Under The Weather, Part II

(forwarning: a few icky bits)

Well, it turns out I was and am actually quite under the weather! After feeling bad the first part of the week (due to my period), I was expecting to feel fine yesterday. I did, for the most part -- a couple times I felt a little dizzy and sick to my stomach, which was weird, but I just dismissed it. I did my errands after work feeling a little low-energy and was contemplating just doing a walk instead of a run, like I was scheduled to. But once I got home, my ear started 'freaking out' as I put it -- it started hurting, feeling full, making noises (clicking and whining and popping) and I thought it was just doing it's *thing* (I have a funky ear), so I took a decongestant. Then something told me to lay down for awhile with a hot water bottle, which is unusual, usually I just go on with my life when my ear is misbehaving, but this time it just didn't feel right. So I lay down, and then I felt it draining and so put cotton in my ear. It's not terribly unusual for my ear to drain -- I have a permanent tube in the eardrum, that's what it's there for.

Anyway, long story short, my ear was bleeding and started to hurt really badly, so we called the doctor who (after telling me it was impossible to have a permanent tube in my eardrum... whatever!) called in an antibiotic to the pharmacy, suspecting an infection. Terri was a dear and went to get the script, as well as bread for toast, tapioca pudding and ginger ale (since my tummy is all queasy from the inner ear stuff). After being babied all evening, went to bed and to sleep early.

This morning I woke up and there was still more blood, so called the doctor first thing and got an appt. for 11:15. The very nice doctor took one look and was like, "Wow. There is definitely something going on." I asked her if my tube was still in place and she said, "Yes, there is blood actually dripping from it." Yuuuccckkkk!! I don't know where I expected it to come from, but for some reason that image was and is so yucky and made me feel about four years old. So she took a sample and set up a referral to an ear specialist. I'm supposed to see how I feel by Monday and if it's not all well, to go see the specialist. I think I'll see him regardless because I'm not supposed to be getting ear infections, with a permanent tube.

So... I feel like I'm about four years old, my ear is throbbing and feels awful, I'm a little queasy all the time from the weird middle-ear stuff, and I can't hear anything out of that ear right now. So I'm all tucked on the couch with hot tea, pudding, water, antibiotics, Advil, and a hot water bottle wrapped in a soft towel as my ear is now so sensitive.

This all happened so quickly, I can't quite believe it, but here I am, feeling yucky, with a terrific nurse. Talk about feeling four years old, she is going to walk to the video store and get me some old favorite movies. I don't feel like I can handle anything taxing at all, anything to do with my ear makes me feel so fragile and traumatized, I think I'm going to be a really big baby and ask for my favorite old children's movies, Sleeping Beauty if they have it, or possibly something Muppet oriented. I can't even form real sentences right now, did you check out that run-on just then?

With that, I'm back to the couch, books and cats and hot fluids of all sorts. More later, as I feel better!