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Friday, July 03, 2009

Back-up Date.

[Hey, spell-checker! I mean Back Update!]

Woe! Begone! Not a good time to be E@L.

Before I get on to my back, the left ear trouble turns out to be otitis externa with cellulitis extending down as far as the angle of my jaw. My ear and face feel puffy and numb, like after a local anaesthetic. My GP thought it might have been the parotid gland that was swollen, but ENT specialist, he da man! picked it up. More drugs for that. Naughty E@L was using cotton buds, there was trapped wax, soaking up water from swimming or sweat, softening the skin of the canal. Sharp edge of inner-ear head-phone pods must have sratched the skin. Result: Infection.

He also said my slowly increasing deafness might be due to the exostosis which is partially blocking (about 40%) the canal. He asked if I swam in cold water as a child! Hey, I was surfing GOD back in those days, down at Peterborough (the Well and Massacres), Gibson Steps (next to Twelve Apostles, all seven of them), etc... That's where the Southern Ocean touches Victoria and the water is always freezing. The exostoses grow becasue of the cold water for some reason. Mine aren't bad enough to require sugery. (Exostosis: Benign bony growths, in this case under the skin of the outer ear narrowing down the ear-hole.) So antiobiotics and steriod eardrops from him.

As for the back, the GP gave me some muscle relaxants - I asked for diazapam but she just laughed as if I were joking...

2 x BP tablets, 4 x peripheral neuropathy and foot-pain tablets, 1 x cholestrol lowering, 1 x anti-inflammatory, 1 x muscle relaxant, 1 x antibiotic, plus 1 x eardrops.

That's 10 different tablets I'm on and I'm only 52. I reckon if wasn't for lunch (crusted roasted potatoes microwaved to a rubber pulp by the fine people at the usually excellent PS cafe!) I'd rattle when I walk.

Bring a wheelchair for

E@L

5 comments:

savannah said...

holy moley, sugarpie, but isn't it good to know what was wrong? how long will you be on all of those meds? xoxo

Lost in Melbourne said...

Phil that cold water surf thing is quite interesting and could be part of the reason you had so much trouble getting a comfy pair of ear pods in the first place.

I wonder if I will end up with the same problem from being in that spanner water. You just can't get a break with ears and swimming as the warm water causes another set of problems.

Finally did you send in the warranty card when you got that body of your's? I think its broken and you should be able to get a replacement.

You need to get your libido back to treat this issue as a regular session with an active lover should kick start the exercise, and strengthen the back!

expat@large said...

Sav: some are only for over the weekend, the rest...

Scott: No, its my outer tear being very flat back that means conventional small ear-phones both hurt and fall out I think. Also the exostoses are further in, closer to the ear-drum. I had a surfing buddy (was my best man now I think about it) who had his ears reamed when he was 17 or so then again a few years later. He used to surf 27 hours a day and he wore ear plugs most of the time.

p.s. I wore a brown suit to my wedding. It doesn't get any more 70's than that.

expat@large said...

outer ear

Lost in Melbourne said...

Phil I wore what I was told to 'her' wedding. But if 'I' get married again, I will give the brown suit some consideration.

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