Thursday, November 21, 2013
Counterintuitive works again
Sometimes intuition is wrong.
Every now and then I'll get water in one ear while showering. Usually the water will bubble out fairly soon, aided by head-shaking. Last night it didn't pop out on its own; it stayed there and made life miserable. Bone-conduction effects made everything sound clangy and bongy.
Still there in the morning. Tried intuitive solutions like poking rolled-up toilet paper into the ear. The paper came out wet, but the eardrum was still firmly stopped.
Well, what the hell. My intuition about bodily stuff is usually wrong, so let's go the other way. Instead of removing water, INSERT water.
Tipped my head sideways and used a washcloth to splash some hot** water directly into the stopped ear. Instant result! Didn't have to toss the new water out; didn't take time to dissolve some kind of blockage; just returned to normal NOW.
Aaahhh. Great relief. The world has two sides again!
**Footnote on hot water: Never put lukewarm water in your ear. You'll get dizzy!
**Footnote on hot water: Never put lukewarm water in your ear. You'll get dizzy!
Labels: TMI
¶ 4:29 PM
