Originally Posted by
sandrich
Went into a barometric chamber yesterday. we went up to FL250, then off oxygen until hypoxic. My ears cleared fine on the way up, however when descending, only my left ear equalized. My right ear was stuck at 25,000 while we were down at sea level. Needless to say, it was excruciating pain and felt like someone was hammering a nail through my head. The valzalva never worked for me, only swallowing does. Tried everything, it's starting to clear on its own. I have a feeling it might be tied to allergies but my worry is that its a problem with my ear. Should I experience a real life rapid decompression, I dont want to have to worry about trying to land a plane with such pain in my ear. Hopefully some of you guys can chime in. Thanks...
Normally caused by fluid trapped in the sinuses due to cold, infection or allergy.
A dose of an FAA approved decongestant prior to flight may make this less likely. Sudafed.
It may also take on the feeling of a 1/4" dull, rusty drill bit being run into your sinus cavities for some subjects. Side effects may include bleeding and rupture of tissue causing longer term problems. In addition, some subjects report taking on the characteristics of a golden retriever.