Just started flying, keep getting sick :(

[star84]

Hi everyone,

I have been flying for about 4 weeks, and I keep getting ear infections and yesterday found out I have conjunctivitis (eww!) :yuk: I have never been this sick in my life. :( I know its all part of the job, but does anyone have any tips about what things are good to use when your ears are hurting? I have been using Brenclear on the plane, but it doesnt help much.

thanks in advance
star84

[barrythecat]

My wife is a CCM and she does suffer badly with hayfever, which often leads to her not being able to clear her ears on landing. Very painful and she goes deaf from time to time as a result.
I'll give you the same advice as I gave her.....go to the doctor, explain the situation and do as he/she recommends.
My wife (for the first time ever!:p ) took the advice and the doc prescribed some pills which have releaved the situation.
Go see the doc....get yourself well....fly safe.

[andie74]

i know how you feel, i started flying in Dec last year and was sick thru the whole of Dec, and most of January! i had worked for an airline before and never had any of these problems... so i dont know what changed, but i know it was not a pleasant experience AT ALL having to try and work on a plane with a red stuffy nose, blocked ears etc. ive never been one to get sick much so it was a real pain in the neck. i had to go sick in the middle of a 3 day trip bcos my ears had 'just' managed to equalise on most of the decents we did but finally they just blocked completely and i was terrified of bursting my eardrums- it ended up being a middle ear infection- i wasnt impressed.

definitely go to your doctor if youve actually got an infection bcos you probably need antibiotics, but heres a couple of remedies that have helped me!

hope this isnt too long but this info helped me, & once i really understood why it was happening (thanks to my Doctor) then i was able to try and 'prevent' it as much as possible. basically bcos your body is adjusting to the flying environment, lack of humidity etc, your sinuses especially can become 'dried out' - when they become dried out they are particularly susceptible to bacteria and infection and therefore you end up developing colds/ear probs.

the doctor i went to gave me strong antibiotics for the infection, but also told me if i could, it would be really helpful to go and spend a few hours at the beach so i could inhale the salt water, as the salty water would kind of 'lubricate' my sinuses etc. so i went that nite (it was december so it was warm at least! : ) and when i got there i was so stuffy in the nose that i couldnt smell a thing- within an hour of sitting there i could smell the salty air and seaweed! and my nose was unblocked too! it worked! he also suggested that if i was working long days in the air, to stop for a minute or so & inhale hot water in a cup with salt in it thoughout the day- the next best thing to salty sea air!

lastly something that you can use ongoing which has been FANTASTIC for me and 'touch wood' i havent been sick again like back in Dec- is a product called FESS. its just a saline spray, so no chemicals involved, and the one i bought has tea tree oil in it also which i think is good to have bcos it has lots of natural healing properties. you just buy it over the counter at the chemist and its a nasal spray. it basically just lubricates your sinuses and you spray it twice before a flight and then thoughout the flight as well. i dont use it every time i fly anymore as i guess my body has finally started aclimatising (wrong spelling?) but i do use it on longer days ie. 6hrs or more of actual flying time. its great and has worked a treat for me, i just keep it handy in my bag.

hope these help, of course there are antihistamines etc that people use and i have used them too, but i really did find that the FESS has helped me the most. once you can get rid of the infection you now have - which may unfortunately mean taking some time off sick (i had to have 12 days off to fully recover) then you can work at preventing it happening again. i know its difficult to take time off work when you have only just started but it really is important you dont fly with ear probs as im sure you know- its just not worth it- and a letter from your Doctor saying youve got ears issues bcos of a cold is more than enough- no airline can argue with that. i actually found that crewing were great and just said 'no problem- get well soon'.

hope this helps, take care and happy healthy flying!

andie74

[smile]

I Have been getting nasty hayfevr all my life too and I have found that FESS works really well. Also a girl at work put me onto a product that you get at health food stores called 'Tissue Salts' they cover a range of ailments and I have been using the one for hayfever. It is not a cure, but now I only need to blow my nose once or twice a night instead of 11or 12 times per night.

Also do not ever, ever, ever settle for a hotel room that has been smoked in.

[qfmike737]

I got pretty sick not long after I started flying. I discovered that I got a bug from a layover in an 'exotic' destination. It took months to completely shake off and quite awhile to work out what was wrong with me.

