Stylon Pilson Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I've had minor tinnitus for a few years, and have successfully arrested its progress by thorough use of ear plugs at gigs and rehearsals. The other day I came back from holiday, which was about a 3.5 hour flight, and that evening my ears were ringing quite badly. It was gone by the morning, but still I'm wondering if anyone knowledgeable can tell me whether that would have been caused by the noise in the cabin (in which case wearing ear plugs while flying in future will prevent it happening again) or the changes in pressure (in which case I'm not sure what I can do to deal with it). I'm not a very frequent flyer, but I do care a lot about my hearing, and so any ear-ringing is cause for concern. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I would think your problem is almost certainly caused by the changes to air pressure in the cabin. Do you have a lot of wax in your ears? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 As Chris_b says, I'd not worry about any long-term effects, it's most likely your ears haven't equalised the pressure yet. For me it can take three or four days for things to go back to normal after a bad flight. If it persists, do go to the doctors - the movement of the wax and fluids caused by the pressure changes can trigger an infection (it did me a few years ago). If you find you suffer from this a lot, try taking decongestants for a week or so before flying, it helps me a great deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Stylon Pilson said: I've had minor tinnitus for a few years, and have successfully arrested its progress by thorough use of ear plugs at gigs and rehearsals. The other day I came back from holiday, which was about a 3.5 hour flight, and that evening my ears were ringing quite badly. It was gone by the morning, but still I'm wondering if anyone knowledgeable can tell me whether that would have been caused by the noise in the cabin (in which case wearing ear plugs while flying in future will prevent it happening again) or the changes in pressure (in which case I'm not sure what I can do to deal with it). Your tinnitus and response to pressure would not surprise me. Funnily enough, if I go scuba diving, then my tinnitus clears up to the point where I don't recognise it at all. Eventually it creeps back. I got bent once and went into a deco chamber and following the treatment, my tinnitus was the best it had ever been. When speaking to the chamber staff, they said that the chamber that I was being treated in was originally from Germany and whilst there, was used for tinnitus treatment - but because the results weren't conclusive enough and consequently the medical research at that original particular research clinic was stopped. I'm convinced - for me, pressure is a big factor in how good or bad my tinnitus is... but for others, it would seem that it has no bearing. There's certainly a load of research papers out there using hyperbarics for tinnitus treatment - it can make for interesting reading... but don't expect a miracle cure. My tinnitus is very mild now - I think my brain has tuned it out... I certainly can't hear it whilst going about my day unless I stop and specifically listen for it. I scope out OK on a hearing test (no significant losses - certainly nothing that wouldn't be out of the ordinary for somebody my age) and it doesn't really bother me now. My tinnitus was a result of a particularly nasty ear infection and not music related... I've always tried to look after my ears in that respect. With specific regard to flying, I've never had the same experience of yourself... but everybody's tinnitus does seem to be different... and that's why it's such a nightmare to research. Edited January 2, 2019 by EBS_freak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I had similar a couple of years ago after a flight to Italy, my hearing was duff for three days and I really struggled. The fact I was also in charge of 20 kids with special needs didn’t make it any easier. When I returned I had the same problem for a couple of days so I had my ears checked, they were wax free and no other issues they could find. I had an appointment booked with an audiologist anyway for my tinnitus a few weeks later and he said it was probably down to pressure but couldn’t explain why it happened that time beyond I could also have had a low level infection I wasn’t aware of. I have flown four times since with no problems at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I have tinnitus, fly a lot and, yes, happens very frequently. Always settles down to normal again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 (edited) - Edited March 2, 2022 by Jus Lukin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted January 2, 2019 Author Share Posted January 2, 2019 2 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said: The last flight I was on I had the tail-end of a cold, and that f***ed my ears up good and proper. As we descended it was as if snot was forced into my inner ear- I was deaf for a few days and in much discomfort. Tried chewing gum and taking decongestants and while it did ease a little, nothing really helped. On the flight home, ascending seemed to clear the issue, and for few hours I thought things were back to normal, but the same thing happened as we landed, and for the last 20 months or so I've been uncomfortable with extra ringing in my ears. GPs and even A & E once, due to the