Speak up luvvie, I can't hear you

I have been sick for TWO weeks. Two long, boring and extremely childish weeks.  Two weeks in which I haven't been able to exercise or run.  I have a virgin pair of running shoes (plus a cool luminous green reflector top thingy) which have been lying all forlorn (but not forgotten) in my cupboard gathering dust and like everyone and everything in this house, trying to avoid the snot dripping from my nose.

It started like a head cold type thing and then it spread to my sinuses and my one ear and I was diagnosed with a sinus infection.  A course of antibiotics later and all I have to show for it is a mild case of thrust (despite taking the probiotics) and a continued case of the snots.  

As if that wasn't bad enough, I had to fly to Johannesburg this week to visit some of our customers and partners, and to do a talk on Thursday night.

It is hard enough to act funny and interesting and be on my best behaviour normally, but with snot pouring out of your nose and a head that feels like it is going to explode it is particularly unpleasant.  To the poor people who had to listen to my nasal drone on Thursday, sorry - I hab a cold.  

It was not a pleasant experience being on a business trip when you are feeling like death.  Hard work.  But none of that compares to my head exploding on the flight home.

O.M.G

If you only ever take one piece of advice from me ever - do NOT, I repeat NOT, ever fly when you are highly congested and / or you have a sinus infection.  

As we came into land it literally felts like my ear had exploded - sharp, excruciating pain.  And then when the pressure tried to equalize on the ground it was just as sore.  Luckily I had a doctor's appointment booked for when I got home.  He looked in ear and said 'ouch'.  I had severe barotrauma of the ear.  Because my Eustachian tubes were completely blocked the pressure in my ear couldn't equalize on decent and my eardrum was sucked in and the membranes in my ear ruptured.  Excruciatingly sore and it made me completely deaf in my one ear. Quite scary actually, not being able to hear.

It was delightful I tell you, delightful.

Anyway, so now I have a second set of antibiotics to prevent the blood in my eardrum from becoming infected, plus some cortisone to help keep the tubes open plus a whole lot of other medicine that will hopefully make me feel better.

I am really tired of being sick.  I am not the type of person to lie down or be in bed (maybe to my detriment) and it is damn difficult to keep going full speed when you are feeling like shite.

But anyway, I do see some light at the end of the (eustachian) tunnel.  I hope to be back to my normal (non-snotty, hearing) self by Wednesday next week. 

Geez, what is worse than being sick? Having to read about someone else being sick. Sorry. I was just feeling a bit woe is me. I will pull my socks up and soldier on.

PS some advice, if you do have a sinus infection / congestion try to use some decongestives before you fly.  Meds and nose spray. It is so important to make sure your Eustachian tubes are open so that your eardrum can equalize the pressure.  Chew gum as you begin your decent and swallow / yawn often.  Or else your ear will also explode like mine.

Now speak up luvvie, I can't hear you

Comments

[blackhuff]

That's terrible! Everyone is so sick everywhere. My hubby as well.
Sounds so sore what you've experienced on the plane.

[Vivian]

The little pink/purple bottle Biochemic tissue salts no. 5 help a lot to clear up congestion. You can find them at most of the supermarkets.

[Kathleen]

Also, you can ask the flight attendant to give you little paper cups and put a paper towel in the bottom, then pour hot water to moisten the paper towel. Hold these over your ears at takeoff and get a new set for landing. The steam thins the mucus in your ears, allowing the pressure to equalize. A kind flight attendant did this for me once when I was sick and it saved me.

So sorry you are so sick. I hope you recover soon.

[L.]

I am very sorry your ear exploded. That sounds awful. I have had a plane descent or two with a bad cold or sinus infection when I thought my ear was going to explode, but I didn't know it actually could. Before the pressure finally equalizes it feels like having a nail driven into your ear. Not at all nice.

I have a completely unrelated question for you. I am trying to set up a live desktop webconference between me (in the US) and people in SA. We seem to have a lot of connectivity and bandwidth issues so that our normal solutions don't work. Is there anything you've found (in the past or currently) works well? Many thanks in advance. (I would tweet you but am afraid it would get lost in the sea of other tweets...)