Lessons In Ear Care

After writing about Caleb's injury, why not add on a painful Abby story?

I cannot remember if I mentioned this before, but one of Abby's Christmas gifts was getting her ears pierced.  She had been begging for awhile, but then finally stopped-you know what, I will let her tell you the story.  She wrote about it at school with the theme being, "Teasing Mom doesn't work!"

Once I really wanted to get my ears pierced and I told my mom and dad that I would clean the whole bathroom.  I teased and teased but it didn't work.  I even cleaned my room.  For about five years I kept teasing my mom.  But the only answer was No, No, No, No and mabe.  Mabe almost always means No.  After about five years of asking and asking and asking and asking I finally got my ears pierced.  But I had to stop asking for a long, long, long, long, long, long time to get them done for a Christmas present.  The end.

First of all, she did not offer to clean the bathroom.  No one in this family has ever offered such a treat.  Secondly, the maybe meaning no thing is kind of true.  She has learned young.

Anyway, Abby got her ears piereced and has done a great job taking care of them.  However, a couple of weeks ago, she ran out of her ear solution.  Instead of driving to the mall to buy a new $9 bottle, I figured that peroxide could do the trick for the last two weeks of treatment.  It is a cleansing type of solution, right?

Not exactly.  Apparently, it dries the ear out more.  Whoops.  After awhile, one of her ears started to get red and sore.  I applied neosporin and attempted to move the earrings back and forth, which suddenly created a stream of blood and puss.

My apologies.

We immediately got the correct ear solution and continued to treat her ears like we should have been.  For a few days, her ears continued to leak fluid, but it was a good thing, because her ears started to heal.

Now, for the hurtful part.  When I got the solution, I took her earrings out so that I could really clean her ears and the earrings.  Well, I tried to take them out.  Have you ever seen the little studs that they give little girls for their first pair of earrings?  It was almost impossible to take them out.  Picture this (if you can handle it)-Abby's one ear was slightly swollen, my too large fingers were trying to pull the earrings from the backing, she was in tears, and then, out of nowhere, her earring went into her ear.  The actual earring-IN HER EAR! 

As the screaming continued and I blindly attempted to wiggle it back through the tiny hole, my heart hurt for my little girl.  I finally got it back through, then all the way out and gave her poor little ear a break.  After cleaning everything, I gently put the earrings back in and my brave girl was okay.

And this is exactly why I did not want to give her earrings when she was younger. 

She is now fully recovered and today is the day that she can officially wear other earrings.  I tried to take them out last night and was not successful.  The backs are just so tight and so small!  I have heard other moms complain of the same thing so it is not just me.  I am thinking using some vaseline might help?

I write all of this as a warning to other parents of little girls.  Use the correct ear solution!