Tuesday, Aug. 03, 2004
Wax, posted at 4:49 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Yesterday was a return to summertime normalcy for me, starting out with my usual workout. Afterwards, roommate Bill and I (the guy I went to Italy with last summer) went to see The Bourne Supremacy, which turned out to be decent. We lost a bad softball game afterwards, but enjoyed a night out to Looney's with the crew. He drove my car home, so that tells you I had a good time.I love going to the movies. Yesterday, I decided that I would try to catch a matinee every day this week. Today, it didn't happen, but tomorrow I'm going to try. I still really want to see The Village and The Manchurian Candidate.
Today, though, I'm in terrible pain. So remember the ear thing? That I haven't been able to hear out of my left ear since I swam laps on Friday? Well, I learned from the eye experience not to put off trips to the doctor when it comes to one of those five senses, so I went today. My diagnosis was gross, but I guess not unexpected - ear wax became dislodged when I went into the pool, crushed into the eardrum, and lodged itself there along with trapping a bit of water. Gross, gross, gross. After two unsuccessful attempts at ear irrigation at the regular doctor's office (along with me buying removal kits at home over the weekend and trying it there), he referred me to an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist.
There, he managed to put me in more pain than any other trip to a medical specialist has ever done, and that includes eyes getting sliced open and months of traction when I was in kindergarten. With old-fashioned looking intruments in his hand, he looked down at me, and said, "This might smart just a bit." He then proceeded to make me smart a lot. Ouch. He had to use a scooper and a tiny vaccuum, and my ear was bleeding by the time I left. I think I can hear, though I won't be able to tell for sure until after I can take the cotton ball, which I assume is bloodsoaked, out of there.
Well, at least it was nothing serious. No ruptured ear drums or sudden deafness. Just stupid earwax.