Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Another Visit to the ENT

Well, it looks like the hearing damage I incurred from the mega dose of Salsalate I was on last winter was permanent. I saw an audiologist this afternoon who agreed with my assessment that my hearing was slightly improved from the February test (when I still had remnants of a double ear infection) but that it's still in the "moderate" level of hearing loss, and centered around the frequencies in which people speak.

Sigh.

The ENT is unhappy that I've had yet another round of sinus infection. He really wants to fix my sinuses and remove my polyps. He says the steroid nasal spray I've been using has shrunk the polyps somewhat, but my turbines (whatever those are!) are still over-sized and blocking the openings of my sinuses. He acknowledged that now is probably not the best time for me to undergo surgery, but he also warned that chronic sinus infections can worsen an autoimmune disease or rheumatological problem.

Sigh again.

Really, it's nothing new or unexpected. He has been jonesing to operate on me since early 2007. And it just hasn't been a real priority to me.

Meanwhile, for what it's worth, my pain levels have been down a bit the past couple days, which is good news. My fatigue, however, has gotten worse lately. I don't think either signify a real change in my condition. It's just more evidence of the cyclical nature of my illness, which waxes and wanes with no apparent pattern I can predict.


2 comments:

Sherril said...

Aiyiyi. What a mess you are. I mean that in a good, truly sympathetic way. Have you looked at Laurie Edwards' (http://achronicdose.blogspot.com) new book? I highly recommend it. Wish I'd had it when I was in my 20's & 30's. But then I didn't even have a clue as to how deeply my CIs were going to affect me.

"Life Disrupted: Getting Real About Chronic Illness in Your Twenties and Thirties" -

"An inspiring guide to staying in control of your health care, your life, and your dreams despite having chronic illness, by a popular journalist and award-winning blogger.
Twenty-seven-year-old Laurie Edwards is one of 125 million Americans who have a chronic illness, in her case a rare genetic respiratory disease. Because of medical advances in the treatment of serious childhood diseases, 600,000 chronically ill teens enter adulthood every year who decades ago would not have survived—they and people diagnosed in adulthood face the same challenges of college, career, and starting a family as others in their twenties and thirties, but with the added circumstance of having chronic illness.
Life Disrupted is a personal and unflinching guide to living well with a chronic illness: managing your own health care without letting it take over your life, dealing with difficult doctors and frequent hospitalizations, having a productive and satisfying career that accommodates your health needs, and nurturing friendships and a loving, committed relationship regardless of recurring health problems. Laurie Edwards also addresses the particular needs of people who have more than one chronic illness or who are among the twenty-five million Americans with a rare disorder. She shares her own story and the experiences of others with chronic illness, as well as advice from life coaches, employment specialists, and health professionals.
Reading Life Disrupted is like having a best friend and mentor who truly does know what you’re going through."

End of promo for Laurie's book. ;-)

SharonMV said...

Have you been able to complete the vaccine test with the immunologist? You might want to wait until you have the whole picture from the immunologist, before doing the sinus
surgery.
I had one sinus surgery, years ago. It wasn't bad. Recovery didn't take very long.

Sharon