hi
i always get my daughter the ear planes make from boots. i think they cost about £4.99 and shes
always been fine using them

I've heard that Earplanes are very good. Are they sold anywhere other than Boots? I've been looking for some for my children and have had no luck so far.

Earplanes are a brand name so you should be able to get them at any pharmacy. Just make sure you get kids ones and not adults.

luci

Boots do their own brand of "Earplanes", they're just the same and a bit cheaper. They do children's ones too.

If you haven't already seen it, the "Earache, ear infection & popping ears when flying" topic in our Airlines & Airports forum may be of interest.

David

Thanks everyone 'Earplanes' it is then

jo...x

so glad i found this post, as my 12 yr old daughter is always crying with pain as we come into land, im going to have to buy some of these "earplanes" thanks guys!

Hi all, hoping that someone can maybe give me some reassurance from their own experiences. My son perforated his eardrum back in March and it 'appears' to have healed...the doctor couldn't see properly though as his ear was very waxy. So we are assuming that all is ok but I am concerned as we are due to fly in August and I've heard that once the ear is perforated the scar tissue that's left can be quite weak making another perforation due to the pressure in the plane more likely. I am planning on buying the 'earplanes' plugs for him but was wondering if any of you have first hand experience of flying after a perforation had healed and if you had any problems. Thankyou for any replies, Nic.

Hi,

I've flown numerous times without any problems after one of my eardrums burst as a result of an infection. Mydoctor assured me that I was very unlikely to experience problems and that seems to have been the case so far. In fact I went off on a longhaul holiday very soon after the drum burst and it didn't seem to have any effect on the actual healing process either. My GP told me very cheerfully that it was a good job it burst when it did - having been plagued with a series of ear infections he said that I'd have fewer problems now and especially if it was still slightly perforated by the time I flew!

The scar tissue issue can go both ways - in my case it would appear that the scar tissue is actually thicker than the original membrane - it's left me with some loss of hearing as a result but it's never been a problem flying since it happened.

SM

Thanks SMa for such a quick reply, which has reassured me. Do you bother using earplugs? I'm thinking about getting some for him but whether he'll wear them will be a different matter.

Hi,

I've never tried using earplugs on the plane - but then I've never experienced any problems either before or after the damage was done so never felt the need to give them a try. The one thing I am fanatical about though is using ear plugs when swimming - the last thing I want is another infection and the possibility of the drum perforating again because I don't want to take the chance on any further loss of hearing. I've used both the Boots mouldable ones and the special swimming ones (they come in adult and children's sizes) and found both to be effective at keeping the water out but the mouldable ones also keep a lot of the sound out which you might want to avoid in a busy pool!

Regards,

sM

Yes, I'd already thought I should get swimming ear plugs too, as you say, the last thing you want is to pick up an ear ear infection, which does seem to be quite common with pools abroad. Have added them to my ever increasing 'things to get' list. Kind regards, Nic.