Olive Oil and Earwax

So it's been a pretty crazy week. Jesse's birthday party/ Piano Bar that led to a 2:30AM Tuesday, a dinner with the US Consul from Sofia on Wednesday, and my second and hopefully last doctor's visit. It all started a week ago...(cue the hazy screen and a fade into Saturday)...

I woke up last Saturday like it was any other day and I got ready to meet friends for lunch. I met up with them and noticed that I couldn't hear fully out of my right ear and it was really strange because I didn't do anything out of the ordinary. I had had a cold the past week but I was really congnisent of eating my oranges and drinking my juice in hopes that my immune system would kick in and nip this little cold's rendez-vous in the bud. So much to my surprise, I couldn't hear which just made everything that much more difficult. We has a really good weekend exploring Old Town (it's really beautiful) and vegging and watching TV shows and doing homework- but I couldn't knock this ear thing.

Monday morning I go to the health center on campus and talk to the doctor there who checks me out and says that he can't do anything. Immediately while we are still having a consultation he calls an ear, nose, and throat specialist to see if he could see me right then. I didn't think it was that serious but hey, I am not one to argue with a medicine man. So Hristiana was kind enough to walk me to the office and talk with them because she is native Bulgarian. So, the specialist looked in my ears and told me that I had an extreme build-up of earwax that was stopping the soundwaves from entering my eardrum. This was much to my dismay considering I had just cleaned my ears a few days earlier. The solution he gave me: olive oil. Put 7-8 drops in my ear and let it soak in for at least 30ish minutes for a week or so and then come back. Awesome. Not only did I need to get oil, but who was going to help me administer the drops?

I really appreciate Mary, who was the best, and put the drops in my ear. She is quite skilled too, considering all she had was the cap of the oil bottle. Talent- I think yes. So for the next three days Mary was kind enough to pour oil in my ear and I would proceed to take a nap because I had to keep my head tilted to keep the oil in to let it soak. So napping has been quite successful this week.

Disclaimer: this next part isn't super pleasant at parts, it's somewhat down right disgusting so I warned you. But please keep reading. 

The fateful day came and I walked to the doctor's office alone. It was easy to find after the first time and I didn't have to wait too long and the "operation" commenced. My shoulder was draped with a towel and he started by having me hold a basin to my neck under my right ear while he squirted warm water from a syringe into my ear in hopes that the wax would come out from the pressure of the water. After several failed attempts, he resorted to a suction tube that was about the size of the end of a shoestring. Well, after he stuck that deep into my ear I could hear everything. But that wasn't the end, oh no. The doctor then stuck a tube-ish thing in my ear and was picking around with this small tool. I felt like I was at the ear dentist; yep, recognize the suction tube and pick? He tried the syringe again and after a few times with that he put the basin down so I could see the (I'm sorry for the grossness of this) brown chunks that had been wedged in my ear. They were large. And I'll leave it at that. 

He finished with my left ear, although not as extensive as the right, I paid 30 leva, and was on my way. I felt like a brand new doll taken out of the box. My hearing, I don't think, has ever been this good. And I'm not sure if that is great or not; I went from hearing half of what people were saying to hearing every little noise magnified by a billion. Or so it feels, or should I say, hears? Bad joke, I know. 

Well, that is all for now. Hope you enjoyed my Bulgarian doctor's visit as much as I did. Nasdrave!