[frzrdoor2]

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?

[Mark in Idaho]

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.

[frzrdoor2]

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)

[wtrpk]

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?

[frzrdoor2]

Originally Posted by wtrpk

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.

[SmilinEyesMs305]

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.

[steelrat]

Great info on ear plugs, I too use the cheap yellow ones for my quiet time.

[postconcussion]

Hi!

Glad to hear that your are feeling well enough to go on a trip. A while ago there was a thread entitled "Has anyone taken a flight with PCS?" I have to paste what I wrote there because I have been having major headaches lately.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I took a short flight recently and just thought I'd share how it went.

I was feeling pretty optimistic about the flight and had been reading lots of posts that say it is fine to fly.

But, I was kinda surprised at how nauseated I was and how much my headache increased.

For other headache connoisseur's out there, I got a major migrane headache, different than my usual constant daily headaches. It lasted untill a few hours after the flight.

The nausea was surprising to me, I was so happy that I didn't have anything in my stomach. I have never been sick on a plane before. And my nausea from my pcs has really improved so much. My sister said that I was gray the whole time. I literally had to close my eyes and just concentrate on breathing.

I had to take Zofran on the way back which made a HUGE difference. Please don't forget to bring an anti-nausea med with you.

I was a little claustrophobic, but it wasn't at all as bad as I imagined. I was so happy with that

And one more thing that I highly recommend is the Bose noise canceling headphones. I was hesitant to buy them because of the price, but they were a lifesaver. Honestly, they helped me so much. I was surprised at how loud the plane engines were to my sensitive ears.

Just walking through the crowds in the airport and at the security gates was overwhelming.

I know other people have a hard time with crowds and being over stimulated. If you do you should really try to get these. I think that I would have cried a couple of times without them. I kept them glued to my ears. Granted, they don't eliminate all noises, but for me they were priceless.

Best wishes
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I ended up returning them after the flight because of the cost. I remember thinking there is no way that I am ever going on a plane again for a long time... but repurchased them recently. I know it sounds terrible but I would recommend you buy them and if you can't afford to keep them take them back after your trip. I got mine from Best Buy.They are the Quietcomfort15 and around $300.Honestly I would have paid double the cost for them once I was on the plane.Speaking to the best buy salesperson, she said that literally buses of tourists get dropped off there and head straight for those headphones. I tried other pairs but there really was no comparison. Oh! and I used foam earplugs and the headphones over them for double protection!

[frzrdoor2]

Originally Posted by postconcussion

Hi!

Glad to hear that your are feeling well enough to go on a trip. A while ago there was a thread entitled "Has anyone taken a flight with PCS?" I have to paste what I wrote there because I have been having major headaches lately.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I took a short flight recently and just thought I'd share how it went.

I was feeling pretty optimistic about the flight and had been reading lots of posts that say it is fine to fly.

But, I was kinda surprised at how nauseated I was and how much my headache increased.

For other headache connoisseur's out there, I got a major migrane headache, different than my usual constant daily headaches. It lasted untill a few hours after the flight.

The nausea was surprising to me, I was so happy that I didn't have anything in my stomach. I have never been sick on a plane before. And my nausea from my pcs has really improved so much. My sister said that I was gray the whole time. I literally had to close my eyes and just concentrate on breathing.

I had to take Zofran on the way back which made a HUGE difference. Please don't forget to bring an anti-nausea med with you.

I was a little claustrophobic, but it wasn't at all as bad as I imagined. I was so happy with that

And one more thing that I highly recommend is the Bose noise canceling headphones. I was hesitant to buy them because of the price, but they were a lifesaver. Honestly, they helped me so much. I was surprised at how loud the plane engines were to my sensitive ears.

Just walking through the crowds in the airport and at the security gates was overwhelming.

I know other people have a hard time with crowds and being over stimulated. If you do you should really try to get these. I think that I would have cried a couple of times without them. I kept them glued to my ears. Granted, they don't eliminate all noises, but for me they were priceless.

Best wishes
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I ended up returning them after the flight because of the cost. I remember thinking there is no way that I am ever going on a plane again for a long time... but repurchased them recently. I know it sounds terrible but I would recommend you buy them and if you can't afford to keep them take them back after your trip. I got mine from Best Buy.They are the Quietcomfort15 and around $300.Honestly I would have paid double the cost for them once I was on the plane.Speaking to the best buy salesperson, she said that literally buses of tourists get dropped off there and head straight for those headphones. I tried other pairs but there really was no comparison. Oh! and I used foam earplugs and the headphones over them for double protection!

Thanks for such a detailed trip report and I appreciate your updating it. I did see your original post and it was helpful to me. I don't eat alot anyway on planes and I'll just make sure to take some protein bars and my ginger candy which is great for nausea.

My local Sam's has some Bose headphones for $140 or so, so I am sure they are not the ones you are talking about. I don't have any MP3 player, so how would the headphones help me? Sorry to be so dense...they would just add another layer of noise protection? Wouldn't I just get a better set of earplugs?

I so appreciate everyone's help..thanks.

[Mark in Idaho]

The Bose active sound suppression head phones work even when you are not listening to MP#'s. They generate sounds that are 1/2 a wavelength off the original sounds. These two sounds combine to produce a flat wave form which is silence to the ear drum. If the $140 Bose head phone are not active noise reduction, then they are just high quality music head phones.

btw, When you fly, you may want to ask for a seat with lots of space in front of your eyes. I need to sit at a bulkhead. I need the additional visual room. The seat backs are just too close for my eyes to be able to relax. Once, the bulkhead was covered by pleated curtains. The pleats were just as bad as a close up seat back. I explain my problem as claustrophobia but it really is just visual over-stimulation.

Once I was stuck in the back of the plane. I had 30 rows of seat backs/tops if I looked forward. I had to travel with my eyes closed. I still needed the next whole day to recover. That was flying on America Worst (West) Airlines.

I can not fly on Southworst. They refuse to let me sit where I need to sit. This is a violation of the Air Carriers Access Act. Check out http://www.disabilitytravel.com/airl...arrier_act.htm Knowing your rights can be helpful. This applies to flights in the US and originating or ending in the US.