pain, have always stopped at peering in and saying "well, it looks fine..". I've finally secured an appointment with an ENT specialist- as I've had hints of these issues for years, if they can't find a cause I'm driven to such distraction that I will look into long-term pain relief. I need to ease up on my drinking, but even if I can't stop my ears now screaming at me at various volumes, I can't keep letting the constant pain/discomfort make me a grumpy bastard every day. That's awful, so sorry to hear about that. Hope you have more success with the specialist. Do you have a long wait for the appointment? S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 (edited) - Edited March 2, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mybass Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I have another idea about tinnitus in that as our ears are very near the jaw joints and muscles, there may well be some distress to the ears caused by jaw action, teeth problems or grinding in the night or anything to do with this 'area'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mybass Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 This popped up......I don't know anything about this company but application of their device can be used for tinnitus. https://www.parasym.co/tVNS-deactivates-tinnitus-brain-regions.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 On 02/01/2019 at 12:22, Jus Lukin said: Thanks. It's on the 9th, so just a week! I've got a cold now, making matters worse, but hopefully it will be clear by the time I get there. How did you get on at your appointment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 (edited) - Edited March 2, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 The big question is, what type of aircraft were you flying in? A jet is better insulated and therefore more quiet in the cabin than a turbo-prop. I used to do a lot flying in turbo-prop's, and found that I had to wear earplugs because of the noise (I have tinnitus anyway, and the noise in the cabin made it slightly worse after flying). Also carrying a supply of chewing gum helps with the ear popping / cabin pressure thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 I'm not exactly a frequent flyer - in recent years I've flown to Germany (Munich) and back three times, and to New York once. The Germany trips gave me no problems but the New York one finished with me in some discomfort in one ear, which took a couple of days to wear off. Didn't affect my tinnitus either way though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 On 13/01/2019 at 10:34, Jus Lukin said: Thanks Rich- mybass may be onto something in his posts above! Apparently my ears are fine, and my hearing is basically perfect, although the sensitivity test doesn't account for the distortions I experience at certain frequencies at volume. What they did notice is that my septum (the cartilage between the nostrils) isn't in the right place any more. I don't remember any particular incident of getting whacked in the face, but before I was able to go pro with the music I worked as freelance stage crew, and injury was a fairly regular part of the job. I'm covered in scars and damage from that time, and it could have been as simple as a stray elbow when loading cases high in a van- whatever it was was par for the course and totally unmemorable, although I do, once the doc mentioned it, recall walking home with a painful nose and feeling as if the septum was askew one day. This would account for my increased sinus problems and, while my wife has been putting it down to a particular cold I caught all these years, explains why I went from a non-snorer to a snuffly sleeper! After checking my ears, nose, and throat, as one would expect from his job description, the doc then knowingly asked, 'now tell me, does this hurt?' and prodded me in what turns out to be the most painful part of my face- the joint between the jaw and skull. It was much more painful on the right side, which is the more uncomfortable and noisier side of my 'ear problems'. So the likely culprit is in fact my jaw, and I now need to see the dentist as a first port of call about that. I'll see them first so they have the problem as-is, particularly for X-rays if needed, but will probably also see the chiropractor. I need a general alignment anyway, but I hope he may be able to make a significant improvement to the jaw by way of a few quick, blood curdling snaps! And I still have the cold, but the lengthy infections I get can at least now be put down to my distorted nose holes. I swear I blow every colour of the rainbow out of those things nowadays! ENT consultant years ago told me i had a deviated septum and i get a blocked nose on my right side and now that you mention flying it brought back memories of flights even as far back as 80's when plane decended my right ear got painful. If i am subjected to any noise i initially get a pain in my right ear too but no issue with my left. My hearing is above average for my age apparently as checked every 2 yrs thru my work. GP stated my ears looked fine. I recently started to snore more than i used to...........not that i ever hear it but the elbow in my ribs tells me i definitely snore. Just wondering now if the recent ringing in my ears is something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) - Edited March 3, 2022 by Jus Lukin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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