This happened to me once on an airline flight years ago, and was accompanied
by a splitting sinus headache.

I am familiar with the headache, but not the numbness. When I flew to
Saigon in 1964, the Pan Am jetliners followed a policy of positioning
themselves over Tan Son Nhut airport at 30,000 feet, then descending
in a tight, fast spiral so as not to be hit by small-arms fire. I
thought I was dying of a stroke until I saw that my seatmate's face
was streaming with tears. I don'tr recall a worse or more frightening
pain.

all the best -- Dan Ford
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