I've never been to an ENT specialist before, so i didn't really know what to expect. had no idea.
Starting about christmas break time i was having some weird "swimmer's ear" type stuff going on in my left ear. i didn't think anything too serious of it at all. i've had swimmers ear before. i mean, who hasn't? so while i was home in burley for a few days, i visited the family physician. i've now concluded after several attempts for family physicians to diagnose things that they really just do guesswork. trying to diagnose what's wrong with you, is like trying to kill a bull with a letter opener. or a nerf gun with needles on the tips. Good freaking luck. i went in there thinking he'd just do his little magic and swirl some wands and water around and drain my ear. nope. he said there was some infection or inflamation behind my ear drum, deep in the canal. so he game he some anti-inflammatory drugs and said it'd be gone after about a week. well, i figured it wouldn't hurt to also use some of those ear drops. and maybe some nasal spray. so i did. within a week the plugged, muffled sounding swimmers ear was gone. though i give all credit to the drops. that was that, i didn't think anything more of it.
This stuff was an instant relief!
Then about the middle of January comes around and i can feel something in my head, between my ear and my brain. there's been lots of pressure, and I gone done been had a headache ever since. Every single day, it's a headache. It's hard to focus and pay attention and do anything in school. so i figured after a month and a half of constant headaches, it's time to go see the ENT guy and figures this ish out.
Yesterday was the day. Again, let me remind you i've never been to one, and had no idea what to expect. i thought for sure there was something deep in my ears and only he'd be able to solve that problem. oh boy, after all was done, i felt like i survived the running of the bulls. and of course, all i had to defend myself was a nerf gun with needles on the tips.
I sit down in the chair and he looks directly in my nose. gets those vice grip things and holds it open. grabbed one of those long q-tip type things and shoves that straight back and starts wiggling it around. it didn't hurt at all, but it did toy with my sinuses like crazy causing a waterfall of tears to come gushing out my eyes. then he starts spraying some stuff up my nose and told me to sniff it hard to get all the way up. that stuff tasted horrible. he went back to the q-tip, wiggled some more, and then grabbed a new tool. it resembled almost too much what the dentist uses when he cleans the plaque off your teeth. one of those long metal hook things. he told me i had a "buildup the size of a buick" in there. i asked him if it was a lacrosse or a rendezvous. haha, good one, right? then he grabs that cavity cleaner thing, shoved that clear back (i swear he was touching my brain) and yanked on that "buick" and pulled it out. just as quickly as those tears came when he was tickling my sinus, now blood was gushing out of my nose. he grabbed a handful of kleenex and i just held them there. he said it'd go away in a few minutes. just a nose bleed. so there i sit, with my box of kleenex holding back the blood, while also still gushing tears from my eyes. i'm glad nobody came with me to this appointment, i'm sure that looked great.
So then i went to have my ears checked and make sure the passages aren't obstructed at all. they first plugged up my ears to check the circulation and who knows what else. everything was normal. then i sat in those cool sound-proof booths and the lady put some headphones on me, and gave me a buzzer. "Press the button every time you hear a beep." perfect. i like this game already. so one hand has the buzzer, the other hand is still trying to switch up the gross kleenex's for a new one. i was still struggling. the beeping ensues and my attention turns fully to it. i was loving this game. i felt like i was on jeopardy playing against Watson. the beeping noises i heard were the lightbulbs going off in my head signalling i knew the answer and had to hurry in and buzz so i could beat the computer. eventually the beeps got too high pitched, and those are the questions i missed. i still had the timing right, so i guessed on a few of those. overall, she said i did good. and that my hearing is just fine. i don't have any hearing deficiencies, despite what some people may say. i guess i'm just really good at practicing my selective hearing.
After i ultimately lost in "double jeopardy" in that soundproof booth, i went back to the specialist guy and he said they couldn't find anything wrong. there's nothing they could see that would cause these headaches, or this intense pressure and junk i can feel in my head. he suggested i go see a neurologist and get an MRI done so they can really see what's up. that's next on the agenda now. so i pretty much went through all of that treatment just to be told everything is normal, or so they can see, and that i gotta go see someone else. hmmm. lame. all i got out of it was a little bit of dehydration from tearing up so bad, and some slight dizziness from all the blood loss. not a good trade off. Now until i see a neurologist, i'ma go take a nap. maybe a few day nap. i've been so tuckered out constantly for the last month and a half. i don't know how many times i've got to bed before 11. or even 10 sometimes. that's how i know something isn't normal. but eventually i'll get right back on track. i'm just trying to enjoy this adventure as i go through it. and trust me, getting a Buick pulled out of your nose is definitely an adventure!
**sorry if this made anyone gag or get grossed out. just consider yourself lucky you weren't there watching**
