While everyone has dealt with a runny nose, we don’t often talk about other kinds of cold symptoms because they are less common. One kind of cold you don’t frequently hear about is the one that moves into one or more ears. This form of cold can be more risky than a common cold and shouldn’t ever be disregarded.
What does a cold in the ear feel like?
It’s not uncommon to feel some congestion in your ears when you’re experiencing a common cold. After all, your ears and sinuses are connected. This blockage is often relieved when you use a decongestant to relieve sinus symptoms.
But if you feel pain inside the ears, this is something you shouldn’t ever dismiss, even when you have a cold. The eardrum can be infected if the cold goes into the ears. And that will lead to inflammation. Inflammation is an immune reaction that causes fluid to collect on the outside of the eardrum. Frequently, a slow leaking fluid accompanies this inflammation. This leak is most apparent when you sleep on your side because the leak is so gradual.
This is called conductive hearing loss and affects how well you hear over the short term. But long term hearing loss can also take place if this inflammation forces the eardrum to burst. In turn, more permanent damage happens to the hearing nerves from the inflammation, which is called sensorineural hearing loss.
It could cost you if you wait
If you’re having ear pain, have your ears tested by us. Oftentimes, a primary doctor assumes that the ear symptoms will go away when the primary cold does. A patient might not even think to mention that they are experiencing actual ear pain. But the infection has most likely reached the point where it’s doing harm to the ear if you’re feeling pain. It’s paramount that the ear infection be addressed promptly to prevent more damage.
Many people who experience pain in their ear during a cold, get over their cold only to discover that the ear pain remains. This is usually when a person finally decides to go to a hearing specialist. But, a great deal of damage is normally done by this time. This damage often leads to an irreversible hearing loss, particularly if you are at risk of ear infections.
Each time you have an infection, eardrum perforations and scar tissue can happen which, over time, can affect hearing acuity. In a normal, healthy person, the eardrum acts as a buffer between the middle ear and inner ear. Ear infections that were once confined to the middle ear can go into the inner ear if the eardrum is lacerated even once. When the infection goes into the inner ear, it can irreversibly harm the nerve cells needed to hear.
If you waited to have that ear infection addressed, what should you do?
Don’t beat yourself up. Most people just think ear pain with a cold is normal when it really signals a much more significant cold infection. You should make an appointment for a hearing test as soon as possible if you are experiencing hearing loss after a cold.
We will identify if you’re coping with conductive, or temporary hearing loss. If this is the situation, you may have an obstruction in your ear that needs to be extracted by a professional. If the hearing loss is permanent (sensorineural), we can talk about solutions that will help you hear better, including new hearing technology.
If you’re having trouble hearing after a cold, make an appointment asap.
