Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)A deviated septum means that one of my ears was affected so badly on descent that I literally lost my hearing in that ear for one-two days after each landing. Various medications and even prescription drugs did little to help. Several years ago, I found out about EarPlanes, and they have made all the difference. No more popping, no more severe pain, no more clogged head and deafness.
I give these 4 stars instead of 5, because I do have some issues with them. None of these issues would make me stop using them, but I do want to point them out:
1) They are a bit difficult to put in properly. You have to follow the instructions exactly, pulling up on your earlobe with your opposite hand (not always easy to do, especially if you're sitting in the middle seat) and really "screwing" them in. I use them both for ascending and descending. One can remove them after the plane has reached maximum altitude, and I usually do, unless it's a very short flight. I found that when I replace them for the descent, they are quite a bit harder to put back in, no longer being "brand new".
2) If you put them in really properly, they basically become ear "plugs" in addition to eardrum protectors. This means that it is hard to hear. That's great if there are crying babies aboard. It's not so great if you want to have a conversation. It's hard to hear your seatmates or the flight crew, and it's impossible to judge how loudly you are speaking; for example, when the stewardess asks me what I'd like as a snack, I have to "shout" - that's what it seems like to me - in order to be heard. It's also, obviously, hard to use headphones (only the hollowed-out kind will fit over the earplanes, which are so long that they stick out of your ears; they have to be long, so that you can grip them in order to remove them. Also, you'd have to turn the volume way up, which might not be appreciated by those near you, and which is probably not the best idea in any case). Also, you are constantly aware that you have them in your ears, as they must be inserted fully in order to work properly, and the `screw' part can become a bit annoying.
For all of the reasons I have listed in number 2, I usually do remove them once the plane reaches maximum altitude, and put them back in (despite the issues in number 1), which means putting them in as soon as the plane begins to descend, which can be as much as an hour before landing time.
Note: if you have only a mild problem with ear pressure, then you might be able to get away with using them only for the descent. My problem is severe, so I've never taken the chance.
In addition to the earplanes, I take a Sudafed (non-drowsy) an hour before flying, and approximately every four hours during the flight, trying to time it so that I take the last one about an hour before landing.
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