# Plugged ears/hearing loss from a common cold?



## freethinkingmom (Nov 21, 2001)

Hello,
We recently visited family in Chicago and caught a nasty cold. Tons of congestion and my ears popped and hurt when I blew my nose. It is a lingering cold and still 2 weeks later I'm blowing my nose, ugh! We rarely get sick so this has been a bummer.

My 3 year old dd caught it too. We drove back from Chicago to Colorado (mountains). My ears popped quite a bit on the ride, sometimes a bit painful and sometimes they took awhile to return to normal (couldn't hear very well for a few minutes).

My dd now asks quite a bit for us to repeat what we have said, turns up the radio and the TV and can't hear friends and family on the phone very well.

How could I treat this? Would an OTC cold medicine help clear it out (which I don't normally do, but would if it would help). I feel bad for her, this darn cold has taken long enough to go.

Edited to add that she has never complained of any sort of ear pain. She would tell us if something hurts too- she is smart like that and loves any chance of getting a band aid









I appreciate any help. Thanks!


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

I would try some decongestant. My grandson had an ear ache for a while and we gave him two doses of decongestant and it cleared up.

It's good that she isn't complaining of pain. He was and we gave him one dose of tylenol. I figured it was better than antibiotic and we didn't have to go to the doctor. Which we all hate.

I also hate to give allopathic meds, but we reserve them for a real need. Most of the time we use homeopathic meds first, but with the ear, that can be too painful and last too long.

I raise three kids and never used antibiotic on any of them. But once in a while we did use some over the counter allopathic meds.

Good Luck and hope she hears better soon.


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

I forgot to say, when you blow her nose, do it gently. Keep both nostrils open or the snot will blow into the eustation tubes and cause the fluids behind the ear to build up.

We usually avoid blowing the nose in the child. He does a lot of sniffing and sometimes blows it himself, but we never encourage him to blow hard.


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## spero (Apr 22, 2003)

I recently had a cold, and my left ear got plugged up...I would wake up with it totally clogged, and throughout the day it would get better; until last week, when it just wouldn't pop at all. It was driving me NUTS b/c I was pretty much deaf in that ear and I was having a lot of difficulty singing (I'm in a group) and talking on the phone.

Finally, it occurred to me that it might be earwax. I had that same ear flushed out several years ago, and the nurse said it was the largest single amount of wax she'd ever seen. She also mentioned that my ear canal is quite narrow. So last Monday I went in to have my ear irrigated. The nurse tried for 25 minutes, but the wax wouldn't budge







By this time the wax was creating a lot of pressure on my eardrum, I had a nasty headache, and I was ready to







She sent me home with some sweet oil to soften the wax, and told me to come back in on Thursday. It took another 15 minutes or so, but the nurse was finally able to extract THE BIGGEST FREAKIN' HUNK OF EARWAX I HAD EVER SEEN!







We just stared at it, kind of unable to believe that I could have THAT much.

No wonder I was practically deaf.







:


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## freethinkingmom (Nov 21, 2001)

Thanks for your responses.

What could I do to try to extract some wax? Ear candles or should I just try something from the drug store? I've done ear candles quite a bit for friends and family and would be extra careful with dd of course.

We rarely do any pain meds or otc, only when neccessary and that has been rare. She has never needed antibiotics thankfully.

What decongestant would you recommend?

skellbelle- ouch! So glad you're feeling better. Maybe dd has narrow canals too. How do you flush and extract earwax?

Thanks so much for all your help. She does know how to blow and does do it gently- with this cold, we sneezed so much that she didn't need to blow too much







The sneeze helped it all out!


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## chiromama (Dec 29, 2003)

Try finding a Chiropractor or Naturopath that does the "endonasal" technique. It's an uncomfortable but relatively painless technique where you go though the mouth to tug gently at the opening of the eustachian tube (ear tube) as it drains into the throat. Kids have especially "twisty" tubes, and they can get easily fluid filled.
Good luck!


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## spero (Apr 22, 2003)

Quote:

_Originally posted by freethinkingmom_
*skellbelle- ouch! So glad you're feeling better. Maybe dd has narrow canals too. How do you flush and extract earwax?*
I had mine done by a nurse at my GP's office. They use warm water and a plunger-type device. It isn't terribly comfortable, but it doesn't hurt at all. (You can try it with a bulb syringe at home, but I've never had great luck b/c the suction isn't enough for me.) You can use sweet oil (recommended by my doc) or mineral oil for a couple of days beforehand to soften the wax and make it easier to dislodge.


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