Cover your ears when it gets really cold!
By Marie Coyle
@MarieCoyle (65012)
November 12, 2026 12:25pm CST
I don't have time to be sick!
Years ago, when I lived in Montana, I had to shovel our sidewalk out in extremely cold weather, very windy--absolutely bitter cold. I had never had ear problems in my life, ever. I had on a winter hat, and a scarf, but evidently that was not enough to protect my ears in that type of cold. Two days later, I was in absolutely excruciating pain in my right ear. Raging fever, could hardly move. Went to the ER, and my ear was a mess....the doctor slapped me in the hospital and eventually it cleared. He said I had basically blew my ear out, and I would need to be careful. When the infection was declared to be completely over, I had surgery on my ear to repair the damage. Never, ever had another issue with it.
Until about 3 years ago. It started to get pretty sensitive to cold and wind again. I was monitored by an ENT, and kept any problems at bay. Off I went with a prescription and all was well, if I needed it. Two days ago (hey, it's not even very cold outside!) it started in again, with an off and on fever, etc. Last night it got really painful and I landed in the ER. I was given IV antibiotics, etc. and today, I feel a lot better. I will take antibiotics for some days now. You can be sure that if I have to go outside in that cold wind, I will be kind to my ear(s).
Today, no fever, no pain. I am happy I went when I did to avoid any big problems!
8 people like this
7 responses
@FourWalls (90421)
• United States
5h
I’m generally not a hoodie fan but I have a lot of them just so I have protection for my ears, “just in case.”
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (65012)
•
4h
Like you, I would prefer not to need the hood part of the hoodie, but here I am, living the ear nightmare! My own fault.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109514)
• Los Angeles, California
3h
Your souvenir Homer & Jethro hoodie?
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (102326)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
1h
Glad you are all right. I have never been able to go out in very cold weather without a hat that also covers my ears,
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (65012)
•
56m
I am glad I went before it got worse. Yes, I plan on being more careful about this in the future. I hate going to the ER.
@snowy22315 (214997)
• United States
5h
Wow, I never heard of anything like that. A former friend of mine spent some of this formative years in North Dakota. He used to have fairly frequent nightmares about being cold.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (65012)
•
4h
I had never had any ear problems at all until then. It was my own fault for staying outside for so long when it was below zero and horribly cold and windy!
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (142617)
• Marion, Ohio
1h
Glad it's a lot better today. I always go by how long I need to be outside.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (65012)
•
54m
You spend more time outside than I do. I would be outside more but need to take care of son and such so outside is somewhat limited.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (129176)
• Gainesville, Florida
2h
Wow, I never knew a person could blow their ears out from cold and wind! I hope you are very, very careful from now on about protecting your ears!
I've been to two concerts in the last two days, and my daughter bought me these really cool ear plugs to wear. They're clear, so you can't even see them when they are in your ear, and somehow, they allow you to still hear conversations, but protect you from loud decibels. I joked that I've been to hundreds of concerts in my lifetime and never once wore ear protection, but I promised her I would wear them. I couldn't even tell I had them in, the sound of the concerts weren't muffled at all, but my ears were not ringing afterward like they always did in the past when I went to a concert.
I guess now that we're getting older we must do everything we can to protect what's left of our hearing! lol
@JohnRoberts (109514)
• Los Angeles, California
3h
Extremely cold like you experience is nothing we ever have to deal with here.
