Quote:
I did find that I could relieve some of the pain through a series of rather deliberate valsalva maneuvers.

Unless you have an occluding outer ear infection/blockage (ah, nostalgic memories of syringing nasty brown stuff out of geezer's ears!) the killer is eustachian back pressure on the descent. Not exactly a valsalva maneuver, I don't think, and probably not recommended by ENT folk, but I've always had good luck with pinching the old nose closed and creating valsalva-ish pressure untii I can hear the tubes squeak open. Good for 3-5000 feet, then repeat. Can hurt if tubes are a bit blocked, but results worth it. Why I've done it thousands of times and my hearing is 20/20.
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Jim


'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.