful of times.

The increased sinus pressure was the worst part.

I did not have a problem with my ears...generally I don''t have much problems with my ear pressure, so a little bit more with it with a cold but that was it.

Don''t forget your cold medication!
 
Sorry you are feeling so poorly.

I flew from Paris to the Dominican Republic with full blown flu. (I also have had ear issues all my life, despite being told I would grow out of it.
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I survived it by drinking lots of fluid and having plenty of sweeties to suck. It seemed to relieve the discomfort. Good luck. hope all goes well.
 
Yes I''ve flown with several colds. Earlier this spring I had a horrible allergy attack that decided to morph into a sinus infection and double ear infection. I was put on a super quick dose of prednisone to decrease the inflammation, then antibiotics and then Nasonex. My doc was concerned with my flying with ear infections.
 
I''m trying to remember what I take, but I can''t remember for the life of me! You spray it in your nose and it works for 12 hours and relieves the pressure/helps drain. You can''t use it for more than 3 days because it''s addictive.

Gaaaaaaaaah, why can''t I think of this? I swear by it and wouldn''t fly with a cold without this in my bag.
 
Date: 5/21/2010 3:25:50 PM
Author: susimoo
Sorry you are feeling so poorly.


I flew from Paris to the Dominican Republic with full blown flu. (I also have had ear issues all my life, despite being told I would grow out of it.
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I survived it by drinking lots of fluid and having plenty of sweeties to suck. It seemed to relieve the discomfort. Good luck. hope all goes well.
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Thanks Susimoo. I tend to avoid drinking much when flying because I hate having to use the toilet on planes, but I think this time I''ll make an exception.
 
Yes and it''s NO FUN! I came down with a nasty cold the day before we flew home from our honeymoon and both landings were awful. I felt like my head was going to explode from the pressure. Honestly, nothing alleviated it for me and I was in pain until the next day. I hope it''s a much easier time for you.
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Date: 5/21/2010 4:02:15 PM
Author: sunnyd
Yes and it''s NO FUN! I came down with a nasty cold the day before we flew home from our honeymoon and both landings were awful. I felt like my head was going to explode from the pressure. Honestly, nothing alleviated it for me and I was in pain until the next day. I hope it''s a much easier time for you.
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Oh, how terrible for you. Yeah, it''s kind of stressing me out because it''s a LONG flight. I''d reschedule if I could but it would cost too much.
 
I flew with a cold once and it was horrible. I think I had sinusitis. When we took off and landed I felt like someone was sticking pins into my eyes. I started throwing up when I got home and had a raging headache for days. I am assuming it was the pressure.

I am such a little ray of sunshine aren't I?
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Date: 5/21/2010 4:14:26 PM
Author: Maisie
I flew with a cold once and it was horrible. I think I had sinusitis. When we took off and landed I felt like someone was sticking pins into my eyes. I started throwing up when I got home and had a raging headache for days. I am assuming it was the pressure.


I am such a little ray of sunshine aren''t I?
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I had an experience like this one once.. but I flew with a cold a few years later and I was fine..
 
Only once, but it was the worst experience. I did have something happen to my ear, I don''t know if my ear drum ruptured or not but it felt full and muffled for 3 full weeks after the flight, and then when it "popped" it was so painful I thought I was going to throw up.
 
AFRIN!

I use Afrin. I spray it right before the flight, and keep a lot of tissues with me. It relieves the pressure almost instantly, and then you have to blow your nose a lot to get the nasty stuff out. It has worked wonders for me when I have to fly with sinus issues.

Actually, it just plain works wonders for me. I feel like a real person again after I use it.
 
Yes, I''ve done this.

The key is to take a good dose of decongestant (and only decongestant).

You will have a "runny nose" all day - but you will be able to keep the pressure off (take plenty of tissue with you).

Most normal cold medicines are combination drugs with the goal of drying up the sinuses as well with some decongestant (to get what exist to drain). However, they don''t work well for bad colds - or certain stages.

If you look you can buy just pure decongestants, pure antihistamines, etc. and take only what is needed (or mix your own cocktail for your personal symptoms).

Perry
 
So You are the one that will make me sick when I fly????
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Kidding... Hoping you drink lots of fluids, and take a decongestant before the flight...
 
I flew to china with a cold, they actually did a cheast x-ray in the middle of the terminal to see if I had the congestiton typical of SARS
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2 things really helped. High vitamin C, especially airborne and gum. I hate gum, but if you chew it while taking off and landing keeps the pressure from building up. The vitamin C helps me decongest really well.
 
I still had a cold when we flew out for our honeymoon and this i swhat i did.

1. Before we left for the airport i did a "Fess Sinu cleanse" where you basicall squirt a solution up your nose and let it pass through your sinuses and out the other nostril. Sounds gross and it was. This is good for when you have been taking cold and flu tablets that dry you up, because when it dries you out it solidifies all the stuff in your sinuses causing blockages.

2. Before i got on the plane i used "Fess frequent flyer'''' nasal spray. Which is used for natural relief of nasal congestion for travellers.

3. On the plane i sucked on hard lollies, made sure i tried to yawn and pop my ears during take off and landing.

Both of the products i listed only used natural ingredients. They are an Australian brand but i am sure you could find something similar for where you are.

Good luck!!
 
Yes - twice, now. Both were horribly unpleasant but the first was infinitely worse, my ears hurt for days afterward even with antibiotics. The second time I drank lots of water before and during the flight and sucked on cough drops as we took off and landed, swallowing constantly really helped reduce the pressure buildup.
 
my SIL just flew home from visiting us about a month ago and she apparently had some sinus congestion due to allergies. she ended up with a ruptured eardrum from the flight...it took almost a month to heal.

i don't think it's very common though, apparently her doctor said she had extremely small ear canals/tubing which i believe is what they thought contributed to it. i have flown before with colds and congestion and not felt very good but not had any big issues either.

if you haven't had too many sinus issues before or you don't typically get complicated sinus congestion (aka almost any cold my hub has ends up with sinusitis requiring antibiotics etc), i wouldn't worry too much. but if you tend to have a lot of sinusitis issues, maybe contact your Dr to find out what they suggest for preventative measures. good luck!
 
Thanks for the advice, everybody! Off to the airport now with my fingers crossed!
 
Hi everyone,

I''m please to report that I followed your advice and everything went great! I wore earplugs during the entire flight, chewed gum, drank water, etc. and there was no pain!
 
Woooohooooo!

So glad it went well!!!
 
Good, I''m glad your flight went well, Mayerling! I hope you feel better soon.
 
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