ear popping/ pressure

[carmanatti]

I was wondering if most aircrew has issues dealing with your ears popping. When i went through MEPS to enlist the doctor told me I had a ruptured ear drum, but after seeing a specialist i was told my ear drum was only stretched, not ruptured, and I would be fine to enlist. I have acceptable scores for hearing in both ears, but diving below 10 feet of water is excruciating, and flying commercial i only notice the pressure, with the occasional headache/discomfort.

Given how obviously gentle the altitude changes in a commercial airliner are, when i learn to fly more aggressive aircraft, will this present a serious problem, given my ear trouble, or is this just minor discomfort everyone has to get over as part of getting used to flying?

I'm not one to complain about minor things, so if anyone thinks a stick of gum and happy thoughts will cure this problem, it would save me from having to bring it up during a flight physical for a STA-21 application.

 

[feddoc]

Get yourself checked by an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Again. Ear problems are not to be treated lightly.

My ears used to pop all the time. That is normal. Excruciating pain on descent (diving) is not.

The diving pain...is that normal for you? You should not be feeling headache pain on a normal descent flying commercially. See the ENT.

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

I was wondering if most aircrew has issues dealing with your ears popping. When i went through MEPS to enlist the doctor told me I had a ruptured ear drum, but after seeing a specialist i was told my ear drum was only stretched, not ruptured, and I would be fine to enlist. I have acceptable scores for hearing in both ears, but diving below 10 feet of water is excruciating, and flying commercial i only notice the pressure, with the occasional headache/discomfort.

Given how obviously gentle the altitude changes in a commercial airliner are, when i learn to fly more aggressive aircraft, will this present a serious problem, given my ear trouble, or is this just minor discomfort everyone has to get over as part of getting used to flying?

I'm not one to complain about minor things, so if anyone thinks a stick of gum and happy thoughts will cure this problem, it would save me from having to bring it up during a flight physical for a STA-21 application.

I'm not trying to suggest any medical advice for you but wanted to note that when flying commercial you could be flying in a slightly over-pressurized cabin. This probably doesn't apply to you but in the rush of things the PCA hose that gives air to the aircraft while on the ground does not always get disconnected before the cabin door is closed and this can result in over-pressurization of the aircraft. Seen it happen and it sucks. Just a little info to drop for those flying commercially.

 

[carmanatti]

Sorry for the confusion,

When flying commercially or on larger aircraft, i only notice the change in pressure and have minor discomfort/occasionall minor headache from diving or climbing. This can normally be ignored or fixed by pinching my nose and mouth closed and trying to exhale, aka "equalizing the pressure", something i learned while attempting to learn to scuba dive.

however, scuba or snorkel diving below 10 feet in the water is almost impossible due to the pressure on my ears. I will take your advice and see an ENT specialist, though.

 

[torpedo0126]

Not to scare you or anything, but just remember MEPS is only one step. You will still be examined by NAMI and have an annual flight physical.

Since this stuff is in your medical history it will be reviewed at NAMI. I had a history of ear infections as a child and because of that the Doc at NAMI had me do the valsalva (sorry if thats spelled incorrectly) a few times in each ear just to make sure.

Also, remember that a commercial airliner's rate of climb is much different than a performance aircraft. You could easily rupture something, so make sure you get this resolved with the ENT.

 

[DavidC]

Plus, a commercial airliner's cabin altitute is usually set at around 8,000' or lower. They also set the cabin rate of climb or descent to around 500 ft/min. You'll experience more extreme pressure changes in a Cessna that you will in an airliner.

 

[NTXRockr]

I'm in a similar situation minus the stretched eardrum...MEPS flight surgeon said I appeared to have acute otitis and scars on both eardrums, which presents a rupture risk when changing altitudes. I've never had a ruptured or damaged eardrum, although I do experience the pressure when diving past 10' (and didn't equalize properly when scuba diving once and got water behind it/ear infection) and occasionally when I'm flying with a slight or severe headcold (which you shouldn't do anyways).

I went to my ENT (and do about once or twice a year) and got checked out after MEPS, and he noticed that I had some wax buildup on the eardrum in question, like a thin covering or coating. He scraped it off and did a routine cleaning (I've had lots of wax buildup since childhood), and said they both appeared and were normal (even did better on hearing tests...).

My issue is the Navy is saying I still need a waiver for this, even though it's a non-issue (there's no condition that I've been diagnosed with) and my ENT doc has provided all records and signed a letter clearing me of any and all aviation activities. In addition to needing a waiver, my recruiter says I cannot proceed further with my BDCP application until this is cleared up...I've waited three months and still nothing. I also cannot find anything in the waiver guide about eardrums, but did find info about rhinitis (which I haven't been diagnosed with either but the flight surgeon noted; I do take prescription nasonex on occasion for allergies but it's not required).

My recruiter says that it's still in the works, and should be back anytime. I'm tired of missing out on the boards (read my stats...) over a non-issue from someone who is trying to preventatively disqualify applicants on the fly (MEPS) instead of testing for what's there and letting the specialists make the tough decisions. Any ideas on what I can/should do to help my situation??? Thanks.