Air plane associated severe sinus pain - what to do?

Hi Jody,

I have a very similar issue. I just took a flight and during the descent, got a terrible sudden head pain (forehead) and now 2 days later have a dull pain in the head and have blood in the mucus. I fly regularly, and a few years ago noticed blood in the mucus and was really freaked out. It took weeks to go away. Another few occasions I had terrible sudden headaches, (varying between cheeks, behind eyes, forehead) on the flight descent, most times it was fine.

After this last flight I am sure it is connected to flying, and barotrauma on the descent.

This forum has some good info, from pilots, many have had sinus problems.

http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-310037.html

This problem seems to be varying a lot between people, and the sinus is such a delicate area.. not an easy thing to deal with. My conclusions:

1. Stop or reduce the damage (I wish I had been bold enough on the last flight!) Call a medical emergency on the flight to delay the descent.

2. Always carry some medication and take it whenever you fly, make sure its in effect just before descent (I also wish I remembered this in the last flight...) Suggestions I have read are Max strength Sudafed, Nasal spray Otravine, and or antihistamine such as benadryl.

3. In the worst case perhaps a surgery but I have no experience in that... I've read that it has fixed the problem for pilots with sinus issues.

 

Jody - i had a similar situation several times.when flying.  it felt like someone was sticking an ice pick into my forehead.  horrible pain. I went to a couple drs and they prescribed the same nasal sprays, i was to take them 30 minutes before flying, also took decongestants as part of the plan and it helped but then i read where if you pinch your nostrels and slightly blow to send pressure to your ears and sinuses that would help.  i tried that simple procedure and and it worked perfectly.  everytime i fly i will notice a slight pain in my sinuses or forehead and when i do this it works everytime.  best part is no more medications are needed!  

My husband used tohave the most terrible pain between his eyebrows about 30 minutes before the flight lands.  He was really crying with pain and there was absolutely nothing the aircrew could do.  So, when we were due to fly again I told my husband to use Sinex nasal spray because it works for my stuffy nose when having a cold. He used this 30 minutes before landing and he was ecstatic that it actually worked and now he has no fear of getting on a plane again.

I faced the exact same issue last month after a flight travel. I felt extreme sharp pricking pain just above my left eyebrows. The pain was so acute that I could not talk. I somehow managed the landing.

I was feeling alright after getting off the flight. But the next day I noticed bloody mucus and some heaviness over the head. Also when I touch my forehead I was feeling some pain. 

I was really freaked out looking at the bloody mucus. I was waiting couple days to see if it improves, but it showed no sign of improvement. So, I rushed to my PC doctor the fourth day and explained her all my story. She confirmed me that it is not the flight travel that caused this, but I already had sinus infection which had aggrevated just because of the pressure during the flight landing. She put me on Antibiotics and said it should be alright at the end of the course. I was too much freake out and I asked my doctor for further dianosis. So, to just make feel comfortable, she did my chest x-ray. There was nothing found in the x-ray. Finally after the 10 days of antidiotics, the bloody mucus stopped. To ease me on the bloody mucus she asked me put on some nasal saline spray and also do some vicks steam inhaler.  

Hi I have just experienced this pain on a return flight it was so bad I was in tears and couldn't see or hear for about 10 mins . It was so frightening I thought my head was going to explode. However 2 days later my forehead is still swallon where the pain was on my right side .. And is very tender to touch .. Is this normal? Or do I need to see a doctor ... Hearing and sight is fine .. I did have sinus trouble whilst on holiday but never had the pain descending on the way out ... I am terrified to fly again now I case I get this pain again .. Can anyone help?

Hi Jody I suffer from the samething the only difference is that the pain is not only near the eye browes but it runns under my scalp and above the skull. It feels like a hot needle being ran along the right side of my head. It usually lasts about 24 to 48 hours after landing. Sometimes I develope a sinus infection that needs treatment with antibiotics

Dear all, my pain has disappeared....last December when I flied beween New York and London, I didn't get any pain at all.....I didn't receive any treatment by ENT because my repeated CT scan didn't show anything....I don't really know what was going on....hope your pain will automatically disappear as well...

I am female and just returned home from Oman touching down in Abu Dabi and then Schiphol before my final flight to England.  On the final leg on decending I got the blocked sensation in my nose which then travelled up between my eyes and had severe pins and needles burning sensation, I feared I was having a stroke.  On landing it subsided and I was able to disembark ok.  I will certainly try the nasel sprays next time, but it was very frightening.    Thank you and everyone for posting about this problem, perhaps it should be made widely known !

Registered so others may find this forum when searching.

My problem started last year. Several trips on a spirit flight I noticed this ice pick feeling in my forehead and over my eye. Tried Afrin with Mucinex D. When that failed, I literally breathed through my mouth the whole flight and never through my nose. I did this so there would be very little pressure in my nasal sinus. Needless to say, it easy to do on a 1.5hr flight.... not anything longer than that. I would do the nose pinch to relieve pressure as well.

I eventually got tired of all this. I went to the ENT and told him I was having this problem when flying. He laughed but did an MRI anyways in the office. He found a few polyps, noticed, I had narrow sinus canals and my deviated septum.

He gave me steroids, antibiotics and nasal spray. To try first. Flew from WI to SC . Didn't help and scared the hell out of me to the point I dreaded the flight back. This is when I started breathing through my mouth only.

I eventually scheduled the surgery to remove the polyps and open the drainage pathways. First two days sucked from all the bleeding, but by day three to four I was up and around.

I googled and read that barotrauma is caused by a few key factors.

1) Sinus infection

2) dehydration

3) Polyps

4) narrow sinus canals allowing for pressure build up.

I will be flying in a few months to see if this helped (finger crossed). I will most likely wear a mask, take Afrin or nasacort 30mins before flying and drink a lot of water.

To reiterate: Oddly enough though, I only ever got this problem on a spirit airlines flight. Somebody should tell people about fast decents, especially when going from above to below sea level!