Lend Me Your Ear

Some say Vincent cut off his ear for his true love; others insist he was crazy. I think I now know the true story. The poor man had an ear infection and the pain was so great that he was sure if he cut off his ear it would go away. I know this because I, too, have been suffering with an ear infection and, although I cannot say my pain is that intense, it certainly is bothersome. Probably the most frustrating thing about that particular malady is that the pain intensifies while a person is lying down, and I understand there is a very logical reason for this. Dr. Pennies sayd the fluids pool while you are in a prone position and that makes the pain worse. I think it is actually one of those attempts to keep us humble. Most of the time resting is the best thing to do when you are ill, and that is probably trues when you have an ear infection also, but you apparently are expected to rest standing up.

I awoke about 3:00 a.m. with a full understanding of why babies and small children wake in the middle of the night screaming with pain when they have ear problems. I did not scream, but I also did not get back to sleep. Short nights make for long days.

In case the pain doesn't drive you nuts, the clogged ear feeling and knowledge that you may be shouting at people without realizing it will. But this is the age of wonder medicine so I am sure I shall recover. And I guess since I came out OK on my lump thing I shouldn't complain about an ear problem. But I probably will.