GatewayRedbirds.com

I'm one of those guys that really hates going to the doctor. I probably got that attitude from my father. The only time I'll really go in is if a part of my body falls off, or if profuse bleeding will only stop with professional medical assistance.

I won't go into detail on most of it, but a couple of the things I was really concerned about. In fact, I thought they might be signs of a terminal illness. Despite this, I never went in because I was too big of a coward. Eventually -- in part due to the fact that I made it one of my new year resolutions -- I decided I'd go and get these things examined. Fortunately, they turned out to be nothing.

The thing I will talk about in-depth is my ear: years ago, during high school, I was at a small social gathering at a friends house. We had been drinking, and I was sitting in his parents' hot tub. The next day I woke up with plugged ears... my right ear cleaned itself up, but the other one stayed plugged for a long time. A month later, it was still plugged... I went like four years with a plugged ear.

When I got it checked out, the doctor looked in my ear and told me that he couldn't see my ear drums, and so they repeatedly sprayed streams of water into my ear. Eventually, the right one came unclogged. It was incredible -- like an audio epiphany or something. I took a piss when I got home, and my ears stung because it was so loud. The noise my keyboard keys make are on par with torrential rain hitting a tin roof. Even pulling these tasty crackers out of their wrapping is bittersweet, because the sound is so amplified! This is awesome...

In summary, I found out I'm not dying... and I upgraded my on-board sound system from mono to stereo in the process!

Kyle wrote: the other one stayed plugged for a long time. A month later, it was still plugged... I went like four years with a plugged ear.

You walked around for 4 years w/o being able to hear out of your left ear

I wouldn't have gone 4 days.

Molly wrote:

Kyle wrote: the other one stayed plugged for a long time. A month later, it was still plugged... I went like four years with a plugged ear.

You walked around for 4 years w/o being able to hear out of your left ear

I wouldn't have gone 4 days.

My ear was plugged up sounding and I couldn't take it for more than a day or two. Ended up just having an ear infection. I have no idea why you would wait 4 years to have it checked out.

I'd probably wait a month or two, but 4 years?!

Dude, I hate pills and unnecessary medicine and stuff too, but its generally good to get checked out once a year. What's the worst a doctor can do to you? Tell you you're fine or tell you you have something, giving you enough time to get it fixed or atleast tidy up your affairs before you go.

That's a lot of earwax to carry around.

Hey, I didn't claim to be rationale -- just happy.

Kyle wrote:Hey, I didn't claim to be rationale -- just happy.

Ha, that is pretty ridiculous Kyle.

A buddy of mine had a case of salmonella. In order to figure what kind of medicine to give him he had to give a stool sample, and rather than do that, he just laid in bed for two weeks suffering from a potentially serious disease until it finally cleared up.

Earwax in whales
"Many species of whale have an annual buildup of earwax, adding one, two, or four layers (depending upon the species) each year. Similar to the incremental dating method of dendrochronology for trees, the number of layers can be counted to determine the age of the whale after its death."

Wow, a plugged ear would bother me to no end, so I think I'd have to get it taken care of as soon as possible. I remember going to the doctor for that very reason a long time ago, and I got the same treatment. The moment where your ear unplugs is amazing.

I recently spent a day and a half with a plugged up right ear for seemingly no apparent reason(it happened very randomly; I think I had a combination of water, soap, and shaving cream coalesce within to something irritating to the inner ear) and it drove me nuts. I rubbed my inner ear raw trying in vain to unplug it. I can't imagine living anymore than even a week with plugged ear.

Great news, Kyle. Welcome back to hearing in stereo.