What a journey this has been. After my last post I enjoyed two days of good enough hearing. My. Tour mates were surprised I could speak in complete sentences and make conversation. They mostly seemed to appreciate my humorous observations about our sightseeing. Day three rolled around and I was completely closed down again. I could hear muffled sounds and the never ending humming in my ears. Honestly, I was so disheartened.

One of the dear men on our trip bought me an ice cream and likely regretted it after I accepted the cone with tears rolling down my face. I mumbled a thank you and sat at a picnic table and enjoyed my pity party with ice cream. He reminded me of Dad, who really thought ice cream could solve lots of the world’s problem. (I think Dad might have been on to something.) My ice cream friend patted me on the back and said, “You really are a tough one.”

So here’s the update. On Wednesday, I walked into the A and E, Accident and Emergency, and had another consult with an emergency medical person. We made the decision that I needed to see an ENT for additional consultation. So I made the difficult choice to stay behind from the tour group as they moved on to Aberdeen from Inverness.

You see, dear reader, I’ve put on my very bravest front throughout this trip. I did not want sympathy or to be a burden to anyone. Our tour guide Malcolm has been great at finding me hospitals and care all along the way. I think he’s surprised that I am still on the tour. When he was talking to the head office about my predicament they wondered if they would need to have someone help me get to the train station or the hospital. Malcolm said, “She’s a brave sort and will be fine. She figures stuff out.” (We were on speaker phone, so I could hear the conversation.).

A Nurse Practitioner specializing in Ear, Nose and Throat issues, checked out my ears. I heard another, “Oh my, that’s not good,” and she was determined to get these ear canals flushed and sorted out. After 20 minutes of suction and water Alyssa had thoroughly cleaned out my ear canals. She said it was meticulous work and felt sure that now we have a chance of treating this infection. My ear canals and ear drums were so crusted with the remnants of the infection that the medicine could not reach the original of the infection. I appreciated her vigor and determination with the suctioning. It was a bit painful but at this point I was willing to deal with it.

I have a new ear drop prescription on board and I will receive the results of the swab that was taken yesterday. I can hear so much and the Scottish brogue is music to my ears at this point. So far I have not been charged anything for the car I have received. I did fill out some paperwork which may result in a bill for the services, but I’m really not worried about that at all. This is why I bought the travel insurance.

Now I am on the train from Inverness to Aberdeen plugged into the charger and writing away on my iPad as I enjoy the beautiful scenery. The weather is beautiful today and it is the Queen Jubilee so the country is in the midst of a very large celebration. Even the Scots, who are not always big fans of the royals, seem to be caught up in the excitement.

I’ll sign off for now. I’ve tried to edit this one with a better eye toward clarity but without running every paragraph through my Grammarly app this is as good as it gets. Blessings friends. I have so many other experiences I will write about as time allows as I hopefully enjoy some days of good health, great weather and an eagerness to see it all in my last week here. Shelly