4.01.2008

Ear Issues

"You have a cough? Go home tonight, eat a whole box of Ex-Lax - tomorrow you'll be afraid to cough." ~Pearl Williams

I love the above quote -- that's sort of how I feel about doctors and spending time and money in their offices. "A cough? I'll fix that myself!" "Sore throat? Ear problems? They'll go away!" I certainly have my own medical methods and procrastination is always my first choice.

You may [or may not] remember that I came home from our Disneyland trip s
ick -- terrible sore throat, plugged up ears and pinkeye. Mark followed with the addition of a hacking cough, then Natalie and the little guys joined us. Chris was the only one who missed out -- and I think it's because he went out of town as soon as we got home.

Anyhow -- what you may not know is that my right ear has never really cleared up, leaving me with hearing and balance issues. After a week or two, I talked with my doctor about it and she told me it could take quite a bit longer for that ear to drain [it was never infected, just full of fluid] and to be patient. But, she added that if it hadn't drained within a certain time frame, that I should go see an ENT specialist.

So I waited. And I waited. And I waited some more. I waited long past the time my doctor had suggested and finally yesterday Mark said "Why don't you call that ENT group and make an appointment?" I thought about it for a while and realized that I was so tired of not feeling normal [it's been a while -- we came home from the trip on Feb. 29]. So I made the appointment and saw the Dr. today.

He looked into my ear and was astounded because, according to him, it was full but not of fluid. It was not full of wax either, but rather skin cells that had sloughed off the inner part of the ear and formed a blockage. So he got out a little microscope, peered into it, grabbed the offender with his little forceps and pulled it out. Voila! [I was pretty amazed as I'd never heard of anything like this -- he said it's a little abnormal but not uncommon. Who knew?]

Once he could see, he told me that there still is fluid in both ears but not much -- and apparently I should expect that to be gone within another couple of weeks. But the bottom line is that I am hearing much better and the balance issues are gone. Just like that.

So I guess my belated doctor visit paid off. Wonder if I'll wait this long next time.

Probably. Some things never change.

19 comments:

Fantastic Five said...

i am so glad to hear that a dr. finally did something worth while. what a wonderful thing to hear again for you! congrats on that. that had to be frustrating.

Jori said...

Oh good! I am glad they took care of that. I think we are all slow to go to the doctor. I hope you feel better soon.:)

Jori said...

Oh and I like that ex-lax quote that cracked me up.

Emily said...

Sounds like this was one doctor's visit that wasn't a waste of time. It seems rare that you leave a doc office feeling satisfied, but I'm glad you did!! As my mom always says - these old bodies of ours sure are fun!! So glad to hear you are already feeling much better!

Mia said...

I always wait until Friday to go to the doctor, then I am scrambling to get one of the last appointments of the day. I am always worried that I will get worse over the weekend and end up having to go to the hospital. But usually I hear "get some rest and lots of fluids"! UGH!

Chris and Tara Mason said...

That's kind of gross, but interesting! I'm glad that you don't have vertigo.

Ashley said...

I'm sorry you had to go though that discomfort. I'm glad the doctor was able to correct the problem. I'm sure you'll be feeling back to normal really soon...what a relief!

Hayley said...

love the ex lax quote!!! its a favorite!

and i hear you on the love of doctors. i always come out of the doctor crying - either for whatever is wrong with me, or cause of the amount of money i just wasted!!! crap!

Unknown said...

mGrandma...there are no kids at home...take care of you FIRST for a change! I walk in the same shoes! I am so happy you found the answer, that is sometimes the most frustrating part! Enjoy hearing the little addition to the family much clearer now!

hoLLy said...

yea! i'm so happy you are improving jan. aubrey seems to be improving too. her hearing was getting so bad, the fluid wouldn't drain, and just this week i am finally seeing a change. she says she is hearing better now!hopefully it will stay that way!

Unknown said...

it's about dang time! hope it all gets back to normal quickly!

. . . . . . . . . said...

Wow...That's crazy! I'm glad you're feeling better...and that Uncle Mark "reminded" you to make that appointment. And I LOVED that exlax quote. Hilarious!

Natalie Scott said...

No kidding?! That's crazy, I've never heard of such a thing happening! I'm so glad you finally made the appointment and went. I know that's been the biggest pain for you...so glad it's better :)

Marilee said...

I think all of southern Alberta must be doing Moroni's Quest. I am really looking forward to it! I bet your sister will be glad when it is over.......she has the hard part.

Cammie said...

Very interesting. Something similar happened to me when I was in college. Only I could hear fine, I was just dizzy dizzy dizzy. It eventually cleared up, but it's amazing how much you need your ears!!

Mel said...

I'm so glad the dr. finally figured out what was wrong. How terrible!! Hope you do better soon.

Kristi said...

Hooray!! I am so glad you got your ear situation cleared up--that was no fun, I'm sure. Thank goodness for doctors!! :)

Emily John said...

Yay for doctors, and for you being able to hear!! At least we now know that doctors sometimes know what they are doing, usually specialists.

Hacking it up said...

I am so glad to hear that there are Dr.s out there that actually make some progress with patients!!! Hooray!!! Hope your ears are 100% soon!!!