the Janus Look 3

Yesterday I had my appointment with the Ear Nose and Throat Department of our local hospital.  It had been arranged by the doctor in A and E when I had my first diagnosis of Bell's  Palsy.  As I had ear pain as part of the experience, it seemed like a natural follow on for treatment.

I have been slowly getting better over the 13 days since the problem ocurred, but slowly is very much the important word.  I have learned ways to cope with my eating and drinking problems. For instance, if I put my coffee cup so it corresponds to the paralysed part of my mouth, then the liquid doesn't run out again. But it is awkward and not very nice. I don't seem to be able to drink more than a sip at a time like that.

In preparation for my visit to the hospital, my elder daughter, who is a physiotherapist, tried to prepare me for the sorts of questions I would be asked.

Do you have pain?

Yes, sometimes.

Where?

Behind my ear and on my cheek

How bad is the pain?

Not much

Give it a number

1 or 2

thats insignificant

Well 3 or 4 then

And how often do you get the pain?

Off and on, most days

And describe this pain

It hurts

That is too vague

My cheek feels like I have had a bashing at the dentist

Does this happen every day?

no it started on about the 5th day but has been present off and on since then.

Anyway, having practiced, none of those questions were asked.  My other daughter and I sat on the softer lavender chairs in the not very busy Outpatients area.  After an hour, my name was called but a nurse stepped in and said I should have my hearing tested first. So she took me into a little room and looked at my ears. One was very full of wax. " You will have to have that removed by the consultant before you can have a hearing test, "she said. So back to the waiting roomfor another half hour or so, and when the doctor saw me, at least she mentioned my diagnosis but said that because ears are indicated with two different nerves in Bells Palsy, they needed to do a base line reading, so in the future they could see if my hearing was getting better or rose. She said my right ear (the affected side) was fine, but my left ear was chock a block with very hard wax and she would attempt to remove it.  so she got her vacuum cleaner and started chipping away. The pain was enormous - easily a 10. I stopped myself from screaming and then she took a break. She explained the pain was because the hairs in the ear are trapped in the wax, and in order to remove it, the hairs get pulled out too. She tried again, but after aabout 10 very bad pains, I asked her to stop.  So she said i should use olive oil in the ear and they would make me another appointment in a few weeks.  

So as you can see, I really have nothing much to write about. I could tell you that I mistakenly put the wrong sort of drops in my ear last night, but  I thought maybe I should keep that a secret.