It's quite normal to be sick in your first year of flying or for your first time doing shiftwork. My advice to anyone is just go and see your doctor and no matter what do not operate when you are sick. A friend who had more experience in flying gave me this advice and I wish to hell that I had taken that advice earlier!

[OZcabincrew]

qfmike737,

i agree. In my first year of flying i too was sick, i think i had about 3 middle ear infections, the first time i was sick i still flew and luckily my eardrums are still intact, however i would never do it again. Star84, i don't know who you work for, but at QF they take ear infections very serious and don't want you flying if that's the case, that's why you have sick days. On top of that making it worse for yourself, it looks bad if you have a cold etc and your colleagues won't want to catch anything from you either.

I just got prescribed some antibiotics from the doctor and it seemed to clear it away. One big thing to be careful of is that if you are taking over the counter medicine, decongestants etc, you need to make sure that they don't contain any ingredients such as sedatives that may be banned or not allowed by your employer. I know some airlines if you take something you should let the CSM know (correct me if i'm wrong).

Your body will build up immunity to these things over time and eventually you will be fine. Just think, you're stuck in an aircraft full of people who could have anything, so until your body get's used to it, you're bound to get a little sick.

Good luck!

Oz

[Nicole]

Inhale menthol crystals. They worked a treat when i had bad ears, and also helped when i gave it to the pax. You just need a few crystals in a little hot water to release the vapour.

Also have gromits put in your ears, tiny tubes that ease the pressure.

good luck.

take vit c too

[star84]

thanks everyone, all your answers are really helpfull!! I thought I had burst my ear drum the other day coming into land, but I didnt. I would hate to actually burst them cause it hurt like hell!! I work for JQ and everyone says you shouldnt work when you have sore ears, but I have used up alot of sick days aready. I am having a week off now, and hopefully this will give my ears a chance to heal up.

I am thinking of getting my ears syringed to clean them out as I have heard this can help. I will look for the products you all recommended.

thanks!
star84

[lexxity]

get your ears suctioned not syringed, syringing (sp) can actually cause your eardrums to rupture when under pressure, but suctioning can't, so my ent specialist tells me. Trust me you do not want your eardrums to rupture, it is pain beyond belief!

[ozangel]

Never had time to get sick - thats what holidays are for!

I used to have problems with my ears, some people just wouldnt shut up! Found some earmuffs and a stiff drink helped.

[blue_stew]

We get a bit harrassed at work if we are sick too many times, but if you are sick you are sick. I blew an eardrum a few years ago due not off loading myself. It was messy and it damaged my hearing perm.

My advise: First sign of illness, get yourself home. airplanes and hotels are no place to be when you are going down with something. (except if you are in PER and work for DJ - they'll put you on the bus. I will always get myself back to the east coast before I go sick!)

I use ear candles to clean my ears. Gross, but get most of the FOD outta your ears.

[haamdhanimaid]

NEVER fly when you have a cold or ear infection - most airlines will take ear infection seriously.

The pain of pressure on your ears can be equated to having an ice pick driven into them - it's not nice!

A burst ear drum can cause permanent lost of hearing, as mentioned by blue_stew.

It's not worth it - what may seem like a slight cold, and you feel like you could fly, could turn into 2 weeks off sick and a long recovery.

Also be careful of your balance - inner ear problems causing vertigo can also happen as a result of flying - the liquid in the inner ear becomes less in one, more in the other, resulting in vertigo, dizziness and blackouts (used to happen to me in flight - pax thought I was drunk!!) It's not as serious as an ear infection - can be fixed with some tablets over a few months.

Oh, and watch the Sudafed!! It's great stuff but taken on an empty stomach can cause some nasty side effects...anyone else had this problem?

be careful and safe!
;)

[smile]

Oh, and watch the Sudafed!! It's great stuff but taken on an empty stomach can cause some nasty side effects...anyone else had this problem?


I had ear problems just the other night, and as blue_stew said, you don't want to get stuck on a bus from the west coast, so I took the maximum amount of Sudafed i could before my red-eye home. Well I finally got to sleep at about 9pm last night, after being wide-awake for just over 36 hours!!

[haamdhanimaid]

that's what I felt - like I had drunk 10 cups of strong coffee....

funny that SUDAFED keeps you awake and ACTIFED makes you drowsy!
:oh: