On Wednesday… I started feeling a little congested. I figured it was my usual season changing allergies that come around every year when the temperature gets warmer.. the ground thaws and pollen starts breaking free from it’s winter hibernation. I took an Allegra, and went about my business.
On Thursday - my left ear started hurting and started feeling very ‘full’ - affecting my hearing a bit. You know how you feel when you have water in your ear and you’re constantly trying to *pop* your ear to get it to drain? Yea, like that.
By Thursday night, it was unbearable.. so I headed to my doctors office to get it checked out. Anyone who know me knows that I don’t actually go see a doctor until whatever it is that’s bothering me is so bad that I can’t function anymore. By Thursday evening, my balance was affected - - I was experiencing dizziness.. so much so that my husband had to drive me to the clinic because I didn’t feel safe behind the wheel, because of the dizziness.
The doc took a look.. confirmed that I had a double ear infection (affecting both ears).. and sent me home with a prescription for 875mg Amoxicillin twice a day (an antibiotic) and 1200mg Guaifenesin twice a day (an expectorant; used to decrease congestion). Even though all of the symptoms I was experiencing was affecting my left ear only - - he told me that my right ear actually looked worse than my left one.
I started taking my pills, as prescribed, on Thursday.
By this morning…my symptoms in my left ear worsened by 300%! The pain tripled and was now affecting my neck, my jaw and the side of my face. The worst part of it? I lost my hearing in my left ear. Not sure if it was because of fluid build up, or that the ear canal had completely swollen shut - - but I could not hear out of my left ear at all.
I decided to hit the clinic again today, and visited the local walk-in clinic this afternoon.
I saw a different doc this afternoon and he changed my antibiotic to Cipro, gave me antibiotic ear drops and a script for Vicodin, for the pain. He also told me to pick up some Sudafed to help with the congestion.
Easier said than done!
I took my new prescriptions to the local Walgreen’s and dropped them off with the pharmacist. They filled the Cipro, ear drops and Vicodin and handed them over to me after I paid the bill.
Then I went to get some Sudafed. In and amongst all the cold meds on the shelf, there was a piece of paper with a picture of the Sudafed box on it and a message that says “Take this to the pharmacy window to pickup”.
So, I did. And I got carded! The pharmacy tech copied down my name, my address and driver’s license number - - and then I had to sign a piece of paper called the Sudafed registry.
Apparently, pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in Sudafed, is used to make methamphetamine (Meth) - and in Wisconsin, at least, there is a bill that requires I.D. to purchase it, as well as a registry of the purchasers of Sudafed.
Who knew?
I could pick up my Vicodin prescription without presenting I.D. - - heck, my husband could have picked up my Vicodin prescription for me, if I wanted him to. But to get 12 Sudafed pills - - I have to sign a registry. Seems a little odd, to me.
How much pseudoephedrine does it take to make Meth, anyways? Somehow, I don’t think 12 Sudafed pills is going to do it - - but, then, I know nothing about making Meth - so who am I to question?
Last week, I was carded when I bought cleaning supplies at my local grocery store. The clerk explained that it was because some of the cleaning products I purchased were in aerosal cans - - and that requires an ID because kids will buy this stuff and sniff/inhale it. It’s a practice called ‘huffing‘.
It’s the government protecting us against ourselves, I guess. Stupid is as stupid does….
At any rate - I’m hoping this ear infection clears up pretty soon. Not being able to hear out of one ear is highly frustrating! The pain is intolerable and I’m just a big whiny baby during times like this.
6:45 pm on April 6th, 2008
I’m so sorry to hear that you are having ear trouble! Look at it this way, at least they let you buy the Sudafed. Here in Texas, not only do you get carded…you can only buy a certain amount a month! Both spouse and I suffer allergies and used Sudafed on a regular basis. We have to alternate buying it, so we don’t go over the alloted amount. Sometimes, Big Brother is a pain in the r-ear.
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6:47 pm on April 6th, 2008
Get well soon Lisa.
9:56 pm on April 6th, 2008
Oh no!! I’m sorry you’re feeling yucky.
I know all about the getting card for cold medicine. The Advil/Cold/Sinus combination is one of my favorite meds because it actually works for my ailments. I was so surprised when they pulled it and put it behind the pharmacy wall and require carding to get it. Now I’m scared to use it too much because (a) it’s such a procedure to get it and (b) they probably track how often I buy it.
3:03 am on April 7th, 2008
Advil/Cold/Sinus is good! Good week!
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9:12 am on April 7th, 2008
I’ve got a very minor infection in my left ear which I’m already complaining about, so your being a whiny baby is completely understandable.
I hope you feel better soon!
