wartery blood in ear

[1240kath]

my nephew lives in Spain and comes over here often and this time ,he had a cold that started the day before he left and on the plane his ears were really painful.After he got home to his familys house one of his ears felt as if he had water in it and he put his handkerchief (cotton) in and dabbed it and took it out and it had this watery blood on it .he showed me it and it was quiet a lot i told him he must see a doctor but being a man he has just left it,has anyone had this problem through flying,thank you for reading this.

[RATTER15]

I aint no GP. but that sounds like a perforated ear drum.

[welshlibranr]

Think he probably had an ear infection before he left SpaIn, and then the pressure in the cabin of the plane made things worse, he should see a doctor!..

[welshlibranr]

Agree with RATTER, sounds as though the ear drum is perforated as a result!.....he should see a doctor!..........

[BAKERS DOZEN]

Happened to me a couple of months ago. Ear was sticky and gooey for two or three days. Doctor gave me antibiotics and told me not to get water in my ear so plugged it when I had a shower. She said it would be OK in 6-8 weeks and she was right.

[1240kath]

thanks all ,do you know i never thought of that i've asked him to see a doctor or to go to a walk in centre,but he isn't registered with a doctor here ,do you think it's really importent that he does, this happened midnight saturday.

[Buenchico]

Most people will suffer from a perforated ear drum several times during their life but most will not even notice it. (It's usually self-healing).

The NHS website (relating to a perforated ear drum) says "Sudden changes in air pressure, such as when changing altitude in an aircraft, often cause pain in the ear. Occasionally, sudden pressure changes can cause your eardrum to become perforated"

It goes on to say:
"See your GP if you experience pain or discomfort in your ear for more than a couple of days".
(So it's not exactly an emergency, and probably not even worth bothering about if there's no pain or discomfort).

For further information, click through 'Symptoms', 'Causes', 'Diagnosis', etc, here:
http://www.nhs.uk/Con...ges/Introduction.aspx

Chris

[welshlibranr]

he can see a doctor at the local surgery as a guest patient!......not a problem!..................

[Sqad]

I agree with all the above posters.........no big deal as it will probably heal without antibiotic drops. No need to see the Dr it will settle within a couple of days.

[Sqad]

just one further point, tell your nephew not to blow his nose hard for the next week.

[237SJ]

Is he still here? If it was me I would go to a doctor to find out whether it was OK to fly back with a perforated eardrum.

[Sqad]

237....if it was perforated it would be an advantage as he would have no problems equating air pressures.:-)

[Hettster]

I would be very cautious when seeking any medical opinions. I believe that a physical, (one to one) examination is always best with an appropriately qualified practitioner . . . . but hey what do I know . . . sorry if this reads like I am advising you or judging you,I don't mean to . . . . . I am just trying to explain what I think.

[237SJ]

Yes sqad, but if it has started to heal and he flies, it will go again when it gets differential pressure on it.

[Sqad]

237....so...what can anybody do about it?

[237SJ]

Well, the answer would be that he`s not fit to fly.

[Sqad]

237 mmmmm!

[237SJ]

Put it this way. If I burst my eardrum I`d be grounded for about three weeks. It`s quite unusual to burst an eardrum on an aircraft (ususally on descent) and not know about it. Because the eardrum is usually bulging outwards it can go with a bang. Lot`s of pain then the pain goes suddenly. I saw a passenger disembarking at LHR a couple of months ago. She was all smiles etc and it`s only as she got past me I saw the blood coming out of her ear and trickling down her neck! I`m amazed the person sitting next to her hadn`t spotted it. Anyway, if I was the person mentioned in the question, I would definitely be going to the docs the say before I travel to see how it`s healing.

[237SJ]

I meant *day* before.

[Sqad]

237...OK

[237SJ]

By the way, on descent, the eardrum is bulging inwards, not outwards. Did you spot my deliberate mistake? I`m off now as I have an appointment with the Bluebell Railway in Sussex. No risk of burst eardrums there - just lots of hay fever.
Have a good day :-)