I am leaving in a few weeks to visit relatives in South Africa. I will be flying alone as the rest of my family is leaving earlier (work keeps me here later). I plan on taking my Kindle and reading a little bit; I don't have an Ipod at this point. I will probably just stare comotose into the seat ahead of me for the 20+ hour flight.

I will be spending time with family (lots of noise) and going out and about, but I"ve trained my family here pretty well (thanks to what I've learned here) and they are protective of me and understanding, so I don't have a problem going off by myself for quiet time. But I do want to be around family as much as possible...

Headaches and too much noise stimulation seem to be the lingering effects of PCS for me. I have tried the yellow foam earplugs that a pilot friend of mine gave me. They were uncomfortable and didn't seem to help all that much; I felt like I was underwater.

I don't mind wearing headphones in the plane, but I also don't want to be walking around with them on, so figure that I will also need ear plugs.

I've been researching the Bose noise cancelling Headphones, Etymotic Earplugs and Audio-Technica ATH-ANC1 QuietPoint headphones but am starting to shut down inow with headaches & computer issues and they all start looking to be the same..I know they're not, just not tracking real well now.

So I am wondering what everyone is using to help with their symptoms? And if you can guide me to what would be the best for me?

If the foam ear plugs are uncomfortable, you probably need to spend the money and get some musicians' ear plugs. They are custom fitted to your ear.

If the yellow foam ear plugs did not seem to work, it sounds like they may not have been in far enough. You need to roll or twist them real tight and small. they should go in deep so that only the tip is visible and able to be grasped. As they relax, they should fit comfortably. The pilot gave them to you because they are the mainstay for pilots who have lots of experience with noise.

Ear/head phones also can work good. the Bose and other noise canceling head phones are much more expensive. Some people swear by them. If you are going to spend the money for a set of noise canceling head phones, for $30 to $40 you can buy a decent MP3 player and rip some music or other audio entertainment to play on them. The IPod is not the only MP3 player.

I wonder if you just need to get used to the sound of using ear plugs. I looked at the Etymotic ear plugs and ear plug phones. They look interesting. The sound reduction capability is confusing, 15 to 35 dB.

Lots of options for your trip.

I don't envy your long flight.

Thanks Mark..you know I will give those yellow ear plugs another try. I am guessing that I will require something to just shut out all the chatter around me; the drone of the engines might put me to sleep..it's just all the rest of the noise around me. I can probably get away with just purchasing some ear plugs for now, as I am figuring out that would be the most important issue.
I have a set of the headphones they give you on the plane to listen to music and while it doesn't shut out all the noise, it does give you more of a focus on the piped in music.

I am technically inept with all the music options and just used Ipod as a generic term...I need to talk to my 17 year old nephew and I'm sure he'll set me up...that's a great option and I need to get moving on this ASAP.

One of the posters here gave me the name of the Entymotic and I can't find the post otherwise I would have asked her. And since I have such little memory..good luck with me trying to remember.

I do not look forward to the flight. It's kind of like giving birth..you forget all the discomfort when you finally get to see the end product (hopefully LOL)

freezerdoor....please try to get yourself a pair of these earplugs...i think they are under $20 this is the site but you can get the on amazon -- http://www.etymotic.com

I went to a restaurant saturday night - there were 20 people at the table behind us that were loud and obnoxious. I swear they were laughing singing it was rediculous --they should have been in a private room. Anyway, I walked in, took out my earplugs and it made a HUGE difference.

When do you leave for your trip?

Thanks so much for replying as it was you that originally sent me to the website. There are so many types of earplugs etc to choose from..which pair did you purchase???

I am leaving on Dec 22.

I foudn a cheap pair of hunting/gun range ear plugs that fit really comfortably in my ears. They look like little trees and are made of a very soft rubber that buffers out backround noise but helps me to still be able to hear someone talking to me.

I believe Huntingdon was the brand name? I could be wrong on that though. I found them at a Walmart, but any store with hunting equipment should have them.