There are other symptoms of a cold that are less prevalent than the widely recognized runny nose. One kind of cold you don’t often hear about is the one that moves into one or both ears. This form of cold can be more harmful than a common cold and shouldn’t ever be dismissed.
What does a cold in the ear feel like?
It’s not abnormal to feel some blockage in your ears when you’re experiencing a common cold. After all, your sinuses and ears are linked. This blockage is often relieved when you use a decongestant to relieve sinus symptoms.
But you should never dismiss pain in your ear, even when you have a cold. The eardrum can become infected if the cold moves into the ears. And that will lead to inflammation. Inflammation is an immune response that causes fluid to build up on the exterior of the eardrum. Often, a slow leaking fluid comes with this inflammation. Because it’s a gradual leak, it’s most pronounced when you sleep on your side.
This affects how well you hear over the short term, which is called conductive hearing loss. Sadly, it can also cause the eardrum to burst, which leads to long-term hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss, which is damage to the nerves of the ear, can then happen.
Waiting could cost you
Come in and see us if you’re experiencing any pain in your ears. It’s not uncommon for a primary care physician to wait until the cold is cleared up because they assume the ear pain will clear up with it. A patient might not even think to mention that they are feeling actual ear pain. But if you’re experiencing pain, the infection has advanced to a point where it is most likely doing damage to the ear. It’s critical that the ear infection be treated promptly to avoid further harm.
Many people who develop ear pain during a cold, get over their cold only to find that the ear pain lingers. Most people typically make the decision to see a hearing specialist at this point. But by this time, a lot of damage has already been done. This damage often causes permanent hearing loss, especially if you’re prone to ear infections.
Each time you have an infection, eardrum perforations and scar tissue can develop which, over time, can affect hearing clarity. In an average, healthy person, the eardrum serves as a buffer between the middle ear and inner ear. Ear infections that were once restricted to the middle ear can get into the inner ear if the eardrum is lacerated even once. When the infection goes into the inner ear, it can permanently damage the nerve cells needed to hear.
What should you do if you waited to deal with that ear infection?
Don’t beat yourself up. Most individuals just assume ear pain with a cold is normal when it really signals a much more significant cold infection. You should schedule an appointment for a hearing exam as soon as possible if you are experiencing hearing loss after a cold.
We can assess whether the hearing loss is short-term (conductive). You might need to have an obstruction professionally extracted if this is the situation. If you’re dealing with sensorineural, or permanent hearing loss, there are treatment options, including new hearing technology, that we can help you with.
Schedule an appointment right away if you’re having trouble hearing after a cold.