It Could Happen To You

You know those annoying warnings and disclaimers on everything you buy these days? The ones you always ignore? They are there for a reason. They are there so that when you ignore them and then get hurt, you can’t sue the company.

I had an unfortunate incident with a Q-Tip this weekend. Now, I’m not stupid. I know not to shove it into my ear. I was gently swabbing the lobe after my shower when my little girl came barreling into me holding a toy and the Q-Tip rammed itself down my ear canal (yeah, I know – blame the baby). I pulled it out, took a few deep breaths to mask the ouch and went on with life. Throughout the day, it bled off and on. It started to ring and sting. After a few advil, I went to bed and woke up with my pillow and hair soaked in blood. My husband was freaked out enough that he nearly stayed home from work and took me to the ER.

Instead, I called our trusty, frequently visited ENT and he saw me right away. He told me I came within a hair’s width of rupturing my ear drum. He performed a little in-office surgery to seal the cut in my ear canal and shoot it up with antibiotics. I’m now temporarily deaf, but the pain is gone.

Lesson for the day: Throw away your q-tips. They serve no purpose. Trust me.