Muffled hearing and sharp pain in left ear

[Hellbilly13]

Ive been sick for the last week or so, but this morning i was awoken around 5am with a sharp pain in my left ear.
The pain was bad enough to wake me from a dead sleep, and i then noticed that i could barely hear out of my left ear..
There is also a ringing that comes and goes, and anytime i yawn, belch or cough there is a sharp pain.
I can tell there is liquid deep in my ear, but regardless of the position i turn my head i cannot get it to drain.

Im currently without insurance and would like to avoid a costly trip to the doctors office if at all possible, so i was hoping to get some input from the users on this site.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[Hellbilly13]

Well at some point during the night the problem went from being only in my left ear, to being in both ears. and it actually seems to rotate from ear to ear.

[geminigirl1963]

it's quite possible you have an ear infection, but the sharp pain that you described, as well as teh ringing and loss of hearing afterward are what concern me more.  It's possible that your eardrum may have burst.

Even though you don't currently have insurance, I honestly believe this warrants a trip to see the doctor - you don't want to end up with permanent hearing loss.

Best of luck.