I went to Denver yesterday to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (Otolaryngologist) to see what's what with my sinuses.
He listened well, but had 3 different phone calls that pulled him away from me so his communication wasn't so great...
He sprayed stuff up my nose and down my throat to "open me up" so he could "take a look up there" and then left me on my own. He warned me before he sprayed that it wouldn't taste or smell nice... he didn't warn me it would make everything numb. It felt like I couldn't swallow. So there I am... sitting in a tiny room, by myself, can't swallow and staring at this "scope" - long freaking instrument - and I'm guessing I had a terrified/comical look on my face because when the nurse walked by she stopped and retraced her steps. She said "Feels like you can't swallow?" I nodded. "You can, it feels like you can't but you can. You're just numb." My reply, "Right now I'm more concerned with where *that* thing is going." She had placed this two foot scope right in front of me. She apologized and closed the case, explained the procedure and assured me that it wouldn't hurt.
After the nurse left - and before the doctor returned - I sent a text message to my mom "You should see the size of the thing he's about to shove up my nose and down my throat."
He came back and when I asked he assured me it wouldn't hurt. Then he started trying to poke that thing up my nose. My response "Owie that kind of hurts." So he tried the other nostril. "Uhm. Ow! That hurts too."
Apparently, I have a "deviated septum," which basically means the septum (cartilidgey-part) between my nostrils is crooked. It also means he couldn't get his scope up there. Apparently deviated septums can cause chronic sinus problems as well. Uh huh.
So now I have to go for a CT so he can get a picture of my sinuses. Once he sees that we'll go from there.
On the plus side the numbing wore off after a couple of hours, but the stuff he sprayed to open up my sinuses lasted until this morning! I was actually able to breath out of my nose!
After consulting with mom we decided it might have happened when I was on a horse - the horse bucked up and hit my nose. I insisted it hurt, but it only bled a little and then I was fine. So we thought it was fine. No bruising etc. So it was either that incident or it's been that way since birth.
After the doctor I went to see Wolverine. It was ok - goodish. I was slightly disappointed. Thought it had so much more potential.
Back to work today and my kids are still being really nice to me. Told my mentor teacher I should be sick (or fake being sick) more often!
Also - yearbooks are in! All my hard work and stress paid off - they look pretty good!