I recently had COVID with pretty significant congestion. I did a sinus rinse one night, but barely anything came out of my nostrils. I didn’t have ear pain at the time, but the next morning I woke up with excruciating pain in my right ear.
That day it progressed to intense pressure, muffled hearing, and a weird echoing sensation.
By the following morning, the pain/pressure improved a bit, but then I developed clear/yellow drainage from the ear and my hearing dropped off more significantly.
I went to urgent care and the doctor said I had a fluid bubble and a small eardrum perforation. They didn’t prescribe antibiotics since they suspected a viral cause, but told me to watch for signs of bacterial infection.
Where I’m at now - day 7 since pain started (day 6 post-rupture). Pain is better, drainage has stopped. BUT, I still feel very off balance (not vertigo/spinning but definitely off), intense ringing in the ear, fullness/blocked sensation, and pretty significant hearing loss.
My questions are... how long does it take for hearing to come back (or to see improvements)? How about fullness/ringing? When should I expect to feel normal again? Is it odd that my doc didn't prescribe even ear drop antibiotics?