Well, that's unexpected

Since January I have been enjoying the throbbing sound of my very own heart in my right ear and not just occasionally but 24/7. I’ve been to the doctor several times and I’ve taken antibiotics, ear drops, diuretics, you name it, nothing helped so over to plan B which was seeing a specialist.

After waiting six weeks for my appointment, I started off the day with several auditory tests that measured the pressure in my ears and the classic “put on some headphones and raise your hand if you hear a squeak” one. So far so good and it turns out I have perfect hearing although many people and the pumpkin in particular, would dispute that.

I then had to wait another 75 minutes before the doctor could see me. Luckily I had Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand with me by Helen Simonson and I have to say, I’m really enjoying this book. It’s a good old fashioned love story starring two widowers in a quaint English village. I can just picture the BBC adaptation in my head already while I read.

Anyway, once I finally got to the doctor, the diagnosis was unexpected to say the least. My ears are perfectly fine and the problem seems to be from a cardio-vascular nature. “Don’t be alarmed, he said, but I suspect it’s a calcification of the artery in your neck.” All of a sudden I felt a bit faint. I’m only 29! Don’t these things normally happen to old people? Needless to say I'm a little scared now.

To assess the damage to my arteries I now have to endure a series of tests on Friday: ultrasound of my neck, scan of my head and lots of blood work. Best case scenario, I have to take meds for the rest of my life, worst case scenario I drop dead from an aneurysm before my check up. Quite unexpected indeed. Then again I shouldn’t be surprised seeing as I wasn’t exactly bred by quality live stock. Cancer, depression, cardio-vascular disease, gastro-intestinal issues, osteoporosis, bad lungs (that’s just me), you name, we’ve got!