What Did You Say?

So when I get sick, I really get sick. I don't just get the sniffles for a few days. Anyone remember the World's Longest Cold? How about my souvenir from the Mud Run?

I mentioned that I was in Tampa not too long ago for work. It was a great meeting but by the last day, I was really run down and my throat was getting scratchy. I flew from Tampa to Nashville and then Nashville on home to the C-bus. I spend much of the flight to Nashville sweating profusely and trying to do anything to keep from crying on the airplane. With about 30 minutes left in the flight, I thought my eardrums were about to explode. Only once before have I had so much trouble with my ears on a flight but I was recovering from a head cold that time so it was a little expected. I didn't quite have a full blown cold when I got on the plane but by the time I landed back in Columbus, it was definitely a cold.

Anyways, I thought I was dying. It was some of the worst pain I've ever felt. I couldn't hear anything out of my left ear and my right ear was throbbing also. When I landed in Nashville, I called The Pilot thinking there was some magic pilot trick he knew. No such luck. Gum, swallowing, nose blowing, drinking....none of if worked. My ears wouldn't pop and it was excruciating. I was so close to just staying in Nashville. I didn't want to get back on that plane.

The ears didn't get much better until the next morning. I definitely had a cold but the pain in the ears eased up a little. The Pilot and I had a busy weekend so there was no rest of the weary. We took our "mini-moon" (I'll post about that later) and then had a family reunion to attend. By Sunday night, I was starting to feel worse and my ears started to hurt really bad again.

A trip to the doctor on Monday morning revealed that I did indeed perforate my right eardrum. And the left ear was infected. Boo. Antibiotics and some rest and I felt a little better....temporarily.

After some failed attempts to speak to someone with some medical training at the doctor's office on Friday and Saturday because it felt like my ears were getting worse, I spent the weekend feeling kinda crappy and exhausted. Again, no rest for the weary. The Columbus Marathon was on Sunday and I had to coach (post on that coming soon).

It turns out coaching and running around Columbus for about 21 miles was not what I needed. It was back to the doctors office for me on Monday morning. Even though it certainly doesn't feel like it, my right eardrum is healing well and the infection in my left ear is gone. So why am I still in so much pain? A sinus infection. More antibiotics and instructions to rest. I think maybe I should listen this time.

I realize that this is a graphically challenged blog post but when I googled "perforated eardrum", I about gagged at the images that came up. Ick.