So over a week ago I started coming down with what I thought was a cold. I don't like running off to doctors at the sign of a sniffle, so I let it run its course thinking that in about three days I'd start feeilng better. That didn't happen. After about eight days I was still getting worse. And Len had whatever it was, too. Then this morning at about 4 a.m. I woke up feeling fluid in my ears. When I moved, I felt a crackling and then a POP! and a clear, sticky fluid came out of my ears.
Stuffy nose? Eh, it's a cold. Fluid leaking out of your ears? Proooobbbbably a sign that you should see a doctor. A call to the nurse's hot line confirmed this.
So we trundled in and found out that yes, I have a perforated eardrum, which was caused by a sinus infection coupled with developing walking pneumonia.
I hope I didn't infect any of my coworkers this week.