janezapchef
Gold Member
- 1,102
So, I'm back from my trip to Colorado to see my brother get engaged. It was an awesomely fun sibs weekend with all of my sibs and all of his fiance's sibs.
A little learning experience for me and anyone else who wants to know though...(Just to warn you, it's a little long)
On my way out, the first leg of my trip was from Cleveland to Chicago. Since I borrowed "Marley & Me" from my soon to be sister-in-law when I went out in January, I thought I'd better finish it so I could return it to her this time. VERY STUPIDLY, I decided to do this in the air. SPOILER ALERT: So, if you don't know already, Marley & Me has a very sad ending. I'm up in the airplane bawling my eyes out and apparently making myself good and congested in the process. Mind you, I was feeling fine before this flight! I land in Chicago and can barely see straight from all the congestion in my sinuses. Then, right back up in a plane to Denver. Now, if I was going somewhere at sea level, this story might have ended there, but I wasn't. We went up to Fort Collins, which I believe is a bit higher than Denver, then back to Colorado Springs, which I know is higher, then into the mountains, which are A LOT higher. So, my congestion level was about the worst it's ever been! I joked all weekend that I had given myself a cold by reading a sad book in the air. And, all weekend, pretty much everyone involved thought I was crazy and getting them all sick! Two more flights later, my face felt like it was going to implode from the pressure and I could barely breathe or hear.
So, today, I couldn't stand it any longer and finally went to the doctor. Lo and behold, my theory was correct. My doctor said it was pretty stupid to read something that would make me cry up in an airplane. Here's the medical explanation... Your mucus gets thicker up in low pressure to begin with, and the pressure change also shrinks your nasal openings. When you cry, you make more of all of that lovely stuff, and with the smaller openings it can't drain as easily. Compound that with not drinking NEARLY enough water (once I landed and all weekend), drinking alcohol (again, the weekend, celebrations, etc.) and being at a high elevation (we went skiing and at times were over 12,000 feet), and I am completely STOPPED up there! He said he's surprised I don't feel like I'm drowning, and I really do! My dad said I'm lucky I didn't give myself altitude sickness in the process from the reduced oxygen.
Oh well, now I know! And, I have an explanation for why it happened and why my brain was a little foggy all weekend (lack of oxygen, not the alcohol)! Just thought I'd share, lest anyone think it would be a good idea to read something sad 40,000 feet up!
A little learning experience for me and anyone else who wants to know though...(Just to warn you, it's a little long)
On my way out, the first leg of my trip was from Cleveland to Chicago. Since I borrowed "Marley & Me" from my soon to be sister-in-law when I went out in January, I thought I'd better finish it so I could return it to her this time. VERY STUPIDLY, I decided to do this in the air. SPOILER ALERT: So, if you don't know already, Marley & Me has a very sad ending. I'm up in the airplane bawling my eyes out and apparently making myself good and congested in the process. Mind you, I was feeling fine before this flight! I land in Chicago and can barely see straight from all the congestion in my sinuses. Then, right back up in a plane to Denver. Now, if I was going somewhere at sea level, this story might have ended there, but I wasn't. We went up to Fort Collins, which I believe is a bit higher than Denver, then back to Colorado Springs, which I know is higher, then into the mountains, which are A LOT higher. So, my congestion level was about the worst it's ever been! I joked all weekend that I had given myself a cold by reading a sad book in the air. And, all weekend, pretty much everyone involved thought I was crazy and getting them all sick! Two more flights later, my face felt like it was going to implode from the pressure and I could barely breathe or hear.
So, today, I couldn't stand it any longer and finally went to the doctor. Lo and behold, my theory was correct. My doctor said it was pretty stupid to read something that would make me cry up in an airplane. Here's the medical explanation... Your mucus gets thicker up in low pressure to begin with, and the pressure change also shrinks your nasal openings. When you cry, you make more of all of that lovely stuff, and with the smaller openings it can't drain as easily. Compound that with not drinking NEARLY enough water (once I landed and all weekend), drinking alcohol (again, the weekend, celebrations, etc.) and being at a high elevation (we went skiing and at times were over 12,000 feet), and I am completely STOPPED up there! He said he's surprised I don't feel like I'm drowning, and I really do! My dad said I'm lucky I didn't give myself altitude sickness in the process from the reduced oxygen.
Oh well, now I know! And, I have an explanation for why it happened and why my brain was a little foggy all weekend (lack of oxygen, not the alcohol)! Just thought I'd share, lest anyone think it would be a good idea to read something sad 40,000 feet up!
