My ear!

This is how it happened:


Saturday, 20th January. '2007: It all started with the sudden urge to clean my room. Yes, it's true, I actually wanted to clean my room. So I started cleaning. I'd actually started the cleaning process a few days back (i.e. earlier on in the week), but the incident took place on this day. Take note of the time, dear people: I resumed the process of cleaning my room at approximately 9 pm. So I cleaned. I cleared all the extra-old newspapers from my room, and dumped them all into a basket. Then I rearranged all my books, making sure they all stacked up nicely in my brown little bookshelf. Then I moved on to cleaning the other shelf, the one where I put my LOTR popcorn paperbox memorabilia, the one where I put all my little toys and stuff.

That's when I found it.

There weren't that many left in the plastic wrapping they came in - just 4 or 5 little cotton buds. This was approximately 10 pm. 10 seconds later, my right ear was blocked. There was no pain, nothing. That's right. I had somehow managed to block my right ear, and I couldn't really hear anything - just a blur, muffled non-sound.

At 10.05 pm, I rushed downstairs and announced that it had happened. 10 minutes later, I had 10 drops of Soluwax in my right ear. The following is the instructions written on the label of the bottle: "With the head tilted, fill the affected ear with sufficient Soluwax Ear Drops (approx. 10 drops) for two consecutive nights using the dropper. Remain in this position for 4 to 5 minutes. The ear wax should then be easily removed by normal cleansing."

20 minutes later, my ear was still blocked. I went to sleep, feeling rather amused.


Sunday, 21st January. '2007: Last night, the temperature was so cold that the air-con unit started making some really strange, robot-about-to-malfunction sounds. I did not hear it. Morning came, and my alarm clock went off. I almost didn't hear it. I went to church and played bass with half of my hearing gone. I joked with some friends about my temporary one-sided hearing loss. They laughed, I laughed too. They laughed some more, I laughed some more too. That evening was another round of ear-dropping. The time was approximately 7.30 pm when I went to sleep, ear still blocked and feeling rather worried.


Monday, 22nd January. '2007: The first class of the day started at 8 am today. It was raining quite heavily. My hearing seems to have improved - if I poke my right ear and release it quickly enough, I can have almost back-to-normal clear hearing in my right ear... For about 3 seconds. Then it's back to the muffled sound. I told anyone who would listen about it. They smiled sympathetically. I tell them, so that they know the reason behind my tilting my left ear towards them everytime they speak. I tell them, so that they know why I go "Huh?" and "Can you say that again please?" in response to everytime they open their mouths. They laugh, I laugh too. My laugh isn't as loud as it was yesterday. Neither is my smile as big. I reached home at approximately 2 pm. Before going to sleep, I ear-drop some more Soluwax into my ear. I fall asleep, thinking that when I awake, my ear will be back to its more-than-perfect hearing.

Man, was I totally wrong. It's worse than ever now. When I woke up just now at approximately 6.20 pm, I didn't even know it was raining... Heavily. Why? Because with my right ear blocked and my left ear pressed into my pillow, I couldn't hear a single thing. At about 7.30 pm, I had another session of ear drops. I'll be going to the ENT specialist soon. I hope it'll be real soon, 'cause I don't think I can take it any longer, this total void of any sound in my right ear. The last time anything like this happened was way back at the start of my freshman year. The ENT specialist had to insert some mechanical device into my ear to unblock it.


It is almost 12 midnight now. I will be going to sleep real soon, and I will be feeling really worried, and panicky. And a tad bit frightened. I must remember not to use cotton buds after this. And you all must remember to talk to my left ear tomorrow, 'cause I will not be able to hear you in my right.

Sigh.