9:15 am on April 7th, 2008
@Shelly - thanks for dropping by! Sounds like the Texas laws regarding Sudafed are more strict than they are here. wow
9:16 am on April 7th, 2008
@Dino - thank you
9:17 am on April 7th, 2008
@Jammie - a REAL friend would hop a flight to Wisconsin and spoon feed me homemade chicken soup until I felt better![:-\](http://justagirlintheworld.com/smilies/yahoo_question.gif ":-\")
”
…and I bet you’re on some federal *list* somewhere for Sudafed abuse! haha
9:18 am on April 7th, 2008
@Joni - I hope YOUR ear doesn’t get any worse.. I wouldn’t wish this on ANYone! Thank you…I hope I feel better soon, too
10:11 am on April 7th, 2008
Wisconsin has has these rules for a bit now but
I live in Milwaukee where they have been
enforced for past two years. Your small town
might be different. Huffing, has been
a problem for some years with teenagers. Well,
I have been out of High School for 6 years and
it was a problem back then. Hope you feel
better.
2:12 pm on April 8th, 2008
Get well soon.
5:01 pm on April 8th, 2008
Whatever happened to the serious New Year’s resolution of taking better care of yourself…and not ignoring the early warning signs of a serious illness. I always thought that nurses knew better.
10:09 pm on April 8th, 2008
Chris - thank you..I’m hoping to feel better soon
10:11 pm on April 8th, 2008
Jeane - thank you. I had heard of the huffing thing.. it was around when I was in school, too — seems to be a bigger problem these days, though.
10:17 pm on April 8th, 2008
Tom..I never was any good at new years resolutions. I should know better. And who is ignoring symptoms? I actually made it to the doc’s office twice in less than a week.
I have an appt. about Ben in the city on Friday, I’m hoping to also see my specialist then, as well, if he has the availability. Planning on calling him in the morning, since, while the pain is gone - the hearing has not returned yet.
Not ignoring.. just procrastinating.
4:37 pm on April 9th, 2008
Hey Lisa, so sorry to hear about your illness. This has been a year for crap infecting all my friends and myself.
I have been fighting sinusitis and laryngitis for three weeks. My right ear has been ringing for almost as long.
I was carded, and registered! for Sudafed. Crazy.
I pray you get better quickly. Mine is almost gone.
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7:46 pm on April 10th, 2008
Holy moly! In Canada we can buy it buy the bucketload. (Sadly, buckets are not provided. We live in a Bring Your Own Bucket society.) Then again, marijuana is legal in this province, so it’s hardly surprising.
Sending feel better vibes!!
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10:55 am on April 13th, 2008
I’m sorry that you are feeling terrible. It’s that time of year again
I recently went through this with my Zyrtec-D when it went from prescription to over-the-counter. It was no problem to purchase it without ID for seven years and now I feel like I’m a potential meth-head.
Feel better soon.
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2:06 am on April 14th, 2008
Good week Lisa, now is all ok?
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8:16 am on April 14th, 2008
I am right there with you sick as a dog. Hope we both get better soon!
1:09 pm on April 14th, 2008
I wish we did that up here in Canada. They are leaving it to the Pharmacies up here and guess what? Not only are we the #1 supplier of pot to the USA but now we supply most of your Meth. I actually have no problem with the pot but I’ve seen what Meth can do to a neighbourhood and city in very little time. An exploding meth lab can destroy a city block while the meth itself can leave a neighbourhood soulless. Plus I hate dentists and anything that leads to them making more money is bad. Meth RUINS your teeth, which eventually puts more money in a dentist’s pocket.
Here in Ontario we have a voluntary program called meth watch. When you are buying these products, you could be asked to explain why you want more than 1 or 2 boxes. Since these products are easily bought everywhere tylenol is sold, including the corner store, I think it’s just a stupid afterthought. But our politicians haven’t really had to deal with the tweaker fallout, yet. They still seem to be operating under the illusion that meth is an American problem.
Lisa, I am sorry to read you are feeling poorly and I hope you improve soon, but I’m glad you were asked for i.d.
8:22 pm on April 14th, 2008
Hi Lisa,
I’ve popped by your site because I picked up WordPress for Dummies and love it–thank you so much! (Now if only I actually had time to work on my blog.)
I noticed your interesting run-in with the pharmacist. That happened once when I bought Advil, believe it or not.
I am a huge fan of Sudafed PE; it doesn’t have pseudoephedrine in it, but phenylephrine. You shouldn’t get carded, and it _really_ works.
9:11 am on April 15th, 2008
Ugh, I hate antibiotics, especially when they’re not the right ones first time around.
When I had pneumonia (haha, great way to start a story), my doctor gave me antibiotics for the flu and I ended up getting horribly allergic. It was terrible.
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