Posted by Bob Kipple (12.77.217.245) on May 26, 2000 at 05:02:33:
In Reply to: Cluster Headache and flying posted by Todd on May 25, 2000 at 17:40:29:
Hi Todd,
Ricky makes a good point. But what he is doing is a variation of the ???? (I can never remember the name) maneuver, one of the first things taught in SCUBA diving instruction to equalize inner ear pressure while descending. It's very simple and doesn't involve annoying your neighbors with a lot of honking. You bend your head back while holding your nose and swallow forcing air into the inner ear. It must be done as soon as the plane starts to descend or as soon as pressure is felt. In diving, you can always go up in depth and start over but I doubt the flight crew would be willing to go back to 35000 feet when on final. LOL. Oh and BTW, if one side doesn't clear, it helps to bend the head to the opposite side while doing the ???? maneuver (any divers out there?). And Bennie Sue, I know Delta carries medical O2 and I am sure most other airlines do but if it's an equalization problem, I don't think O2 would help. But, heaven forbid, having a CH attak in flight can be devastating. Fortunatly, I've only had a few, long before I knew jack about CH but knowing what I know today, would certainly ask the flight attendants for it. Certainly better than pacing the aisle while leaving a tear and snot trail while scaring the hell out of the passengers and crew. They usually get a bit upset when you start banging your head on the bulkheads.
Kip