Blocked ear after a cold?

[icanthearyouriggtnow]

Has anyone had blocked ears after a cold and have any remedies at all? I've had this for a week now in my left ear. Feels like I'm underwater and I've tried nasal sprays and steaming but no luck so far! Spoke to the pharmacist and she said it could be congestion behind my ear (whatever that means) so ear drops won't help. Sometimes when I swallow it crackles a bit but in general it's just really uncomfortable.

It's making me feeling a bit sick so if anyone has any remedies, would love to hear them!

I had it once. I could barely hear. No tips, it took about 3 weeks but got better on its own.

Have you got an update at all?

I came down with what I think was the flu or Covid and was very poorly about 2.5 weeks a go. The flu sort of cleared and then it turned in to a sinus infection and even after a week of antibiotics I STILL have a chronically blocked ear. It’s actually making my anxiety so, so bad I’m waking in the night having horrific panic attacks because I’m terrified I’ll lose my hearing.

Have tried getting a doctors appointment today as I’d like to know if it’s infected or just a build up of wax (will pay any price any place to get it syringed asap if it is blocked) so I know what’s going on but they have no appointments. I am truly, truly miserable with it. I sound dramatic but it is genuinely ruining my whole life. It’s been 19 days now since I caught the original bug and I would say I’ve had a totally blocked ear for maybe a week or so. The last two days being the absolute worst it’s been, it feels like my ear is about to explode.

Many GPs will no longer carry out ear syringing but there are many private companies that will clear ear wax through micro suction. A quick Google should find one close by to you.

However I had blocked ears for months which I was told was ear wax by health professionals but it was only when I raised the question of a possibility of it being a blocked eustachian tube one recommended a simple treatment that cleared it within days. Check out Otovent.

Just to add, you do need to rule out the possibility of an infection.

Took my son to the doctors today managed to get him an appointment (seriously been so knocked about by this virus) and whilst there I asked if there was anything I could take to
unblock my own ears and she asked if anybody had checked inside them. When I said no she checked them herself thank god and yup she said there’s an infection so I’m on another course of antibiotics for 5 days. I pray they work quick because I’m utterly miserable with it now!

You may have this

patient.info/ears-nose-throat-mouth/earache-ear-pain/eustachian-tube-dysfunction

@icanthearyouriggtnow
Hi, im going through same thing right now, how long did it take for your hearing to come back?

@Kaylee19882024 I wrote back in July I think asking for an update as my one ear was horrendous, I couldn’t hear anything with it and I felt myself going insane. It took 3 weeks until my hearing was back. It didn’t happen in one gigantic pop it came back gradually over a weekend, I was so relieved.

@Lefmry hi I'm nearly at 2 weeks now, hopefully mine will be getting close to getting better too. Glad yours resolved for you :) it's definitely horrendous.
I find night time the worst, I just can't sleep scared to lay down as it blocks more.

I can sympathise, it's just happened to me - 3 weeks of absolute deafness. It was horrific, especially as I'm already deaf in the other ear and use a hearing aid. Otovent really worked for me - I never actually managed to blow the balloon up but trying to definitely helped.

@PinkPondQueen
Hi, did yours fully unblock after the 3 weeks? It's horrible I feel like I'm in a nite mare:(

I absolutely understand this. The night time was so bad for me, I’d wake and have huge panic attacks. I’d go and sit in the spare bedroom and rock back and fourth whilst crying in the middle of the night. I sound crazy but honestly it affected me so badly, my partner had to genuinely take time off work to look after the kids and to be honest, to look after me too. It was a really horrible 4/5 weeks in total after being so poorly and then the blocked ear causing such horrible anxiety. It’ll get better though, I promise. I didn’t think it would for me and I really believed I’d lost my hearing but like magic it was back and that awful time is now just a distant memory! x

i don’t know what to recommend but one thing I’d advise against is trying sinutab decongestant tabs which is what I did when I had the same thing after a fluey type virus. I felt some weird creaking and gurgling in my face and ears and after a day of this, I got the most dreadful earache I’ve ever had. I phoned for a GP appointment but by the time I got one my eardrum had burst. The relief was instant but that was not something I have taken again.

I hope it clears soon. As PPs say it could be you need antibiotics or checking to see if there’s a lot of wax

@Lefmry
No it doesn't sound crazy lol I can definitely relate to it all. I try to fall asleep and I just can't because of the fear of going completely deaf. Instead I'm exhausted. When I do fall into a nap I wake having a panic attack too, and shoot up and have to walk about to calm down again it's awful. But I just hope and pray that mine resolves too and that I will get past all this. My partner also has been doing everything pretty much while iv been in my own little depressive bubble x