The Crappiness Continues!
In a nod to Dr. Crazy, I'm considering renaming this blog "The Chronicles of Crap". It just hasn't been a good few weeks...on Wednesday my grandmother passed away. She lived a long, full life and died peacefully in her sleep at home at the age of 93. Nevertheless, I'm sad that I wasn't able to see her one last time...we had planned to visit her right after Christmas and missed her by only a few weeks. My dad, who was planning to fly down to visit her today, missed her by a scant two days. Instead of holding her and chatting with her for one last time (she asked for him just before she passed), he is now helping to arrange her funeral.
I've spent the past 60 hours or so going insane, changing my travel plans to go home on Monday, scrambling to finish up my paper, making arrangements to distribute the final paper topic to my students, and preparing to discuss a paper for a conference tomorrow.
Oh, there's one more thing. I went deaf in one ear on Wednesday afternoon.
Apparently all that congestion from my bronchitis just couldn't fit into my nose so it filled one of the Eustachian tubes in my right ear. The Eustachian tubes are responsible for regulating air pressure in the ears by expanding and contracting to allow air in or out of the middle ear. When it fills with fluid, it stretches the eardrum so it can't vibrate. Hence, everything sounds muffled like my head is underwater. It's pretty bad. Swallowing, yawning, trying to blow my ear out while holding my nose and mouth all fail to do anything. I can't hear the direction of sounds. I have to ask people to repeat what they're saying. I can't hear traffic coming. Even the motorcycle posses on their growling Harleys sound faded. It sucks to have it right before a conference. Over dinner with conference participants in a crowded restaurant, I felt embarrassed to have to ask everyone to repeat everything. I now have a much greater appreciation for people with hearing impairments. It must be so frustrating to have people impatiently repeating things to you all the time...
The final straw is that I have to fly home on Monday morning. The nurse practitioner at the health center told me to take Sudafed and Afrin nasal spray. I've been doing so, but it hasn't done anything. Did you know that if you fly with clogged Eustachian tubes your eardrums can rupture and even cause permanent hearing damage because of the change in pressure? I don't know what to do. I can't even see an otolaryncologist because everywhere is closed for the weekend, so all I have are well-meaning but unhelpful nurse practitioners telling me to "think positive".
If I didn't need a hug on the last post, I definitely need one now. I'm so overwhelmed that I haven't even had time to cry over Grandma's death...
3 comments:
Just happened upon your blog. So sorry to hear about your Grandmother. My Gramma died at the age of 90 in 1996 and not a day goes by that I don't mention her, so I feel your lost. Blessings to you and your family during this time.
QuoPoe
Where did my post go???? :(
I'm so sorry about your grandmother and everything that's been going on. I can't offer anything that will make that better. But I can try to help with the ears.
They are called "ear candles" and they are the best thing that ever happened to sinus/head congestion. You can find them at most homeopathic stores, herbal stores, etc. Read the directions, and you'll need a friend to help-- but it's immediate relief... which sounds like something you could use.
Good luck.
Thank you for all the kind comments, everyone. I'm sorry I haven't responded but things have just been a little stressful and crazy around here. I ended up rescheduling my flight and will take my chances on Thursday. Kristiface, I'll see if I can make it to a homeopathic remedy store and try out the ear candles. Thanks for the suggestion! Sorry about the comments thing, but I started getting spammed left and right and so I've been moderating comments.
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