Drink Rum

So, I mentioned a bit ago that I got a sinus infection while in Las Vegas several weeks ago and when I flew back, my ears got jammed up and almost exploded when I landed.

I went to the ER then and the gave me antibiotics and sent me on my way. I was told to follow up with my primary careless physician in a week if it got worse.

Well it got worse. It's been getting worse steadily over the past few days.

This morning I had an appointment with an Ear/Nose/Throat doctor. I told him my story and he did a much more um... pokey exam on me. There is not a hole in my head that has not been explored today.

Long story short... because I'm tired and suddenly don't have interest in this at the moment.

My ear drums suffered angry trama when they very rapidly decompressed during the flight. My left ear drum is distended and stretched. It will go back. But it is extremely sensitive to anything right now. Right is also out of place but not as severe. I also appear to have scars all over my ear drums. (Not a rock, ER dr. Dimbulb) The good news is that the fluid that was in there a few weeks ago is gone. Yay. Also means no infection. Also yay. I thought.

Until he says something like, "I wish it just was an ear infection... that would be much easier to treat." Great. Leave it to me to make things complicated.

After poking and contorting... it was determined that I have somehow caused myself jaw trama on the left side. He summized that the ear pain was severe enough that my left jaw muscles were tensed for days on end trying to brace the ear from the inside and stop the ouch. He also thought I could have dislocated my jaw and relocated in my sleep.

So... the diagnosis is that I have beaten up ear drums (no treatment, just hang on), my eustachian tubes are still plugged (which caused all the ear drum crap in the first place), and I've got a very long worded term for what amounts to "oh crap my ear hurts let me tense up my jaw at the joint until it pops out" disorder (i know it ended with that).

So... he gave me a crazy steroid regime to take. I take some adrenal gland things that make my body produce cortisone to deal with the jaw. I have another wonderful steroid that I have to administer up my nose and into the sinuses. It's as fun as it sounds. That's designed to get the eustachian tubes open.

The theory is that if the tubes open, everything gets better. If they don't open, the air in my middle ear will continue to get thinner, continue to create a stronger vacuum against my ear drum until it ruptures. Or fluid shows up again and I get an anti-biotic resistant infection (thanks again for all those unneeded anti-biotics guys...)

Short term, he was candid that I shouldn't expect to see anything change. If by six/seven days from now nothing's changed... we start with something else.

Interestingly enough, the doctor actually endorsed my idea that I had at the airport of blowing out my own ear drums to stop the pain. Apparently it would have hurt like mad for a bit but then gotten all better in a few days.

Next time... I'm blowing out the ears. Actually... I still may if this keeps up.

Sheesh.