No Fluid!

During Sherman's 90th birthday party in January 2015, someone passed along their germs to me. It turned into a flu along with both eye and ear infections. Three months later, I was finally fully recovered from the flu. Since then, I have been struggling with fluid behind my eardrum. Apparently, if it is still present after three months, other options must be considered like the installation of tubes in the ear for drainage.

I was preparing myself for having to deal with tubes in my ears before seeing the ENT doctor yesterday. I got a referral of Dr. L. from my friend Lois, who is currently enjoying three concerts a day at the Mozart Festival in Salzburg. What a doctor. She went to my university hospital for her medical school and personally knows several of my doctors. She is now a mom in private practice.

We talked, I gave up the Flonase a week ago, I gave her the timeline of the problem then she looked into my ear. Nothing. No fluid. My ear was clear. She then took pressure reading of both ears to insure there was no fluid. Both ears passed. She mentioned that if I started to have problems again, like ringing in my ear or feeling like the fluid is back, I should consider an MRI as it might be nerve damage or brain tumor or a number of other problems. I paused, thinking of my brother-in-law Doug and his brain surgery last year after dealing with the same symptoms. If I feel anything thing, I will call her to set it up.

Then, I met mom for a late lunch. Her apartment was a total mess. The wall heaters had blocked drains and with the rains, there was a problem with the roof. Her bedroom and living room walls and carpets were soaked. Clearly, there had been past problems as the walls had been patched. The complex hired a mold company to come in and take care of everything. She was miserable. The heat must stay at 75 with dehumidifiers and fans running 24/7. Walls had to be removed and replaced, lots of sanding and prepping the walls had caused dust on everything. She was trying to dust everyday but it was really overwhelming. The bedroom smelled.

I tried to get her to come home with me for a few days. I tried to have her come home to just spend the night. Nope on both. She just wouldn't do it. She is going to contact her primary to tell her that she just found out she had a long term exposure to mold and she wants her lungs to be checked. I also want my housekeepers to clean her place after the work is finished on Wednesday. The complex should pay for it. She is worried that they won't clean as well as she would clean.

In other news: I have been really watching my food intake. Because of several parties, I was feeling that I had gained some weight. It was uncomfortable. For the past several days, I have really watched every bite and now feel like it is gone. I am ready for our trip to Seattle. On our way to drop the Porsche off at the dealership this morning, I am going to take Michael to the wonderful Madame Colette cafe, thanks to Dolores for the introduction. What a great find. I will watch Michael try a few pastries while I have an excellent cup of coffee then take off for the rehab class with my rehab boys.