Shouting To Be Heard!

 We are still on the road and I have no way to download pictures. We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words .....

Since words are all I have, I will try to paint a picture of some of the adventures we had in the last week. We are pacing our trip to a more managable rate. Less tiring for the driver. Since I don't drive or hook up sewer and water, I try to do everything else. I could and would drive. It would be a disaster, since HeWho would have to entertain the canines and see to their needs. They would try to clamor into the front and be under my feet or trying to wedge themselves between me and steering wheel, all three at one time. Given the opportunity to look out the front windsheild would trigger Bo's carsickness and Toni would want to ride in the windsheild and block my view. Eddie would just bark until he was allowed to get in my lap. HeWho would be asleep since he can't hear that well under the best of circumstance.

We stayed in one place for several days and speaking of hearing and hearing aids brings to mind Thursday and Friday of last week. HeWho asked if we had any tweezers on board. If you think this request is strange, then you haven't been reading this blog with any regularity.

As usual, his question was answered with my question, "Why do you need tweezers?" It seems he got the cover piece of his hearing aid stuck in his left ear canal and attempted to blindly dig around in his ear with a sharp pair of tweezers when he discovered that I did have a pair on board. I took the sharp object away from him, since he has done this before and only succeeded in jabbing himself in the process. Using the flashlight on his phone I grabbed his ear and looked into it. I could see the thing and I attempted to grab it with those tweezers. He would yelp and say it hurt and I could not get a grip on it to save my life! 

I surmised that the object must be against his ear drum. We went to a drug store in search of a better tool for extraction and spoke with the pharmacist who suggested going to a minute clinic at Target. We did, during their lunch break, of course. The pharmacist there wondered why anyone would send us there and said she had no tools and lacked the training. She suggested the Urgent Care, but thought the wait might be hours. I bought an irrigation kit and we returned to the RV and the very helpful canines.

I attempted to flush it out, but it remained stubbornly stuck in place. Not even the quart of water I shot into his ear dislodged it. We ended up at an Urgent Care. It took longer to register than it did for the very young doctor to grab it with a pair of alligator forceps and free it with a little assistance from me. 

It seemed to provide light hearted amusement for the staff when I compared him to a toddler sticking objects in their ears and noses. He flinched when the the tool came in contact with the object. The doctor was going to step out for an assistant when I told him I would be happy to help, that I was an old ER nurse. He gave me the option of retrieving or holding the light. I told him I had already played the role of pain giver and it was his turn. I was right in assuming it was pushed up against his ear drum.

Hearing episode over? No. The next day, as Eddie I were dozing to escape hot afternoon temps, I was awakened by the man trying to locate those tweezers again!! He did it again!! I was in that delicious state of relaxation that comes right before you slip into blissful unconsciousness and found it very annoying.

After two attempts to grab hold of it, I gave up and told him to lie on his left side and let gravity release the grip. He obeyed like he thought I was serious and fell asleep. I knew my suggestion would not help and I couldn't get back to my previous state and actually nap. I was not going back to the Urgent Care with him! How embarrassing would that be? They would want to question his mental capacity! I wanted to question it myself. Wait, I did. 

It took three of us, but we managed to get it out. I would have appeared to be doing very little to help, as I was not the light holder, or the tweezer manipulator. I pretended to be soothing my love, but I was actually holding his head still.

As a result, he is not using his hearing aids at all until we can get home. I have a raw throat from shouting to be heard!