# Covid Ear?



## pwhs (Oct 2, 2013)

About 2 weeks ago, I was playing the piano and suddenly the bass part sounded distorted as though there was a piece of metal on the piano or something against the sound-board. I spent the next few days removing things off the top of the piano rearranging furniture, tightening the screws on the lid and even looking inside the piano itself, but nothing helped. I asked my children and they couldn't hear the distortion so I thought I was going mad, then I figured there was something wrong with my left ear. Now I can only bear to play it with cotton wool stuffed in my left ear which isn't great for dynamics. I also play the clarinet but that sounds the same as usual. I haven't had the opportunity to play another piano elsewhere yet - the acoustics in our dining room are not that great anyway.

Anyway, I am currently having it investigated by an ENT specialist who has sent me for an MRI scan next week. I did recall that about two weeks before this happened, I had covid and after about four days I got up and went and played gently on the piano and it sounded muffled -which was not a surprise because the covid had made me very bunged up. About two days later I blew my nose and my left ear hurt a bit. Which makes me wonder - has covid done this? I will ask my ENT specialist when I next have an appointment. But has anyone else experienced anything like this?

If it doesn't go away then I may have to get an electronic piano.


----------



## Enthalpy (Apr 15, 2020)

Hi pwhs!

Covid damages blood vessels, so it can hamper about any organ, as well as any function of the brain. The effects and symptoms are hence extremely varied.

Software can help you observe the malfunction at no cost. Use a headset to distinguish the left from the right ear. Synthesizers can produce at will some frequency (for instance a signal generator) or some note (a software keyboard). This will tell you which ear is impaired for what notes.


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

That sucks pwhs. I've heard of so many strange side-effects of covid that your condition doesn't surprise me. Personally I've had tooth issues since covid but a few friends have complained about persistent problems with taste, eyesight and, more importantly in this case, the ears. My work colleague has long covid and he says that music and voices sound different in that everything is excessively bassy, now. Strangely he says that as the months go by its actually improving but his doctor has warned him that his hearing may be permanently affected.


----------



## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

pwhs said:


> I blew my nose and my left ear hurt a bit.


We're still discovering all the wondrous ways in which *COVID* affects people, both short and long term. The strangest is "brain fog" (yes, brain fog is a real thing), and altered senses. There's other things, like the loss of smell, which can affect your appetite enormously.

People who had severe illness with *COVID-19* might experience organ damage affecting the heart, kidneys, skin and brain. Inflammation and problems with the immune system can also happen. There's also fatigue, _severe_ fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, headache, muscle aches, dizziness, and even hallucinations.

BUT, while COVID may have contributed to your health woes, and caused congestion, it sounds like you damaged your ear by blowing your nose. You felt it right away.

Nose blowing causes changes in inner ear pressure . . . add the pressure from blowing your nose, and you _likely _caused damage. 

This is my _professional_ opinion (I used to be a practicing doctor, although EENT was not my specialty), but, of course, giving a diagnosis without a thorough exam, tests, complete symptomology rundown, and medical history is armchair doctoring.


----------

