LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- I can't hear you.
Really, I have not been able to hear the radio, the TV, a church organ, my barking dog, or my husband since I woke up Sunday morning.
The total silence was a shock, but for transparency's sake I have to admit my hearing had been impaired since Wednesday, when I woke up and found that my right ear felt clogged.
On Wednesday I suspected it was yet another symptom of what I was calling "the cold from hell": Started Feb. 17 with a scratchy throat, advanced to dry cough and fever on Feb. 20 and 21, and turned to congestion and a productive cough on Feb. 22. On March 1, the right ear went.
Despite the fact that I'm a medical journalist and spend a great deal of time talking to clinicians, I myself am no fan of doctor visits. Moreover, I don't seek medical care for colds since I suspect it is a virus and little can be done (except shell out for a co-pay).
But with both ears out and plans to board a plane at 6:00 am Monday, I thought I needed to commit to seeking care.
My first choice was the local urgi-care center that is open 7 days a week -- except last Sunday. It was closed for a staff conference. Next choice was a visit to the emergency department at what remains of Lakewood Hospital. (The hospital, which is owned by city and leased to the Cleveland Clinic, is in the process of being replaced by an outpatient center, but the ER is open and will stay open in the transition.)
Good news immediately greeted us: no one waiting in chairs. I went to the registration window, gave them my name, they asked a question that I couldn't hear but eventually we agreed who I was and where I lived. I stuck out my hand and received a snappy wrist band.
I had barely sat down before my name was called and my husband poked me and shouted to me that they were calling my name.
I walked through the doors, met a very nice nurse who called up my clinic record and proceeded to confirm the information by a process of getting up, leaning into my face and loudly asking for confirmation. He took vital signs and then my doctor arrived.
The doc, a really affable young man named Ibrahim, carefully leaned close to me to ask about my symptoms. He then checked my chart, asked a few more questions. Checked my meds. Then he looked into my ears: oh, my! Yep, acute suppurative otitis media in both and, looks like the sinuses are infected too.
He told me he was going to put me on Augmentin, plus Flonase and Claritin (Rx). He said I might need an ENT referral if it didn't respond, but in any case he wanted me to have a follow-up in about 3 days. He entered all of this into my record.
"Just wait a few minutes and I will be back with your prescriptions," he said. He also said he wanted to follow up (a MyChart message) but I also gave him my business card.
A few minutes later, a nurse came by with the scripts and instructions. "Do you need my insurance information?" I asked. "No, it's all in your chart, you can go now."
And that, dear reader, is why I love my EHR. No fuss, no muss.
P.S. Ibrahim did reach out Monday to ask how I was doing and if I did get on the plane. He again offered an ENT referral.