ear wax for 1,120 yen

have always known that I have a tiny hole in each eardrum of each ear. these little holes, that appeared naturally, serve a positive role by allowing sinus fluids to escape via my ears in the form of ear waxy type substance, releaving ear pressure and the like.

over recent years i have been increasingly aware of not be able to hear perfectly well and of there being a constant ringing in the background. along with this was a knowledge that my ears were very sensitive to loudish noises with irritation and agitation easily following.

now it's shocking the number of years that these things are allowed to continue until someone does something about it. after some superficial cleaning of the ears yesterday morning the decision was made to get myself off to an ear specialist and have a long overdue deep wax build-up cleansing. so following a quick websearch such a specialist was located within 2 minutes walk of my apartment's front door.

off i went with my national health card with Karin accompanying me to assist in communicating in the ever mysterious tongue and completion of the pre-consultation health questionnaire.

a short wait had me then sitting in an old dentist type chair, a metal funnel type object in my ear and an ever so slightly geeky, goofy-like, Japanese doctor peering, poking, proding, scraping, vacuming. the left ear was reported as "mmm...sukoshi aru'...or there's a little bit there. the right ear as "ARE!! ..takusan arimasu" ...or Gee! there's alot in there. So after a greater degree of peering, poking, proding, scraping and vacuming the doctor announced that the procedure was finished. I then learned the shocking and embarrassing extent of the sitution as I turn my head toward a small boat like paper tray on the doctors side table. An approximate total of about three kidney bean sized, hard, black rocks of ear wax sat there. "Whats that?", I wondered!! "Where did that come from?" I questioned!! "Are they little bits of cotton wool with some black stuff on the outside??" Alas. I reluctantly accepted the truth.

Mumbling a few words along the lines of "Oh, I am surpised",　"that's unbelievable", "that's filthy", "Sorry to trouble you ", and "Excuse me", I shuffled out the door , handed over 1,120 yen and vowed to spend the same, on the same, each year for the rest of my life.

the cicadas sang clearly, beautifully and loudly today.