Pathetic

I haven't been the only sick note in the family this weekend. But in comparison to mum's problems mine have seemed very minor, and I didn't want to whinge and be pathetic when she (who turns 68 today - happy birthday mum!) was almost dying, or thereabout. But now there's no sick mum in the flat and I can fully complain about my pains. In fact, I have had problems with my right ear on and off for a few months now (whizzing sounds and clicking and stuff), but Friday it suddenly got a lot worse. Saturday I basically completely lost my hearing on the ear, and it was incredibly painful (but then, that cannot really be compared to mum's shingles...). It is now less painful, but the hearing still isn't great, but quite muffled (and if I listen on the other ear, the head sort of works like a sound box and makes everything very loud). So this morning Tim (and actually, also mum) made me go to the doctor's. My local clinic (I have a very lovely GP, whom I don't want to give up so I'm actually going to a clinic which is where we previously lived - I should probably have changed when we moved to a different borough) has an open door policy between 9 and 11, which is absolutely brilliant. Actually, the queue wasn't all that bad, and I was allowed in after only 40 mins. The doctor (who looked a lot younger than me - I felt ancient) had one quick look at my ears, told me it was a bit red, instructed me to take a few painkillers and come back Friday if it's not any better then. Sigh! Yes, of course I should be happy that it wasn't anything serious (I quite like being able to hear), but I felt so stupid for coming there just to hear that (pun not intended)! I was also a bit miffed that the doctor - when she asked what I had been taking - had never heard of Tylenol.* I thought that was a pretty commonly known drug, even here.


*For the Scandinavians: an American painkiller.