Flying on a Plane after an Ear Infection

Hello!

Well, here I am on the tail-end of an ear infection, which was brought on by flying in an airplane while congested.

I believe it's called barotrauma.

Anyways, I managed the infection, and the pain/swelling/discomfort is now gone, but the hearing is still pretty much not there. It's like my ear is blocked. Sometimes when I yawn, it wants to pop, but doesn't.

And in 4 days I MUST FLY AGAIN!

So my question is, will I destroy my hearing for life if I get back on that plane this soon after an ear infection, or am I worrying excessively? I HAVE ordered Earplanes and WILL take Sudafed before getting on the plane, but I love my ears. I don't want to lose them. Please advise.

Ben

[ENTMD]

You won't destroy your hearing.  Worst case is that you have worsening discomfort and you suffer a set-back in terms of your recovery from this episode.  Unfortunately, there has not been any data to support any medicines working well on the Eustachian tube.  It's one of ENT's holy grails.  You can certainly try things like Sudafed or Afrin.  I don't know what Earplanes are - you'll have to enlighten me.

What you COULD do, if you have the interest and access is see an ENT doc before you fly.  He or she could perform a myringotomy and give you (at least) temporary relief and make the flight tolerable.