I
hope Dr Malleus can figure out what’s wrong with your ears soon.
You want a few beers soon? Bit early Nurse for beer!
This is hopeless! Fancy a game of trump cards while we wait
for our appointment? Look, there’s a special Hearing Edition you can download. Really?
Gosh! So there is. “Common Ear Complaints Edition”. They really do make a pack for
everything… We had such fun with Plop Trumps on holiday,
didn’t we? Let’s hope this is slightly less… icky
than Plop Trumps! Ha! I don’t think so, check out this card…
EARWAX – it’s an 8 for ickyness. Earwax is a combination of dead skin and oil
from modified sweat glands. Eww! But look, it’s got a pretty high score
for POWERS. Earwax is the ear’s way of cleaning itself.
Dead skin is drawn out of the ear by the wax, which also offers protection against water
and other things, such as bugs. What’s more, it can help protect the body from germs.
When wax becomes stuck in the ear canal, it acts like an ear plug, blocking sounds from
hitting the eardrum. If there’s too much wax, it can be softened with wax-softening
drops and flushed out or removed by a doctor or nurse.
Very interesting. Let’s see what card’s I’ve got… Here’s one – POKING!
CHOKING? Hallux!
Only JOKING! So what’s the scores on the doors for POKING?
DAMAGE – 8. A common cause of ear problems is that something has been poked into the
ear canal. Even a Q-Tip can cause damage to the delicate skin and can push the earwax
into a big sticky lump. Poking things into your ears is also a good way for germs to
get stuck in your ear. Got a good score for AVOIDABILITY that one
– just keep pointy things out of your ears! What’s next… FOREIGN OBJECTS.
Hang on? What’s wrong with foreign objects? I love a nice French croissant. And what’s
wrong with the Statue of Liberty? That’s foreign? What’s that got to do with earholes?
It just means something that isn’t normally found there.
Foreign objects are small objects, such as beads and food which can block sound or poke
the eardrum and cause a hole. It’s a common ear complaint in young children.
Hmmm, low ick factor but HIGH for avoidability! Don’t put beads or food in your ears. Or
in your nose… or up your… ALRIGHT! We get the idea Professor. Look,
this ear complaint’s got a really low score for RARITY – It’s called OTITIS MEDIA
Didn’t they buy Manchester United the other year?
It’s the name of a condition silly! And it’s meant to be very common? Doesn’t
sound very common! I’ve never heard of it before in my life!
Otitis Media is an ear infection that happens in your middle ear, and is the most common
cause of hearing loss in children. If you’ve ever had an earache – you’ve probably
had Otitis Media. More than 85% of all children will get this at some point. Germs from the
throat and other areas can build up and obstruct the narrow canals inside the ear, causing
pain, and hearing loss. Sounds nasty! Although it has a good score
for CURABILITY – antibiotics, a special type of medicine are sometimes used or it
clears up on its own. Hey look at this one – it’s called SWIMMERS
EAR! Now, it’s not particularly common, but remember – you got this hearing problem
after the SCIENTIFIC SWIMMING GALA. Maybe that’s what you have?
This painful infection occurs when the ear canal remains wet after bathing or swimming.
It can cause the ear canal to swell shut, causing a temporary hearing loss.
Looks like Doctor Malleus is ready for us –
She’s on a bus? Well she’s going to miss our appointment at this rate!
HALLUX’S HEARING Helpdesk! WITH SUPPORT FROM PHONAK. FIND OUT MORE AT FUN KIDS LIVE
DOT COM / HALLUX