So much for a relaxing birthday...
So, last night, Craig was complaining that his ear hurt, and that it was full of fluid, but when he got up this morning for work, he said it felt alright. But apparently, it wasn't alright, because he ended up coming back home at 10 this morning, and we had to take him to a walk in clinic. Boys and girls, the following is a true story and explains why you should never use q-tips in your ears.
The doctor took a look at his ears, and his right one, which he said felt fine, was red and raw and slightly inflamed, the left, which hurt, was swollen so much, that he was almost to the point of needing surgery to open it back up again. And it's all because he uses q-tips. The skin in your ear canal is only 1-2 cells thick on the walls, and using q-tips scrapes those fragile cells away and causes bacteria to get in. She had to put something called a wick in his ear, a little rolled up piece of cotton to keep the passageway open while the antibiotic drops go to work, and when it falls out, it means the infection is on a retreat. But he will have to go back tomorrow. If you want to keep your ears clean, she suggested leaning your head to the side under the shower head, not too high up mind, where the water is more powerful, but lower down, for a few seconds, and the water will gently clean the ear out. She told us we should probably just throw the q-tips out, they don't have much use outside of makeup application.
We also found out the difference between generic and brand name antibiotic drops today. In Canada, when I was training to be a pharmacy tech, we learned how in BC, it is mandatory to fill the prescription with a generic if the prescription is written as a brand name, unless otherwise specified by the patient or the doctor. The reason? Because brand name drugs are that much more expensive, and people should not be obligated to pay for them. Not so here in Washington though, they are obligated to fill the prescription with whatever is written on the paper. And guess what? She wrote us one for the brand name. If we had chosen to fill it, it would have cost us $90 AFTER the insurance had covered it. So, the pharmacist suggested we drive back to the walk in and request that she write or phone in a generic prescription. Guess how much we payed for the generic after our insurance covered the bill? $1.64. Yes, that's right, for less than a cup of coffee. Un-fucking believable.
I also got to spend my birthday cleaning. Craig told me he was getting sick of tripping over boxes in the den and the living room, and that the kitchen was looking a little crowded. So, I tidied up the living room and the den, did some dishes and wiped the counters down, and then ran the Swiffer over the laminate in the libray and swept up the paper circles from the hole punch that Craig knocked over. I also vaccummed in the living room, and tidied up the library. All I really wanted to do was spend the day relaxing at my leisure, and not having to worry about chores. Guess not....oh well, maybe I'll get to do that on the day of my party.
Which btw, I really need people to RSVP for soon. Are you coming or not people? You have my phone number now, and I've sent you an email. Please reply soon, I need to know how much stuff to buy and how many people to expect ,and whether or not you'll be needing to crash.
The doctor took a look at his ears, and his right one, which he said felt fine, was red and raw and slightly inflamed, the left, which hurt, was swollen so much, that he was almost to the point of needing surgery to open it back up again. And it's all because he uses q-tips. The skin in your ear canal is only 1-2 cells thick on the walls, and using q-tips scrapes those fragile cells away and causes bacteria to get in. She had to put something called a wick in his ear, a little rolled up piece of cotton to keep the passageway open while the antibiotic drops go to work, and when it falls out, it means the infection is on a retreat. But he will have to go back tomorrow. If you want to keep your ears clean, she suggested leaning your head to the side under the shower head, not too high up mind, where the water is more powerful, but lower down, for a few seconds, and the water will gently clean the ear out. She told us we should probably just throw the q-tips out, they don't have much use outside of makeup application.
We also found out the difference between generic and brand name antibiotic drops today. In Canada, when I was training to be a pharmacy tech, we learned how in BC, it is mandatory to fill the prescription with a generic if the prescription is written as a brand name, unless otherwise specified by the patient or the doctor. The reason? Because brand name drugs are that much more expensive, and people should not be obligated to pay for them. Not so here in Washington though, they are obligated to fill the prescription with whatever is written on the paper. And guess what? She wrote us one for the brand name. If we had chosen to fill it, it would have cost us $90 AFTER the insurance had covered it. So, the pharmacist suggested we drive back to the walk in and request that she write or phone in a generic prescription. Guess how much we payed for the generic after our insurance covered the bill? $1.64. Yes, that's right, for less than a cup of coffee. Un-fucking believable.
I also got to spend my birthday cleaning. Craig told me he was getting sick of tripping over boxes in the den and the living room, and that the kitchen was looking a little crowded. So, I tidied up the living room and the den, did some dishes and wiped the counters down, and then ran the Swiffer over the laminate in the libray and swept up the paper circles from the hole punch that Craig knocked over. I also vaccummed in the living room, and tidied up the library. All I really wanted to do was spend the day relaxing at my leisure, and not having to worry about chores. Guess not....oh well, maybe I'll get to do that on the day of my party.
Which btw, I really need people to RSVP for soon. Are you coming or not people? You have my phone number now, and I've sent you an email. Please reply soon, I need to know how much stuff to buy and how many people to expect ,and whether or not you'll be needing to crash.