Wow!

[brrm]

Last tuesday, I went swimming, and shortly afterwards lost the hearing in my left ear. My hearing was never the greatest, and this made it so much harder to hear in conversation, locate directional sounds (phones in the office!), etc. So, after a fruitless experiment with a compressed canister of saline with a special nozzle from the chemist branded Audiclean - those things are hopeless for this level of problem - I went to the doctor.

He told me to go away and use ear drops for a couple of days, and then come back and be syringed.

This has now all been done, and *WOW* is there a difference. It's like someone has turned on the world's best hifi in my head.

As I cycled back, everything was a revelation. The crisp, sharp jingling of my keys as I unlocked the bike, the clatter of the chain as it ran through the gears, the rustling of polythene bags carried by passers by.

Now I can't stop dropping pencils on my desk, playing with business cards, rustling tissues, shuffling through paper to hear the crisp noise it makes - I had no idea some of these things made so much *noise*!

If you have problems hearing in crowded places, etc, I'd recommend you get this checked out. For the first time, I don't have to lipread half the people I am talking to - though I've yet to try a crowded pub.

Comments

[karen2205]

What's the process of having someone syringe your ears like? It sounds sufficiently unpleasant that it's not something I'm sure I'd volunteer for....and http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:yJeQEsS2P5kJ:www.rnid.org.uk/information_resources/factsheets/medical/factsheets_leaflets/ear_syringing.htm+hearing+loss+syringing+benefits&hl=en seems to suggest that too much syringing can cause hearing problems.

[tithonus.livejournal.com]

i had this done a couple of years ago. twas great. i probably need to have it redone soon. tis amazing how quickly the blockage builds up again.

by the way, my doctor that time tells me that there are two types of ear-wax producers, modified by genes, one type produces dry wax, which just flakes out so they have no trouble, and the other type produces wet wax, which sticks together and so doesn't drop out properly.

[brrm.livejournal.com]

The first ear was not really that uncomfortable at all, and quite quick - because the wax had been softened by my use of ear drops. Once that had cleared, I realised that my hearing on the other side was not what it should be, though I hadn't used the drops to soften the wax on that side. Hence it was a little more protracted and uncomfortable (but not painful or anything), but I was determined to have that one cleared out too, having heard the improvement on offer. :-)

I could always have gone away, used drops, and come back - but I'm impatient like that.

[lark-ascending.livejournal.com]

That makes sense; I've always had ears like a bat and never needed to get them syringed.

[addedentry.livejournal.com]

I've always enjoyed having my ears syringed: the rush of warm water is pleasant in itself and there's entertainment in the confusion of its sound with the external sounds you're beginning to hear. (It's messy for the nurse, admittedly.) The contrast between the optimum hearing immediately afterwards and the state you've reached to seek syringing is as great as it could be and as much fun as brrm suggests.

[riahopkinson.livejournal.com]

Wonderful!

[ms-saffie.livejournal.com]

I love you, you're great :)

[brrm.livejournal.com]

Was that addressed to Ria or me? ;-)

[riahopkinson.livejournal.com]

Haha that's what I was going to ask! ;)

[ms-saffie.livejournal.com]

To Ria darling, of course. Mwah, sweetie, mwah.