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. While you may generally consider colds as harmless, here’s why this ear-related cold symptom shouldn’t ever be disregarded.
What does it feel like when you have a cold in your ear?
It’s not abnormal to feel some blockage in your ears when you’re experiencing a common cold. After all, your ears and sinuses are connected. Usually, when you use a decongestant for sinus relief, this blockage will also be relieved.
But if you feel pain in the ears, this is something you should never ignore, even during a cold. The eardrum can become infected if the cold goes into the ears. And that will cause inflammation. Inflammation is an immune response that causes fluid to collect on the outside of the eardrum. So somebody with an inflamed eardrum may also experience a gradual leaking of fluid from the ear. Because it’s a gradual leak, it’s most noticeable when you sleep on your side.
This is called conductive hearing loss and impacts how well you hear in the short term. But long term hearing loss can also occur if this inflammation causes the eardrum to burst. As a result, more permanent damage occurs to the hearing nerves from the inflammation, which is called sensorineural hearing loss.
Waiting could cost you
If you’re experiencing ear pain, get your ears examined by us. It’s not unusual for a primary care physician to wait until the cold goes away because they assume the ear pain will clear up with it. Sometimes, a patient won’t even remember to mention any pain they may be feeling in their ear. But the infection has likely gotten to the point where it’s causing damage to the ear if you’re experiencing pain. It’s critical that the ear infection be addressed immediately to avoid further damage.
In many cases, ear pain will remain even after the cold clears. Most people typically make the decision to consult a hearing specialist at this point. But, a great deal of damage is usually done by this time. Permanent hearing loss is often the consequence and that’s even more true with individuals who experience ear infections regularly.
Over time, hearing acuity is impacted by the small-scale scars and perforations of the eardrum which are the consequence of ear infections. The eardrum is a barrier between your inner and middle ear when it’s healthy and functioning in a normal capacity. If the eardrum becomes perforated even once, then the infection that was previously restricted to the middle ear can now go into the inner ear, where it can harm the irreplaceable tiny nerve cells that you need to hear.
If you waited to have that ear infection addressed, what should you do?
Don’t be so hard on yourself. A cold with pain in the ear can actually be a more serious cold than most people might think. If you’re dealing with continued hearing loss after a cold, it’s best to make an appointment with us as soon as possible.
We will identify if you’re coping with conductive, or temporary hearing loss. If this is the case, you may have an obstruction in your ear that needs to be removed by a professional. If you have sensorineural, or irreversible hearing loss, there are treatment solutions, including new hearing technology, that we can help you with.
If you’re struggling to hear after a cold, make an appointment asap.
