Aching Ear

Yesterday afternoon, my body felt unbalanced and weak. The feeling grew throughout the afternoon and into the evening, knocking me out cold for a random few hours of sleep. When I awoke, there was a blunt ache in my head and I had to stand for small intervals of time in order to reheat leftover bean soup. This morning, every throb of my head had increased in pain and was countered faithfully by a throb from the deepest part of my right ear canal. My ear and head have been holding a petty debate regarding who is in the most pain since; every searing scream my brain makes, my ear has to counter.

I don’t have an ear infection, but I’m worried it might turn into one. The last time I had an ear infection, I was four years old. I remember both ears aching mildly for the duration of the day. I thought I had a headache, and my daycare lady made me eat chewable Tylenol. It tasted like poisoned chalk. I spent the day lying on carpeting in front of the TV watching “My Little Pony and Friends”, “Transformers”, “The Sharon, Bram, and Lois Show” and then afternoon reruns of popular sitcoms about rich people. Sometimes a kid my age would join me and watch a show or two before running off to play in the sun with the other kids. Mostly, the fussy babies kept me company from their playpens, occasionally assaulting my senses with their diapers. Despite my ears and head hurting, I remember my day being normal until I went to sleep. After some time spent tossing and turning in my bed, I sat up and began screaming. Our HMO didn’t have an emergency room open late back then. I remember spending a night of fitful sleep, crying and clenching my Rainbow Brite comforter until the morning when my mother was able to take me to the hospital. I don’t remember anything afterwards, other than the fact that I was prescribed medicated ear drops that would remain atop my dresser for the next four years.