Help, stuck in Rhodes...

[OutofTyme]

Hi everyone, I need some advice. We were supposed to fly home on Tuesday night from our holiday but my daughter got an ear infection on Monday and the doctor said she's not fit to fly for 4 days. She's been taking augmentin since. We've now booked another flight for Saturday and we're staying in another hotel. I have to get the doctor out again tomorrow to get another fit for fly certificate but my daughter is still complaining of her ears hurting. I'm scared he's going to say she's not better enough to fly. We need to get home.

Any advice?

Bump

Ear infections can be dangerous to fly with. For your child health I think you just have to wait until the Doctor is happy she is fit to fly with no complications from the air pressure etc.

Hopefully your travel insurance is covering your costs?

It is but we need to get back home. My daughter is a lot better than she was on Monday when she was prescribed the antibiotics. It's very hot out here as it's reaching the peak of their summer and she wants to go home.

The doctor said she couldn't fly until Thursday night and our new flight is booked for Saturday night.

If the doctor says she not fit to fly then there's not a great deal you can do - other than get a boat.
It is hugely frustrating but hopefully your travel insurance will cover the extra costs

You can't fly with an ear infection - end of. It'll be painful beyond belief and could cause permanent damage. You could speak to your insurance providers to see if they would fund surface transport home (ferries / buses / trains) - it'll be a long trip but the only viable option if you can't fly.

Have you got travel
Insurance? I'd make a call to discuss it with them

Look at seat 61 website which explains how to get from Rhodes to the UK without flying. Will be long and possibly quite expensive though.

You can get the boat if the doctor says she cant fly.

I hope she feels better soon.

Stay inside in the air con areas. And stay until the Dr says it’s safe to fly.

Getting the boat will take weeks! I guess I'll just call the doctor again

Whoever it was who said it can cause permanent damage do you know where you got this info from? I found this on a health care website

'Ideally it is advisable NOT to fly if you have an ear infection, such as otitis media or otitis externa. However, if you (or your child) do have to fly, there is no evidence that you are likely to come to any serious harm. The pain you have in your ear may be worse and it may take longer to settle.'

Its up to you if you want to prolong your daughters pain or not. Personally I'd wait it out if necessary for a few more days and let her recover rather than deliberately make her suffer for however much longer if you do fly. Unless it's absolutely vital you go home of course

I've just asked her to describe her pain level (with one being nothing and 10 being the worst pain she's ever experienced) and she says it's currently 2. She was really very poorly on Monday and wasn't ready to fly on Tuesday.

I am a doctor,
I also have personal experience with flying with an ear infection (and flying with a child with an ear infection)

Realistically the ‘milder’ symptoms she will likely face are severe ear pain, vertigo, likely causing nausea and/or vomiting, and tinnitus.

The worse symptom will be if her eustation tubes are still severely clogged, the pressure change can rupture her ear drum, which can sometimes cause permanent damage.
It’s not a worse case scenario, I’ve seen it happen more than a few times.

My professional opinion, my opinion as a parent and my opinion as someone who has flown with an ear infection is don’t do it until she is almost fully recovered, I know it’s awful and inconvenient being stuck abroad but it’s not worth the risk.

As Dr above said. It can rupture your ear drum.

You will invalidate your insurance anyway won't you if you fly without a fit to fly letter from the Dr? Stay put.

I sat next to a child on a flight whose ear drum ruptured. She was beside herself with pain especially when the plane ascended.

I realise it is massively inconvenient for you, but you really need to put your child's health first.

Ferry to Athens this afternoon at 4 pm with double cabin arrive tomorrow morning. (£129) you and her.
Train from Athens To Thessaloniki. Then Munich-Paris. Paris Home. (About £400) all in.

Or Ferry across the Adriatic to Italy. (good service and very comfortable. ) and train Italy to Lille/Brussels - London (faster)..

It is a lovely adventure your DD will see Europe. You will get home faster and no risk of ear drum exploding..

I had to fly once with a work trip, only across the water to Ireland so 45 minute flight, god it was painful. Wouldn’t recommend it. Is it work you need to get back for?

*should add that was with a ear infection!

Just noticed the date, how did it go?

I love your post ivechangedmyusername full of fab, practical advice and so positive 😊

We're home. We decided to go on the flight and she was absolutely fine - no pain at all. We hadn't gone against doctors advice - on Monday the doctor had said you can't fly until Thursday at the earliest. And in the end it was Saturday night. By yesterday I felt that she was almost fully recovered because her appetite was back to normal and she said she no longer had any pain. What I didn't want to do was get the doctor out again at another €150 unless she did seem unwell.

Thanks for the suggestion of how to get home in an alternative way. I'm sure it would be fun for a lot of people but since she and I are both autistic it might have been a bit overloading for us.

Well I am glad your daughter is ok but €150 to gamble your daughter’s future hearing.
I suggest you never ever go abroad again until you can prioritise your daughter.