Can You Hear Me Now?

(See previous mini-blog!)

Alright, I don't know what happened with that but it's letting me type now. What a load and a waste of time! I hope this New Blogger is good because that really pissed me off. Which is kindof the opposite feel of the earxax story, but I'll tell it anyway to help me calm down.

Today on our second to last patient we had a woman come in for "Hearing Loss." I had a total "You're Gonna Die Pam!" moment with it because while I was checking her in I actually thought to myself: "I hope she really is losing her hearing and doesn't just have earwax build-up because I don't want to have to clean her ears out." After I thought it I was so embarrassed with myself. What kind of person thinks that way?!

The doctor went in to see her and then walked out and said, "She needs her ears cleaned."
".....Ear Lavage." I'm sure he specified it because me and my co-worker were both sitting there, and when he told us, neither of us moved. It's almost the MA form of chicken. The first one to stand up has to do the procedure, so you see who will cave in and stand up first, and I'm ashamed to tell you that the doctor had gone into another room before either of us caved. My co-worker's phone rang and she answered it, and I decided I wasn't going to wait for her to get off, risking the doctor coming out of the room and seeing us both just sitting there, so I went to go set up for it.

People have to deal with worse things everyday in their jobs, probably, but ear lavages are not my favorite thing. It's not because they're gross, it's because I'm not very good at them, and there's only so long you can shoot water into someone's ear with no results before you want to start pulling your hair out.

The sad thing about them is that we don't like doing them, and the patient is so embarassed most times to have to get them done. It's really not fun for anyone, except the doctor who just tells us about it and then can move on.

So I set up and go into the patients room and she's so embarassed about it and I'm trying to reassure her that it happens and we'll get it taken care of. She's so nice that I'm hating my "hoping for actual hearing loss" thought more and more by the second. I get the syrringe ready, I shot a bit of it into her ear to make sure it's not too hot, and then I'm off. Time to clean some ears.

I fill up the syrringe and shoot it into her ear once and see bits of the clog breaking off in the water. It's a good sign. Then I fill the syrringe again and shoot water into her ear, and notice a big piece that's fallen into the emessis basin, and I'm pretty impressed with myself when the patient exclaims, "I can hear!!!" I look up and the rest of the brown earwax ball is still sitting in the bottom of her ear. It was a big chunk, too! No wonder she couldn't hear!

Two shots and I was done! I felt like the earwax queen! I think I strutted out of the room.

So let the earwax story be a reminder to you that sometimes it's better to get in there and do what you're afraid of/dreading/grossed out by because when you're successful, it won't be as bad the next time you're called upon.

The end.