Heres what happens when an airplane cabin loses pressure, according to a passenger who survived it: Brain-searing pain

It was a severe case of cabin fever.A United Airlines passenger claimed that their flight experienced a loss of cabin pressure during a cross-country flight, causing them to suffer a severe headache and partial hearing loss, per a viral Reddit post.“This was terrifying and extremely painful as an experience,” the flyer declared while describing the “close call.”The passenger was reportedly flying from San Antonio to Chicago earlier this week, when, within seconds, they “went from feeling completely normal” to experiencing “brain-searing pain.”“It felt like my eyes were bulging and my eardrums were at the point of bursting,” recalled the Redditor, who quickly realized they weren’t the only one feeling cabin fever.When the flyer looked around the cabin, they saw “other passengers holding their heads and looking around in confusion,” per the post.Concerned over their sudden bout of cabin fever, the passenger flagged a flight attendant and pantomimed their predicament with their hands by pointing to their head.That’s when the crew member revealed that they didn’t have “cabin pressure.” To avoid the situation from spiraling, the captain made the decision to descend to a lower altitude, thereby negating the need for oxygen masks.They then diverted to George Bush Intercontinental Airport to change planes before continuing on to their final destination.While they managed to avoid disaster, the Reddit poster claimed that they are experiencing residual effects from the ill-fated flight, noting that their hearing still hasn’t “fully returned.”United has since offered the flyer 2,500 miles as compensation, but they deemed this insufficient considering the “absolutely horrible time” they had, as well as the lasting symptoms.The flyer should thank their lucky stars the outcome isn’t worse, given the potential catastrophic effects of depressurization.

Planes cruising above 10,000 feet need to pressurize the cabin so there’s enough o...