It seems when a chronic migraineur gets any type of illness (cold, earache, sniffle, etc), it turns into an epic slowdown. When you have daily pain and your nerves work overtime, sometimes the rest of your body is too tired to fight the small stuff.
Friday, my ear started aching, and I didn't think anything of it. I've always been the type of person that allows my natural immune system to heal me rather than call the doctor for a small illness. Well, lately my immune system has failed me and my symptoms got worse...
Saturday, I started to lose my hearing in my right ear. Talk about frustration! Saturdays are the days for fun and adventure! So I spent the day lying on the couch with my dog at my side. I read an article today that said those who live with chronic pain should pet their dogs often. When you cuddle and pet your dog, your body produces a chemical for happiness and your blood pressure goes down from the calming effect. My dog is a great cuddler so I tried that therapy.
Then Sunday came. I lost all hearing in my right ear and my left had a high pitched noise that gave me an insane migraine. Oh great! A migraine on top of an earache! So I went to the Walgreens Take Care Clinic and they said I had an outer ear infection. The doctor prescribed some ear drops (which I figured would need) and told me to take four drops four times daily. I'd have to lie on my side and let it sink it. Like a good little patient, I did what the doctor told me.
So this morning, I had such an intense pain that just wouldn't go away from my ear as well as the rest of my head. I still couldn't hear out my right ear. I went into work hoping to take my mind off the pain. Sometimes distraction is a great medicine. Well, that wasn't happening. My coworker in the cubicle in front of me was calling my name several times and I could not hear him. Poor guy thought I was being mean. About three hours in, I couldn't take the pain anymore. I went into a walk-in clinic and they put an ear wick (hurt like hell) to soak in the drops and make sure all of my infection gets the medication it needs. The doctor also said it'll take about a week to heal and I should see an ear, nose, and throat specialist in 2-3 days. Add another specialist to my list!
Tonight has been off and on with the pain, but I'm taking my drops like I'm supposed to and trying to distract myself with my puppy (who's being very sleepy due to the thunderstorms yesterday) and watching The Voice and the NCAA Championship game.
What are your experiences with common illness while struggling with chronic migraine?
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