A Ringing Anniversary

ByHeather

Three years ago today I woke up in a hotel room in Warrington UK with a shrill ringing in my right ear. Imagine the smoke alarm going off in the hall. Now imagine that you can’t escape the sound. In my pursuit of relief I have been seen by:

  • Three general physicians
  • Four ENT’s (ear, nose, throat specialists)
  • Two hearing specialists
  • One acupuncturist
  • One chiropractor
  • Two dentists

I have had a half-dozen hearing tests and three MRI’s. After three years, all that I know for sure is that what I have is called tinnitus and that the medical system is badly in need of repair.

I continue to remain optimistic that someday this incessant ringing in my ear will subside. I grew up in farm country in Southern Ontario, Canada, far from the sounds and the bustle of urban life. I treasure silence and the calming background of nature. Alas, silence is no more. I have learned to live with constant sound in the background as a mask to the ringing. I have honed my concentration skills to reach beyond my ear, beyond the external sounds, and focus on the thoughts at hand. I have even learned to sleep with earbuds and an iPod while the sounds of recorded crickets draw my mind away from my ear and back to those warm summer nights in rural Canada where the chorus of crickets and frogs would sing me to sleep.

Similar Posts

  • Elevated Metabolism

    ByHeather

    I am struck by the word “metabolism.” It’s such a great word. It denotes a process in which an organic system transforms inputs and raw materials into energy. Our bodies take proteins, carbohydrates, and fats and transform them into tissue and stored energy. An “increased metabolism” is one in which this transformation process is occurring…

  • Impulse Control

    ByHeather

    My dad was always trying to make people laugh, often with corny jokes and bad puns. His standard farewell when departing a social gathering was always, “We’ll see you in the spring if we get through the mattress.” Ba-dump, bump! He often proclaimed that he was on a “see food” diet. Reaching for whatever food…

  • No to 1,000 Things

    ByHeather

    As part of the rhythm of my productivity, I declare a “Theme for the Week” each Monday morning. At a 50,000 foot level, it helps me remember what I deem to be important that week. It’s what I’m working on.

    The first Theme of the Week for 2013 is adapted from Steve Jobs. He has been quoted on multiple occasions as having said that the hardest part of good design is saying no to a thousand things. He said that it is not enough to be brilliant in figuring out what goes into your product. You have to be ruthless in paring down and leaving out what doesn’t belong.

    It occurs to me that life — and especially productivity — thrives on the same principle.

  • A Stolen iPad — Not: A Cascade of Judgment Errors

    ByHeather

    I have an active mind — sometimes too active. On a recent trip to the local Apple Store I got caught up in the elevated buzz that surrounds the release of new iPhones. When I discovered that my iPad was missing from my purse I compounded a cascade of errors in judgement to end up looking and feeling like a fool. Upon reflection, I learned a lot, not the least of which was to not jump to conclusions. Doh!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.