Madness

So the past few weeks were busy to say the least. Lucky for me, I have a mother who is awesome and is willing to help any opportunity she gets. I love you Mom!

6/27- Wake up in pain. Both ears hurt but I've got homework to get done. Start homework, then get a phone call that my sister is coming to stay with us the following Friday. Later find out that they won't be coming after all. Emailed my rough draft for peer review and got time to relax and holy crap my ears are really hurting now.

During the night I wake up in excruciating ear pain and start taking some leftover Percacet from the C-section. It wears of quickly so I alternate between that and lots of Ibuprofen every time I wake up (every 2 hours just like clockwork)

6/28- Wake up @ 5:30a in complete misery. My ears are totally infected and have become very swollen. I can't seem to break my 102 temp and become very nauseous. Go to urgent care, get prescribed antibiotics and Vicodin as I'm almost out of Percacet. To add to the joy, the nausea takes over and I start throwing up. (it was fabulous considering I had only ate some bread and crackers for the prior 24 hours). Life must carry on for at least another day as my final draft English paper is due by midnight and I still have until Wednesday until the class is over.

6/29- Still running a fever. Call urgent care and am told to either come in for a shot (that may not be effective) or go to the ER. By this time, my ears are completely swollen shut! I love my life. My fabulous husband and TB (the guys initials, no, doesn't stand for tuberculous) give me a blessing in hopes we can avoid an ER visit.

By this time, I can't hear a darn thing which I would normally sign up for but I can't enjoy it as the pain is miserable. We go to the ER and they run through all the questions (of which the husband has to answer for me because I can't hear) and then take a look at my ears. The dr. took a look and said, "wow, impressive!" and ordered a CT scan. Meanwhile, I'm put on strong IV antibiotics as well as a morphine drip. CT scan results: (in non-medical terms) double ear infections with scar tissue indicating I've had chronic ear infections. (Really? That's news to me! jk I've had ear problems my whole life, it's just something I've learned to embrace. I get one AT LEAST every other month but I don't let it get in my way because quite frankly, I don't have the time to sit around to dwell on it. This one was way beyond my "don't think about it" superwoman powers.) Referred to ENT in addition to adding to my list of meds.

I call my mom husband calls my Mom to see if see can come help on her way to Texas. She books her flight and is coming the following day.

FYI, I'm extremely OCD about cleaning my ears regularly. I clean them at least 2x a day, if not more. I can't stand stuff being in my ears. I love Q-tips and hate ear drops!

6/30- Go to ENT. The front office staff (consisting of girls, 99% of them who have bleach-blondes [not a hater, I too once had the same super blonde hair] with boobs double the size of my beyond engorged working boobs, a waist size of our 5 year old, and weighs perhaps a little more than our baby) are really dumb but they're "cute" so what more can I expect? Just please make sure that you tell them your name twice, spelling it the third time around. Get ear wicks crammed into my ears... bluntly put, they are the equivalent to having ear tampons... to force them open so that the ear drops can go in and all the infection can drip out. Love it! Prescribed 2 more prescriptions.

Instructed to never use Q-tips again. Are you kidding me? I can't have Q-tips but I have to continue my ear drops. Talk about torture! For all of you fellow Q-tip fanatics, apparently you're not supposed to use them in the first place. The "proper" way to clean your ears is to, after taking a shower, put a tissue on your pinky finger and wipe whatever is right at the ear opening. What kind of nonsense is that? Luckily, I'm not much of a proper person but we'll see how long I can try to act as though I am. :)

My Mom flies in and takes care of me and the boys while Daddy goes back to work. I'm pretty much useless by now so my Mom quickly takes on all the responsibilities around the house.

7/2- Big course portfolio, 3 different assignments, due for English. I tried my hardest to have them at least appear like the same person who wrote all the other papers completed the portfolio. There's only so much you can do while on heavy painkillers for 5 days straight. Luckily I almost had 100% in the class so even if I did horrible on the final, I should still probably get an A.

7/3- My Mom leaves for Texas. :( Another ENT visit, looks like things are improving and I won't have to be admitted to the hospital. Hooray! I didn't have time for that anyways. I can hear out of one ear, but the other is still closed. Have to come back Tuesday to get my ears vacuumed out.

7/4- 4th of July. Still out of it and start getting headaches. In case you're wondering, this still sucks.

7/7- First day of Summer 2 term.

7/8- 3rd ENT visit. N went with me and very loudly kept asking me, "Mom, when are they going to start hurrying up and call your name already? It really stinks in here so I think they should open the door and call your name so we can go into a different room." (Thanks for that insight son!) They hired a new girl, who (I'm sure by pure coincidence) looks identical to the other girls, but turns out to be even dumber. People, do not work in a medical office if you have do not have any medical background knowledge! The patient shouldn't have to explain medical terms to you so you can understand what you're writing in their chart.

Specialist findings: "all the gunk from the infection has settled right against my ear drum, making it impossible to vacuum out at this time. I'll prescribe you some new ear drops you'll use 2x a day for two weeks. Come back then and we'll see if we can do it then. Remember, no q-tips!"

My thoughts: ok, you can take away my q-tips, but you can't then give me ear drops. It's either yes q-tips and yes ear drops, or no q-tips and no ear drops. You can't co-mingle the two!

The ENT specialist read my thoughts and reiterated the instructions. What a stink butt, no wonder he's not married! lol

7/10- Still not 100% better but I'm working on it. One ear feels like an infection may be coming back but I can't tell if it's an infection or my superwoman weather barometer readings of the pressure changes that are happening all this week. (My ears can predict whenever there are pressure changes in the air. It's just another hidden talent I've been blessed with as a result to my chronic ear infections while growing up.)

Until my 2 week follow-up of a follow-up appointment, I'm left with the following feeling:

You have NO idea!!