I have been sidelined. In the last two weeks, I have had two runs. What started out as just one ear infected turned into two ears swollen shut. After two doctor visits and two missed days of work, I am slowly on the mend. Severe ear infections is something I have always thought was part of childhood. But this last infection made the 4th double ear infection in a year's time for me. In trying to get to the root of what may be causing this every few months I asked the doctor just that question. His answer was shocking, almost absurd. Sweat. Yes, sweating while running.
As I left my appointment and headed to the pharmacy for more meds my mind was still spinning with his answer. I got out of the car and went in to the drug store. Realizing I had forgotten something I headed back to the car. My 12 year old, who sat in the car with the sitter, asked me, "Mom, how long do you have to keep that cotton in your ears?" With a harsh expression my response was unkind. Could he not tell how bad I felt? Could he not see my mind trying to wrap around that my running could possibly be the culprit as to why the spree of ear infections? I mean, give me a break on how I appear!!! And then I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the drug store window. Oh my!!! I looked like Shrek!!! Who knew so much cotton could hang from one's ears? After getting my meds filled and getting back in the car, I jokingly said to my sitter, "Reckon all those folks in the drug store thought I needed a magician to remove the rabbits from my ears instead of all this medicine? I mean, do you think Peter is missing his tail?" And just like that the bad mood my sickness was causing lifted. Leah, our sitter, could look at me and laugh. I think she had been dying to tell me about all the cotton, but she just could not look at me and keep a straight face. It was a lot of cotton!!! You just have to laugh sometimes to keep from crying!!!
A few days later I was sharing my sickly woes with my aunt as we sat in the hair salon. She did laugh until she cried when I told her about how ridiculous I looked, and yet everyone was afraid to say anything because of the scowl on my face as I came out of the doctor's office. I told her about all the one liners thrown around once I broke the ice and laughed at myself. She just doubled over in laughter. Like me, she was surprised to hear my problem seemed to be stemming from sweating when I run. As I complained to her about my problem, I said, "Now, how am I going to prevent sweating while running?" She said, "Well, you don't have swimmer's ear, you have runner's ear!" She just cackled as she said it! And there you have it!!! Could it possibly be a new medical find? One named in the beauty salon of all places.
Well, I'm not sure about the new medical find, but I am beginning to realize there is just no telling what obstacle may come up. I am still treating the ears, and I have run once without using ear buds. Of course the sweat still pours. I did not like it. It felt really different, but I am adjusting. It will have to be the new norm for a while. It can not become an excuse not to get the run done. Running is just the best metaphor for life. You never know what the challenge may be, and it may take laughing to keep from crying, but adjust and move on.
As I left my appointment and headed to the pharmacy for more meds my mind was still spinning with his answer. I got out of the car and went in to the drug store. Realizing I had forgotten something I headed back to the car. My 12 year old, who sat in the car with the sitter, asked me, "Mom, how long do you have to keep that cotton in your ears?" With a harsh expression my response was unkind. Could he not tell how bad I felt? Could he not see my mind trying to wrap around that my running could possibly be the culprit as to why the spree of ear infections? I mean, give me a break on how I appear!!! And then I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the drug store window. Oh my!!! I looked like Shrek!!! Who knew so much cotton could hang from one's ears? After getting my meds filled and getting back in the car, I jokingly said to my sitter, "Reckon all those folks in the drug store thought I needed a magician to remove the rabbits from my ears instead of all this medicine? I mean, do you think Peter is missing his tail?" And just like that the bad mood my sickness was causing lifted. Leah, our sitter, could look at me and laugh. I think she had been dying to tell me about all the cotton, but she just could not look at me and keep a straight face. It was a lot of cotton!!! You just have to laugh sometimes to keep from crying!!!
A few days later I was sharing my sickly woes with my aunt as we sat in the hair salon. She did laugh until she cried when I told her about how ridiculous I looked, and yet everyone was afraid to say anything because of the scowl on my face as I came out of the doctor's office. I told her about all the one liners thrown around once I broke the ice and laughed at myself. She just doubled over in laughter. Like me, she was surprised to hear my problem seemed to be stemming from sweating when I run. As I complained to her about my problem, I said, "Now, how am I going to prevent sweating while running?" She said, "Well, you don't have swimmer's ear, you have runner's ear!" She just cackled as she said it! And there you have it!!! Could it possibly be a new medical find? One named in the beauty salon of all places.
Well, I'm not sure about the new medical find, but I am beginning to realize there is just no telling what obstacle may come up. I am still treating the ears, and I have run once without using ear buds. Of course the sweat still pours. I did not like it. It felt really different, but I am adjusting. It will have to be the new norm for a while. It can not become an excuse not to get the run done. Running is just the best metaphor for life. You never know what the challenge may be, and it may take laughing to keep from crying, but adjust and move on.
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