Oh, the irritation!

James says not to worry until a month has gone by. No, I don't mean that kind of worry. I mean the kind of worry that I'm good and tired of talking and writing about. But, it's all I think about. Today, I have regained a modicum of hearing in this left ear of mine. Mostly, I can hear higher pitches: ElfGirl, my voice at times and it sounds like it's coming from a distance and is a bit delayed. The hearing sensation is rather like a very small person is standing in my ear and calling into the canal. The feeling is that of someone ramming an inner ear monitor a bit too far into the inner ear. Thankfully, the pain stopped sometime last week. So, what have I tried to get rid of the small person standing in my ear? A more apt question would be: what haven't I tried?

• Neti pot. Check
• Ear candle. Check
• Heating pad. Check
• Blowing nose very hard. Check
• Whining. Check
• Olive oil. Check
• Warm water. Check
• Sleeping on side so ear can drain. Check.
• Drugs...not yet. Must I??

I haven't tried Susanna's tip of garlic trick yet. Quite honestly, the stoppage is so thorough that I do not believe the garlic would be of any use.