Back on the 26th of February, I came down with an ear infection that knocked me on my ass. I’m just starting to get my strength back after missing a week of work and all of my Chinese lessons since then.
On the 29th of February, a friend of mine helped me find an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) specialist, who diagnosed my condition for the first time in twenty years.
Unfortunately, we didn’t catch the infection in time and in addition to perforating my eardrum, it moved into my sinus cavities and throat on the 29th. I saw the doctor everyday for six days straight, and have been on massive bouts of antibiotics to get it under control. Some of my hearing in my left ear returned two days ago, and the doctor is hopeful that most of it will be restored. My eardrum is going to take a minimum of two months to heal. At this point, the doctor does not see any point in surgery. We’re going to see if it will heal naturally first before considering surgical options.
Thanks to everyone for your messages of support. I’m definitely on the mend and will be posting more from our travels over the next week. I know you’re all dying to see what I’ve done with the new camera.
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Wow… this is a very good news Carrie. I missed your earlier post about it and just came to know about your ear problem after reading this. Well I sincerely wish it goes away completely as soon as possible and without any surgery of course.
A lot of people wish you good luck and send you an positive energy. You’ll feel much better shortly I hope. Take care.
I hope that you will heal naturally too. I’m so sorry to hear that you are sick, although it sounds like you are optimistic.
Carrie,
I’ve just read about your health scare and I am glad to hear you’re on the mend. It sounded extremely painful and frightening as well. I can still remember as a child the pain from an ear infection and moaning and crying in the back of the car. I know from memory how excruciating they can be and how sleep is nearly impossible. I hope this can be fully resolved so you don’t have to face similar problems later and your hearing is completely restored.
Thanks for your support. I am trying to remain optimistic but another trip to the doctor today revealed that I’ve lost quite a bit of hearing in my left ear, and despite being on antibiotics for two weeks, the infection still hasn’t cleared up. I’m going for round three this week, but I’m feeling tired and cranky.
Hi – I just found your site, and really enjoy your writing and the beautiful pictures. A comment about frequent ear infections – sometimes individuals with yeast allergy will have frequent ear infections. You might want to try eliminating yeast from your diet. It’s worth a shot. Yeast can be found in breads and other baked products, vinegar (salad dressing), yogurt, wine, cheese… Good luck!
Hi Lynne,
Now that’s something to look in to. I don’t have a lot of yeast in my diet, but I’m going to turn up every possible cause in order to get my health back. Thanks for the tip!