Ears

I begin by saying the dates and ages are from my memory, so I reserve the right to be inaccurate. My grandpa, my father’s father, had ear problems in his twenties, and had his entire inner ear removed from one side, I think it was his left. So he was completely deaf in that ear. The grandpa I remember had chronic hearing loss and hearing aids you could hear buzzing when you hugged him. My dad got his hearing tested around age 45 and was told he had the hearing of a 70-year old. He has not accepted hearing aids yet. His poor hearing is a great source of upset for him. My mom has had chronic ear infections, and ongoing ear problems for at least the last fifteen years. I am proud of her for getting hearing aids, and she loves them and highly recommends them. Actually they are kind of cute.
So I usually don’t mess around with ears. For the last ten years or so, if I have any pain at all, I get right in to the doctor, and ninety-eight percent of the time they say, yes you have some inflammation, but no infection, thank-you for your co-pay and have a nice day. So I have been trying to be less of a hypochondriac with my ears.
I have noticed over the years that I can’t hear as well as I used to, so in July 2008I broke down and got a hearing test and a hearing specialist. They said, yes, you have hearing loss, probably genetic, enough of a loss that you qualify for a hearing aid with your insurance, would you like to see our multi-thousands-of-dollars choices? I said thanks for the info and I will get back to you. On one hand, knowledge is power but knowing this does what for me? I am able to tell people so when they whisper to me and I ask them to repeat themselves, I have a good reason for it. I have a good excuse for turning up the volume on the TV when the dialogue is too quiet, even though the music and the commercials are ridiculously loud. But that is another subject for another blog entry…
Back to my ears, over the Christmas holiday, we took a road trip to Utah, me, Tony, and our two puppies (full grown dogs, but we call them our puppies). I got the sick, maybe January 1st, during the trip, with my usual post nasal drip, sore throat, clogged ears, and a mild cough. I was mildly sick for what seemed like forever, but was likely less than a week.
In my letter to my missionary son, January 6th (I like to use different fonts in my letters to keep the letters exciting):
Monday night my right ear was itching, so I figured that I could scratch it with my pinky finger. I thought if I wasn’t using a q-tip, I should be okay. I was wrong.
It kept itching so I kept scratching. I don’t know if I have scraped the ear drum or what I have done but it really hurts now. The thing is, if I went to a doctor, they would just tell me I have hurt it and it needs to heal. I can still hear. If I broke the ear-drum it would have bled. So I am stuck with knowing I hurt myself and it is my own fault.
January 9th my letter said my ear is finally trying to equalize and is making popping noises. I haven’t really thought much about my ear for the last two weeks, except when I take the puppies for a walk. When the weather is chilly, I notice my ears are cold and the right one hurts a little. But when I get home and warm up, I forget about it. I can hear okay, so I have not really thought about it.
Now this morning, January 27th, I woke up with ear pain. As I sit here typing I am in pain. I broke down and called the doctor and have an appointment in an hour. I hope it is all in my head, thank-you for your co-pay, and have a nice day. I guess this post will need a follow-up, huh?