Skip to main content

Can You Hear Me Now?


Two years ago I contracted a cold.  Yeah even in Florida people get colds.  It was like most of my colds.  Preliminary scratchy throat, runny nose and constantly blowing until my nose gets painful even to the touch of Puffs.  Nothing new.  Had 'em many times before.  And when my ear or ears would clog up after a month or so they'd clear up with a pop and life goes on.  Except two years ago, my right ear didn't clear.  It stayed clogged.  Two years.  That's not to say there aren't some advantages, but really, it was annoying and ultimately I decided I didn't want to watch TV with the sound cranked.  I tired of walking or seating to people's right so my one good ear would hear maybe most of the conversation.  Simply, after a while you get used to it.  It is just something else that you overcome as best you can. I had even started using the 'hearing impaired' subtitles on movies.  Occasionally you nod yes when you haven't quite got what someone has said, most often that works, but once in a while they say, "What?" as if shocked you would agree to what they just said.  



So I decided to see an Otolaryngologist.  On Tuesday, February 21st I met with a Dr. Timothy Dunleavy of St. Petersburg from the Palms of Pasadena Hospital complex.  The receptionist behind the semi-glassed cage area mumbled something and I said, "What."  She said I needed a photo ID, and I said, "Guess you know what I'm here for."  They gave me an audio test and although scolded a couple times to ONLY push the clicker when I heard a pulsating noise, I guess they found what they needed.  Well, as luck would have it, I was hearing from my bad ear and my good ear was blocked.



What I assumed was a my good one, was my bad one.  Dr. Dunleavy said that at some point I had had an infection and that it had a perforation and had been stretched over some ear goodness.  He said it'll never get better but he'd make sure it wouldn't get worse.  As for my bad right ear, amazingly, even after a two year period of if being filled with cold gunk, glue ear he called it, was in good shape.  He removed the gunk, that's a medical term, and put in a tube much like babies get.  It is a 1 1/2 year tube so I should be good to go for a while.  I heard my new bike for the first time heading home that day, and other things as well.  All I can say is, take care of yourselves.  I was certain I'd be fitted for a hearing aid and came home pretty gosh darn giddy.  I dodged that Boomer bullet and decided to be a bit more proactive with things.  Error on the side of safety, and good health.   Man, that fridge sure runs loud, and the noise on the Interstate when I'm on my bike sure seem louder, and all those fraction' birds outside, when did they show up?  Take care of yourself, and do not go gentle into that good night.  Don't give up a thing.  Got that?  Now go call your Doc to make an appointment to get whatever that little nagging thing is fixed. 

Lecture over, class dismissed.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Friday

Class, Or Lack Thereof The Dwight Vice gravestone in Oquawka, Illinois. I bring this old chestnut out every so often just to remind me that class is classless.  Dwight Vice was killed in his home near Oquawka in 2001.  It was one of those things that can generate crime:  two guys thought Dwight had a lot of money stashed at home because of his pot-selling sideline to supplement his fishing job.   Not really one of those big drug deals gone-bad things.  Marijuana was, according to the trial, about the only stuff Dwight sold.   But these two guys barge into the house and killed Dwight and attempted to kill his 11 year old kid, Darryl, before they took off with what money they could find.   His son, now 23, was stabbed in the back and left for dead.  He survived and is wheelchair bound and has undergone several surgeries to repair his wounds.  He will be paralyzed for life.   None of this is pleasant.  Reading the f...
Post a Comment
Read more

Florida Air Museum - Part 3

Welcome back to a pretty neat tour of the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland Florida.  There's a lot to see and a couple of the old Geezer Gold Wing guys are already sitting down instead of walking around looking at the exhibits. That's John who is wore out and making a call to his wife.  In all honesty, John was pretty well bushed before the ride.  He told me his daughter's family was down from one of the Carolina's with the grand kids and he must have played with them too much.   He's about to take off on his own and head for home, but he's going to miss a couple of neat things out on Hangar A.   But, before we walk over there, we have lots yet to see here.  If you saw The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio playing Howard Hughes, you'll remember that he went up in a plane during the filming of one of his movies to prove a point about flying.  He crashed trying to execute a roll and this is a picture of the plane he crashed.  No...
1 comment
Read more

The Mary Davis Home - Part 2

None of these pictures were taken by me,  they came right from the MDH website.  I am posting these so that friends who have never seen inside where I worked can gain access.  After 27 years I have many stories, tales and acquaintances.  But, I wouldn't know how to express them appropriately in a few paragraphs.  I enjoyed 98% of my stay there and hope I made a difference in the lives of a fraction of the kids who entered.  The original MDH at this site was just the front part.  The large red-roofed area in back was added on in the 90's. This is the Jerry Carlton library.  It was unofficially named after one of the counselors who truly loved the place.   He passed away around 2002, I think.  Mr. Farber looks like he is explaining a few things to a client. The classroom. Activity area with the gym behind the windows. Another shot of the classroom. It was a little different area to teach since we had 2 classes and 2 teachers i...
Post a Comment
Read more