"Eh?!!!!"

So...this week I have mostly been deaf!

It all started last Sunday when my left ear was acting a bit strange as if someone had turned up the bass on it. So on Monday I went into town and got some eardrops to help clear out the wax. I put drops in both ears before bed on Monday but it made me feel a bit dizzy for awhile which wasn't very pleasant.

On Tuesday I added drops again in the morning and once more felt dizzy so decided I wasn't going to use them anymore.

I woke up Wednesday morning and couldn't hear anything. I couldn't hear the roosters crowing, nor the birds singing and had not even heard the flippin' possums, still climbing up the window frames trying, in vain, to get into the eaves. That could be seen as a silver lining I suppose, looking back, but at the time I was pretty alarmed. I was totally deaf. I got up and went downstairs and got two spoons out of the drawer and banged them together and could hardly hear the noise.

I googled 'sudden hearing loss' and Google said ' treat it as a medical emergency' so I drove straight to the hospital. It was strange driving in the car and not hearing the engine.

I was the only one waiting at Emergency and didn't have to wait too long to see a doctor. She checked my ears and said that basically they needed syringing. They did not do that procedure at the hospital and I was told I would need to see my GP. The doctor very kindly rang my GP to make an appointment but the only available appointment was over a week away. She booked me in but I said that I was going to try and see another doctor in the meantime. She gave me a prescription for some antibiotics in case there was some infection but she could not see clearly to know for certain. I was to keep adding the wax removing drops too even though they made me feel a bit dizzy.

I left the hospital and went into town to see if I could get an appointment at another surgery. I have had a flu jab and a skin check at another surgery as an employee of the local council so tried there and got an appointment for later that day at 4.00pm.

I went back into town for the appointment in the afternoon. The doctor again looked in my ears and said that, yes, they needed syringing. I was to keep adding the antibiotic drops and the wax removal drops and make an appointment for Friday.

Adding the drops over the next few days was easier as they no longer made me feel dizzy. The hearing in my left ear came and went but my right ear stayed completely blocked.

I was back at the doctors on Friday to get my ears syringed. I was a bit nervous about it wondering if it would be uncomfortable or even hurt. I had to lie down and the doctor was putting something in my ear. I could feel his hand was shaking and began to wonder if he had ever done this procedure before. I was expecting him to put liquid in my ear and syringe it out but in fact he used some kind of suction device, like a mini hoover, to suck the wax out. My left ear had improved with the drops but I could hear bits flying out of my ear canal into the suction device. It was my right ear that I was most worried about though. He moved the equipment over to my right ear and set about hoovering that out. I didn't notice anything until he switched the machine off and was delighted to find that I could hear again with my right ear.

Both ears were a little tender afterwards but I was relieved to be hearing again. A few days later and my right ear, though much better, does still not feel fully clear but I have the other appointment with my doctor later this week.