WHAT? WHAT? PART II

A lot can happen in six days (and it did) following my last post here!

Upon my wife's urging, I finally made an appointment to have my nearly complete and sudden loss of hearing (left ear) checked out. Between my work schedule and lots of other people needing care at my doctor's office, I had to make the appointment for next Tuesday (six days away). A nurse soon called me back saying she was concerned about my waiting that long, so I went to our local Urgent Care.

I got right in and was examined. I will spare you the details, but they involved lots of flushing and digging and flushing and digging, et cetera. The verdict? Unless the doctor was kidding, there was about an inch-and-a-half of compressed/compacted wax removed (disgusting wax [I was shown each new discovery]). In spite of the prodigious amount removed, he said I set no records. They said such removal is an almost daily occurrence. Apparently, when I thought I was cleaning my ear canal, I was in fact packing it in (think a muzzleloader). Sigh.

And, yes, I could hear again! If I had listened to my wife, I would have gone at least a week ago. (Here's the part she'll love: "Yes, dear, you were right! I was wrong." [I say that a lot {and deservedly so}]).

I have turned my new hearing aids way down to 1 and am still impressed with my new hearing. I would regularly crank our main TV up to 15 so I could hear it - tonight, it was set on 8. My desk TV was usually set on 71 - tonight it's on 55. I can hear the bathroom clock ticking off the seconds. 

The only problem so far is the background music played at work. I am hearing it, and depending on where I am, it sometimes conflicts with voices, and I have to move away.

Anyhow, that was my day today.

WHAT? WHAT?

So, it's about ten months since my last post, and I am still above ground (twenty seconds or twenty years left - none of us knows).

For anyone who is interested, a few of the high points (in no particular order). When I 'retired' in 2008, I had a couple of great years off during which I did very little (not a bad thing). I ended up as a part-time assistant at a local free advertising paper the PennySaver (NH). Mostly a fun job until I was no longer needed. 

Then I had a couple more years off, and through a series of circumstances, I ended up as a Walmart associate in Lawn and Garden, where I have been for the past fifteen months or so. I am there three days a week, and in the early months, someone described me as a 'tourist attraction' as people (former students and friends) would hear I was there and stop by to say Hi. That's the good thing about working there: all the people I get to see. The not-so-good thing is being on my feet for eight hours. It's tough (really tough some days), but I have endured.

The other news is last week I had another skin cancer removed (squamous cell). It was on (in?) the area above my left ear lobe. It is now clear and slowly healing, but I have temporarily (I hope) lost virtually all hearing in my left ear. I am hopeful as the wound heals, the hearing, such as it was) will return, which leads me to yet another big event: after years of declining hearing, I finally ordered a pair of behind-the-ear hearing aids. Before last October, hearing aids were ridiculously overpriced costing in the thousands of dollars, which is why I never got any - way too expensive.

Long story short, with the price drop, I went into 'Incognito' searching looking for "Best Inexpensive Hearing Aids." Almost instantly, my Facebook feed was jam-packed full of ads for hearing aids (a coincidence, I am sure). I settled on one company and bought a pair for $197. I will tell you more when I have tried them. The problem is my left ear is going to take some time to heal, so I will either just try the right one or wait to use both.

Not much else to say - I am quite the homebody. I love being home doing nothing - that's where all my stuff is. I am quite happy sitting at my desk, smoking my pipe (I know; I know), and seeing where my Internet surfing takes me. 

Stay well!