Why is my hearing suddenly muffled?

Possibly eustacion tube dysfunction-- try flonase or decongestants

the common cold, is a term usually reserved for common viral infections.. and while most upper-respiratory-tract-infections URTI are self-limiting conditions, they can put-down a person for 5 to 14 days.. the usual symptoms of URTI are sore throat, running nose, maybe some fever, cough and running nose.. however, URTI often involves the ear canals because they are all connected..


there is a group of doctors or a branch of Head-neck surgery called Otorhinolaryngologists or Otorhinolaryngology [ Oto (ear) + rhino (nose) + laryngo (throat) + logist (scientist) or logy (the science of) ].. however most medical communities refer to them as ENT doctors/surgeons and the department of ENT (ear nose and throat)..  this is important because an infection in that region could spread out from the throat to the nose through the nasopharynx opening, and from the throat to the ears through the Eustachian tubes/canals - which are small tubes that run between your middle ears and the upper throat.. an infection in the nose or throat could easily go the ears.. causing ear infections - Otitis media - which is again, within the ENT jurisdiction..


the good news is that.. if you are already being treated for pneumonia, the same treatment takes effect on the ear and the Eustachian tube.. not only your doctor is treating you for pneumonia, you are being treated elsewhere along the respiratory tract..


and again.. URTI is usually a self-limiting condition and sometimes doctors would only prescribe bed-rest and drinking plenty of fluids in those 5-14 days.. in some rare occasions, a doctor would prescribe anti-viral medications and/or antibiotics - this depends greatly on history and on physical examination findings.. for example, if you are caught in an area with active Bat Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic in mainland China.. if you live in the middle-east with active MERS epidemics few years back.. or if you live in the far east during the SARS epidemic..(you would be surprised to know that COVID-19, MERS, SARS and a number of viruses that normally cause the common cold or the common flu, are ALL coronaviruses.. the coronavirus family is a large group of viruses that ranges from the simple flu to the current Bat Coronavirus (COVID-19))


in very rare occasions, the viral infection can extend to the lungs, causing Atypical Pneumonia - when parts of your lungs is drowning on its own secretions (think of running nose happening right now inside your lungs).. also, in some rare scenarios, the common flu suppresses the immune system just enough for bacterial infections to come in and take hold over the throat.. and these bacterial infections can easily spread to the lungs causing bacterial pneumonia (or typical pneumonia)..


when the infection reaches the lungs, it is called pneumonia.. you can avoid hospital admission (because of the pneumonia) if you are able to drink fluids and eat meals at home; and if you have a good support of family and friends who are able to drive you to the emergency department of a hospital in the middle of the night, when and if you have difficulties in breathing, having chest pains, extreme high fever, extremely ill and/or unable to drink or eat meals..


the choice of what type of an antiviral medication used, depends on the type of viruses involved.. the choice of what type of an antibiotic used, also depends on what type of bacteria involved.. it all depends on the provisional diagnosis and on the results of cultures, blood investigations and immunological studies..

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all the best..