Went back to the doctor's office today. My ear had improved somewhat, but not enough, so he made me lay down on this table that looked like a scary dentist chair. He then proceeded to stick a "little vacuum" reminiscent of the sucker thing they stick in your mouth at the dentists into my ear. After some soft whooshing sounds, I all the sudden felt a small tug in the inside of my ear and then a thud! The doctor pulled the vacuum out of my ear, wiped it on a piece of cotton and proceeded to show me a black piece of what I assume was wax that was slightly (and I mean only slightly) smaller than a pencil eraser. Did I mention it was black?

Now I'm taking more drops (the same turpentine drops as before) and two pills a day for the next ten days to clear up a little redness on my ear drum.


Best part of this whole endeavor: it only cost $13. 

A nagging ear-ache (more of a squish and an itchy sensations, really) necessitated a trip to the ENT (Ear Nose Throat doctor) today. This, of course, comes after a day of, shall we say, less then comfortable adventures of the intestinal nature. Suffice to say, I have a tender stomach and... lets just leave it at that.

The doctor's visit was very much unlike the last time I visited a doctor in India. That particular visit, I was essentially called a dirty American (this from a doctor in a country where people bathe in buckets full of water that potentially comes from water sources infected with all sorts of fun and nasty bugs), had a boil on my bottom painfully lanced and cleansed, and received shots--twice a day, one in the left arm in the morning, one in the right in the evening. This time, the doctor asked some questions, peeked in my ear with that triangular light instrument, put a tuning fork on various parts of my skull, etc. Pretty standard. He then informed me that I had wax on my right ear drum (I was just thankful it was wax and not a bug--I'd been having some anxiety that the squishy sound and itchy feeling might be produced by a bug tunneling about in my ear canal--thank you Grandpa for THAT nightmare!) and that I should take some drops four times a day and come back to see him next Monday.  Fabulous--except for the drops part. I hate drops. 

So after not paying (apparently we do that next time?) off to the pharmacist we went, purchased the drops (a whopping 42 Rs--about $1. Not even, about $0.95). This is what he gave me:

So you're going, "okay, looks pretty standard." Turn the box over to see....


Take a look at the THIRD ingredient. That's right, folks, it's TURPENTINE... as in "used to thin and/or remove paint" turpentine (okay--in all reality, probably not, but still...).

I better have the cleanest ears every after this ("this" being drops 4 times a day, for the next week).