Ah, yeah, it hurt like bloody hell, didn't it.
This happened to me, also with a bad cold, when I flew back from Heathrow to Aberdeen one cold January day in 96.
Pain, pain and more pain, and blood out of my right ear.
Anyways, it healed up and there seems to be no damage. I've passed a hearing test since then, so chalk one up to the resilience of the human bod.
. .Pardon? What was that you said ?