April 18

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I finally got the formatting to stick (hooray for good old html and no clever program "helping" me format.....), and then realized that I hadn't made the wikipedia reference into a link, so here I am, doing that.....

My apologies to those of you who get notices about new or edited posts.  I can't seem to get the formatting to stick, on this post, and it's driving me nuts.  I'll try one more time.... and then I'll throw up my hands in despair and quit editing so you don't get any more notices about this one..........

I actually had to make two trips to Health Service on the 18th.  Good thing it's only a mile and a half from home!  When I called to talk to a nurse about the ear, she said it sounded to her like I should have it looked at, and suggested I get there as soon as possible (before the students ate up all the appointment time).  So I did that.

I don't usually rush out of the house, immediately after returning home from overseas, so I tried to think of what I might need....  I made sure I hadn't taken my driver's license out of my billfold, retrieved my house keys from my winter coat pocket, and even managed to remember that I wouldn't be able to pay for parking at Health Service with euros so I had better grab some dollars!

Here's my view, waiting for my turn to see a doc.

The doc apologized for keeping me waiting.  I assured her that the ability to basically walk in and see someone, anytime you need to, is such a great privilege that I would never complain about having to wait a bit!

She asked me a bunch of questions, and then looked in my ears.  She was surprised to discover I have an ear infection.  She said that she used to think that adults didn't get ear infections, because their mature physiology meant that things (Eustachian tubes, specifically, I think) were big enough to stay open and not get infected.  But now she knows adults DO get ear infections, and I'm one of them.....

She put me on azithromycin.  I took the first pill yesterday at 1:00 pm, and am clearly better now.  Yay.

(Digression -- I cautious about antibiotics.  I think we humans are all too eager to kill off microflora, without considering that a lot of those little critters are friendlies, who are helping us fight off the bad guys.  We use soap, not detergent with antibiotics, when we wash our hands, and we hardly ever use chlorine -- bleach, or scouring powder, and so on.  But when your ear is totally messed up............ 

I am eating yogurt, in the hope of replenishing the friendlies in my gut..........End of Digression.)

The 18th was crazy hot, compared to Michigan's recent weather -- high 70s, muggy, only partly cloudy.  But a major rain storm was predicted for the afternoon.

When I got home from HS, I had some toast, took my first azithromycin, and walked the dog.

He was pretty trotty (as opposed to draggy), which surprised me, given the warmth.  It's always good to see him feeling perky.

There's COLOR here!  Yay!!!

It wasn't too long after we got home that the storm began, with heavy rain and some thunder.  For all the rain we had in Italy, we never saw it rain this hard......

Then at 4:00, I went back to HS, to see the eye doc.  She said I was right to come in, dilated my eyes to have a good look, sent me for a field-of-vision test, and then said everything was fine, but I should come back in about a month for a re-check.  I was correct in my assessment of the situation -- it's exactly what happened in my right eye about two years ago:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterior_vitreous_detachment  It's usually no big deal, but it's important to get it checked because of the possibility for retinal detachment.

I am SO lucky to have access to Health Service.  It's set up for students, but staff and faculty (and retirees!) can also use it if they like.  Being able to go in and see a doc (even a specialist) on short notice (like same day!) is totally excellent.

I'd rather have been able to spend the day napping, but when you need to get seen, it's so nice to be able to do that.  My ear is clearly better now.  SO grateful to have been able to get that process underway, rather than having to wait!

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