While everyone has experienced a runny nose, we don’t usually talk about other kinds of cold symptoms because they are less common. One kind of cold you don’t often hear about is the one that goes into one or both ears. This kind of cold can be more harmful than a common cold and should never be ignored.
What does it feel like when you get a cold in your ear?
It’s not abnormal to feel some congestion in your ears when you’re experiencing a common cold. After all, your sinuses and ears are connected. Normally, when you take a decongestant for sinus relief, this blockage will also be relieved.
But if you experience pain inside the ears, this is something you shouldn’t ever dismiss, even when you have a cold. The eardrum can become 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 exterior of the eardrum. Often, a slow leaking fluid accompanies this inflammation. Because it’s a slow leak, it’s most noticeable when you sleep on your side.
This is called conductive hearing loss and affects how well you hear in the short term. Regrettably, it can also cause the eardrum to burst, which leads to long-term hearing loss. As a result, more permanent damage happens to the hearing nerves from the inflammation, which is known as sensorineural hearing loss.
Waiting could cost you
Come in and see us if you’re dealing with any pain in your ears. It’s not uncommon for a primary care physician to wait until the cold goes away because they assume the ear pain will go away with it. Sometimes, a patient won’t even remember to mention any pain they may be feeling in their ear. But the infection has most likely gotten to the point where it’s causing harm to the ear if you’re experiencing pain. In order to prevent additional damage, the ear infection has to be promptly addressed.
Many individuals who develop ear pain during a cold, get over their cold only to notice that the ear pain lingers. Most people usually decide to consult a hearing specialist at this point. But at this point, a lot of damage has already been done. Irreversible hearing loss is frequently the outcome and that’s even more true with individuals who experience ear infections frequently.
Over time, hearing clarity is impacted by the small-scale scars and perforations of the eardrum which are left behind from ear infections. In a normal, healthy individual, the eardrum acts as a boundary between the middle ear and inner ear. If the eardrum gets perforated even once, then the infection that was formerly confined to the middle ear can now enter the inner ear, where it can harm the irreplaceable tiny nerve cells that you need to hear.
If you waited to get that ear infection treated, what should you do?
Don’t beat yourself up. A cold with pain in the ear can actually be a more serious cold than most individuals might think. If you are dealing with persistent hearing loss after a cold, it’s best to make an appointment with us sooner rather than later.
We can determine whether the hearing loss is temporary (conductive). If this is the situation, you might have a blockage in your ear that needs to be extracted by a professional. If the hearing loss is permanent (sensorineural), we can discuss options that will help you hear better, including new hearing technology.
If you’re having trouble hearing after a cold, make an appointment asap.