On the Road Again!

To say I am a little nervous about having a hearing aid is putting it mildly. When I ride the bike I wear ear plugs to cut down the noise around the helmet. Doubly annoying that after this precaution for many many years that I am 50% deaf in one ear. I am hoping that the aid will be small enough not to impede my wearing a helmet and spectacle arms and that it can be turned off easily. All this will be answered on Tuesday afternoon! I leave for my trip to Czech the morning after. Not much shakedown time. I guess this is another trial and error system!!!

Getting to see your Doctor is almost as difficult as getting to have tea with the Queen. In the end I wrote a letter and posted it through the door.  Monday that was. That said, Tuesday,  a phone call to the surgery, after 1030am, elicited a response that they hadn't heard from the hospitals about my echocardiogram nor about my hearing test and MRI. Nothing arrived here or the surgery. As the latter was in May I was a bit pissed. I called the hospital and eventually got though to audiology. They were closed all day but call back between 10 and 12 or 14 and 16 hours. I did. Wednesday.  The lady said that they had written to the surgery, cc me, on 17th May. Before the MRI. I said I was still deaf in that ear and needed the device fitted. Now booked in on August 16th. She'll write to me. Don't know if that will ever arrive but have it in my Google calendar. As for MRI? Who knows. They didn't have the result two months after it was done.

In yet another drain on the NHS I had a long afternoon session at the William Harvey. This time for a hearing test. On the "hottest day of the year" ™ I sat in a little sound proofed box listening, straining, for beeps and squeaks. Sadly the right ear produced a red ink graph whilst the left was nice and healthy and blue ink. The doctor I then saw had a look, there is a strange bulge on the lower of the eardrum but he thinks it is purely age-related and may improve, or may not. He has ordered an MRI scan to see what is in my head.....  Oh well. Have to get used to it.

After Monday’s visit to the surgery I have been referred to an ENT clinic at a local hospital. A letter came through yesterday so that I can login and book my own appointment. The choice was quite extensive.  I worked my way through the list, one at a time. “No appointments available” was pretty common until one of what appears to be two different ENT clinics at the William Harvey. Booked 9 th May as that’s the earliest appointment anywhere. As there has been no improvement since Day 1 over six weeks ago, I doubt there will be much change before then. The nurse-practitioner says that there is no perforation but a small bulge towards the bottom of the drum.  Oh well.

Deaf. Cockney rhyming slang. Not technically a cockney as I was born slightly West of Westminster Bridge. The view of the Houses of Parliament from St Thomas' must have been inspiring for my mum as I ruined her Christmas. Back to being mutton. No change in my right ear. Have to wait until April 4th when I go to the surgery again! 😖

The antibiotic course has finished. Not a great improvement. With music on my phone playing on high I can hear a little through it but mostly distorted. Have another appointment on Monday to see what can be done and whether it's a wait and see job.

So back to the surgery to see the nurse practitioner who knows ENT stuff. Checks both ears. She is certain that there's no perforation just an enlarged drum caused by an infection. So now on a course of antibiotics and no bike riding until it clears up. Fingers still crossed.

After a week of no hearing in my right ear I went to the surgery. Expecting to have my ears syringed or whatever they do, I was shocked to find I had a perforated eardrum. No loud noises. No insertions into ear. Just sitting in the office chatting about work. Apparently it can happen for a number of reasons and should cure itself. Have another appointment to take a look at it. Fingers crossed again.

Hopefully not forever... Not permanently. I was sitting at my desk, all of us chatting when I couldn't hear anything in my right ear. A few deep swallows and a try to "blow" my ears had no result. I trotted off to the pharmacy and the pharmacist suggested it was merely wax building up and sold me some drops. Twice a day since. No change. I called the surgery today and have an appointment with the nurse on Monday morning to sort it out. Until then continue with the drops. All I have at the moment is a constant whooshing noise in the right. A bit like driving with the driver's window cracked open a little... Plus a little loss of balance. Other suggestions from colleagues range from shaving my beard off to warm olive oil.  My mums's old solution, literally, of soda  bicarbonate in warm water is frowned on. I remember my dad having my his ears syringed and leaving the surgery and not noticing anything different until a  bus went past and it was so loud he almost jump...