Hoping to hear

After three weeks of impaired hearing from an ear infection, I finally went to the ENT today. It is very difficult to be unaware of what is happening on the periphery of your location, and an entire Sunday went by without me knowing whether I was alone in the house or not. No background noises alerted me to the presence of the rest of the family. A chattering crowd has also been a source of frustration as I have been unable to distinguish individual conversations and so have sat in my seat at lunches as though at a single table. Not very companionable. The last straw was a power failure last night when I was alone at home and couldn't hear any sounds from the neighbouring houses that might indicate habitation. For reasons better known to the electrical authorities, only two houses in the block were affected and every other house was lit up like a Christmas tree. Very disconcerting living in this bubble.
It turns out that Cape Town is currently suffering (apart from extreme heat and the tail end of a drought) from the highest allergen count ever recorded, and so even those who don't suffer from hay fever are affected in some way. I'm told I have glue ear as a result of constant inflammation of the sinuses over a long while and it was a relief to find out where this is headed.
When I was a kid, there was a radio programme (sort of horror stories) and I have never forgotten the episode where an earwig went into someone's ear and travelled around (not fancied earwigs much since then). The endoscopy reminded me of that earwig as I felt this remarkable piece of technology travelling around inside the cavities in my head (not the brain), tickling as it sent back photos in gory detail. Then followed the drilling of the eardrum and vacuuming of most of the fluid - definitely not something you want to do too often and eternally grateful for a high pain threshold and an ENT with the most marvellous bedside manner!
I'm told it will take a few weeks to clear completely with the antihistamines, nasal sprays, saline rinses, etc. and we are testing to see whether the untreated ear takes longer than the treated ear. Always happy to be a guinea pig and contribute to medical science.
And now I know why people are always asking if I have a cold - I didn't know I had a nasal twang. 😷