Thursday, July 10, 2008

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!!

10 comments:

Rebecca said...

Well my dear I had no idea what you have been through the past month. It puts my prego sickness to shame! Try to resist the Q-tips!! I'll be praying you keep healing!

Danika said...

Wow - your month makes my month of moving & unpacking sound like FUN! I'd call to see if you need anything, but you probably couldn't hear the phone ring (ha ha!). Email me if I can help. Actually we're leaving out of town tomorrow for week. Call Jinger instead - isn't this a job for the RS??? P.S. - we love Q-tips also. Though I really thought hard about whether I should be using them this morning after reading your experiences...

Abbey said...

Julia! Holy cow! That sounds truly awful and I'm so sorry! I can help you if you need anything!! Also, I am a daily Q-tipper and if I couldn't I would cry. I am also re-thinking using them though!

Anonymous said...

"Thank You" for having your hubby call me. It was very nice to be able to be there. I enjoyed the visit, even though I didn't enjoy seeing you in pain. Glad that you are feeling better. Keep us posted on your progress!

Love Always,

MOM

Anonymous said...

Do NOT give "IN" to the Q-TIP.... No Matter what.... Do NOT give "IN"!

Love,

MOM

Silva Family said...

OUCHIES!!!! Mom & I both feel for you :) Like everyone else said, we're glad you're feeling better. Take care ;)

Reggs said...

okay, this post is pure genius. First of all, I am SO sorry you had to go through this at ALL. IT sounds soooo miserable, and I'm sorry for it! I hope you have one of those great supportive husbands.

second of all, you have saved up percocet?? DUDE how did we not crack that out while we were hanging out at the pool? You're holding out on me! (j/k!!!)

third of all, I am wiping away tears from laughing so hard over the terms "EAR TAMPON". And also the imagery of you not being able to hear. Holding a phone yelling, "what? WHAT? I can't hear you sonny, speak up." Please tell me that at the ER your husband was trying out his sign language skills.

fourth of all, i had no idea of the love affair with the q tips. Hello, they are OBVIOUSLY made for cleaning your ears! If they aren't for your ears, what are they for? Swiffering your keyboard? I don't think so.

I'm sorry you're hurting! I hope your paper went great. It will be fun to re-read when you're off the drugs. :)

Momma J said...

It seems as though everyone has a q-tip fetish whether they want to admit it or not, mine just happens to be a little more obvious.

You should have seen my face when a lady came in to give me more morphine and as she left she turned on the TV so we'd have some entertainment. She said something (I couldn't hear her) and then DH shouted, "would you like to watch TV?" No problem, except for I can't hear it! Nothing more insulting than having to read the closed caption part because you HAVE to. Good luck trying to keep up to speed with the Dirty Jobs subtitles AND making note of what's happening, all the while hooked up to a morphine drip

Anonymous said...

Julia, it's me, the q tip speaking. I thought you loved me. We have had a long standing serious relationship for years and years now. Then suddenly you treat me as if I am a leper. You have ignored me and kept me stashed away in this dark drawer for several days now, never to see the light of day. I love your ears. I love getting twirled around in them, and making them squeaky clean for you. Yes, yes, I know that I also push all that crap back into your ear and against your ear drum that causes you terrible pain and infections, but lets look beyond that. We've been so close.....please.......PLEASE come back to me.
Love,
Q-tip

Meredith said...

Man, I love me some q-tips! I should own stock!