For Mommy...yep, sure enough! For about two weeks now my ears have been itching but they didn't hurt - just itched...so I didn't think too much about it. I do remember thinking once as I was trying to relieve the itch "maybe I should go to the doctor" but then I erased that thought with "for what - itchy ears?" Well, I probably should have gone to the doctor for itchy ears!
Saturday morning I woke up with a muffled blocked right ear. The pain was mild, so I just took some IBF and went about my way....reading that most ear infections are viral and end in 24-48 hours. By the end of the day I had either adjusted to the hearing loss or it had gotten better, so I went to bed with IBF and went straight to sleep.
However, in the night, I awoke with my left ear hurting. I was able to take some IBF and we made it through. But sitting in church, they started hurting pretty bad as the IBF had worn off. So I went looking...and found a lady in the nursery who had some IBF that I could take. Well, that got me through though I noticed that even with the medicine it still hurt...just not as sharply. Anyway, I forgot to take more medicine before going back to church that night and we had a special CCN broadcast we were viewing after the service...which I was in charge of!
It was about half way through and I was eating my sandwich and the pain started growing, and growing, and growing. I was in tears as we drove home and the pain was unbearable. We called the ER and they said to take some more IBF with Tylenol and wait 45 - 60 minutes. I think I made it like 56 minutes and the pain went from way off the charts to endurable...but there was no way I was going to be able to sleep...I even tried!
My cheek bone, all around the back of my ear, and even my jaw HURT! There was fire and PAIN in my right ear and it hurt to touch the little ball on the left! I had to lay on my back because it hurt to turn my head and lay on either side. Marion and I talked and talked...we both were trying to get me to the morning when I could go see the doctor, but I just could NOT endure the pain...even with 800 mg of IBF in me for an hour!
So, off I went to the ER! One good thing was that my blood pressure was good! :-) They actually called the Doctor in and it happened to be the new one - his wife is in my MOPS group and he is very nice! He remembered me immediately and was very sympathetic and kind. I felt aweful for getting him out so late! Anyway, he looked in my ear and I had to bit my tongue to not scream it hurt so bad. He didn't say anything after looking in the right ear but after he looked in the left and I couldn't help but groan he looked at me and said, "It was good that you came in, you have a severe infection in your canals and encompasing your ear drum. I can't say how severe it is in the middle ear, but we need to get you on medication immediately!"
So, now I am on steroid/antibotic ear drops, oral antibiotics, 800 mg of IBF every 8 hours, and Loritab every 6!
When I got home, I crawled into bed and told Marion my left ear was blocked now too and I can't hear! I don't think he truly believed me, but three times in the night the kids got up and I heard NOTHING! I only awoke because the bed shifted when Marion got out! (I guess there are some advantages with this after all ;-)
So...that was my exciting night...how was yours?
