The day I had to give up my trusty bobby pin!!

Its true. 

I've given it up. 

Oh the temptation is strong. 

It's a real addiction. 

No more Bobby Pins used for ear cleaning. 

Oh I've heard the dangers of using objects to clean the ears. 

I'm just an ear fanatic. I don't like chunks of ear wax being visible. Or worse than chunks is gold runny ear wax running out the ear. 

Y'all know my obsession with ears. It's not like I haven't blogged about it before. 

Here's my recovery story. Yes, it began with tragedy, but it has a happy ending. 

2 weeks ago Josiah started feeling bad. He was coughing his head off, but didn't complain of anything else hurting. Then at bed time he was in soooo much pain with an earache. He was crying for me to help him. I used to have earaches a lot when I was little so I knew how he felt. I gave him Tylenol and ear drops. Nothing was helping. He begged me to clean his ear. And well, I had a willing victim so a mom had to do what a mom had to do. I checked his ear and he had a big chunk of wax sticking out his ear canal. So I just did a quick scoop to get it out and Josiah jerked and screamed. He cried and said it hurt really bad. So I got frustrated and said, "I'm going to bed. I was trying to help you and you jerked up on me."

So I went on to bed. Of course I couldn't sleep because I felt guilty. So I got up about 10 minutes later to check on him. I wasn't prepared for what I seen. He had blood dripping out his ear. Pools of blood. Not just drops of blood. So I put cotton in his ear and he drifted off to sleep. Said it didn't hurt anymore. I was worried sick and started texting my friend that was a nurse and googling info about ruptured ear drums. I realized it didn't warrant an er visit, but I would have to take him to the DR the next morning. 

I kept checking on him all night and the bleeding never slowed down. I cried and cried all night. 

The next morning the bleeding had finally slowed down, but there was still fresh blood all in his ear. His pillow even had a bloodstain on it. 

We went on to the Dr.

When I get nervous I talk. I talk a lot. Anything you want to know just comes rolling out. So when the Dr asks "What's going on with Josiah today?"......... It just came rolling out. I spilled the beans. I confessed. 

"I did it with a bobby pin."

I might as well tell her. I'd rather it be me than Josiah to rat me out. 

She checked his ear and said, "Yep, it ruptured. It's a mess in there. Full of infection and lots of blood."  She checked his other ear.  

"Oh my!!!  He has a horrible ear infection. This ear drum is about to rupture as well. There's all kinds of blood behind his ear drum pushing up against the drum."

She then rechecked the other ear again and turned to look at me. I was ready for the "never ever put any object in the ear canal, blah, blah, blah. How can you call yourself a mother" and so on. 

But that's not what happened. Maybe what I deserved, but I was spared. 

She began to explain that his ears were really bad infected. Possibly what happened was what I actually thought was wax, was really his ear drum that was inflamed and sticking out of the ear canal. When I touched the wax (which was really the ear drum) it caused it to rupture. That's why he jerked like he did. All the blood that was pouring out was everything behind the ear drum that was causing so much pressure. She then told me I actually did him a favor. Once the ear drum ruptures all that pressure eases off and there's no more pain. I guess that explains why he went on to sleep right after that. Of course I didn't because I layed there thinking I just caused my child to go deaf and I dreaded the drs visit because I was the one who had hurt him.

When the Dr told Josiah his ear would heal on it's own and he would be just fine, he dropped his head and his eyes swelled up with tears. 

He said with a trembling voice, "I thought I was going to have to wear hearing aides like my Papaw."  It made me feel awful. I hadn't realized that he had been worrying about losing his hearing. Even the Dr was about to cry. Ha ha

We left the drs office with prescription ear drops and a strong antibiotic. Also with strict instructions to absolutely get no water in his ears. He wasn't happy about that because it's summer break and they love swimming and playing in the water. 

Well, over 2 weeks has come and gone. We have avoided swimming and the splash pad. We bought ear plugs for him to wear in the tub. 

His ear still had all that dry yucky blood all in his ear. I was dying, literally dying to clean his ear out with peroxide. I knew I couldn't but all that old visible blood was killing me. I refrained and eventually the ear absorbed all the yuckiness. 

Today was his follow up appointment. 

The Dr checked both ears and looked at me and said, "Both ears are fine, Mommy."

I said, "What about his ruptured ear drum?"

The Dr checked again. 

"The ear drum is completely intact.  He is just fine."

I was so relieved. 

Josiah wanted to leave right then and go jump in a pool. Ha ha

I don't think this was a coincidence or the Dr made a mistake. I seen the amount of  blood that dripped out of his ear. Something was wrong. 

God healed him is what happened. Our church had been praying for him as well as others. 

I am so thankful to serve a living God. 

HE DiDN'T HAVE TO DO IT, BUT HE DID!

And that's what has cured me from the ear cleaning craze. 

Now when my kids are bad I threaten to get a bobby pin and they stop dead in their tracks. 

I'm not saying I'm not tempted. I still check their ears. Amelia in Titus have chunks. I've decided to leave them alone. 

For now..............