darn ear ache

I have had an ear ache since......November 2009. Seriously. At first, I thought it was from using the NetiPot at night before bed for 3 nights in a row. (I should have read all of the directions before I used it the first time.) When it didn't get better after a few days, I assumed it was a tumor. (logical, right?) A normal person might have made an appointment that same day, or at least that same year, but I never claimed to be normal. If I had a tumor, I didn't want to know and certainly didn't have time to deal with it then. After a few months when it didn't get worse (didn't get better, but didn't get worse), my tumor fears were tucked away for another time and I went back to ignoring it again. I did see a doctor last March for chest pains (after doing a photo shoot and watching the boys play 2 basketball games, but at least I did go in...it was pleurisy, btw, and not a heart attack...or tumor!) and had them look at my ear then too. He said there was a little fluid on there and to take some antihistamine for a few days. Big Daddy can attest to my medicine aversion. I try. Really, I do. But I hate taking medicine. So I took it a few times and went on my way. It hurts, but not too badly, just enough to be annoying.
Last week, it hit me that I am flying to Florida in a few days (another post for another day) and I really don't want to fly with an ear ache. So I sucked it up and found a doctor and went in on Thursday. There is still a little fluid in there but not enough to cause problems so he sent me for head x-rays (Princess P enjoyed getting to watch this from the little room in the back of the x-ray room). They showed a little swelling in my sinus cavity so he prescribed 6 days of prednisone. My dad, sister, brother-in-law have all taken pred. and it scares me. I didn't want to even fill the rx but did...the flying with an ear ache scares me more. The side effects can be wicked...but I seem to have all the opposite side effects that they had. It is the darndest thing! When they took them, they didn't sleep for weeks....I can't stay awake! They are supposed to make to make you starving...my mom said, "you will want to eat your shoe!". I am so nauseous that I can't stand to even make a shopping list.  Basically, I have all the symptoms of being pregnant without the end result of a baby. I pray that instead, the end result is NO ear pain....but it is still hurting *sigh*

The good news is that my right hand had been hurting horribly for the past few weeks too (I assumed...no, not a tumor, carpel tunnel...see, I am slightly logical sometimes!) and it has stopped hurting completely. So, while my ear may well explode while I am flying, I can edit pictures and surf the web pain-free. Yippee....and good night!