20 seconds

Brennon had his ENT appointment on Wednesday.  Randy told me back in March that when he'd made the appointment, they told him that they had moved.  I always print out a very detailed daily itinerary when people come to watch our kids, complete with leave times to arrive a few minutes early, appointment times in parenthesis, and addresses for every place she'll need to drive to, to make things just a little easier to plan the day.  When making it up this time, I googled the doctor's name in search of his new address.  Since it was a different address than the last time we went to him, I put that one down.  Jackie arrived at the appointed place- a few minutes early- only to hear that they'd moved.  Again.  Last month.  (Three different addresses in two years)  And since she doesn't know that part of Richland, she had to call me for directions, which made me super anxious that things were so stressful for her.  Of Course they had moved last month!  When times are stressful at the Dirks' home, they are stress-ful!

After taking Brennon to Kadlec Express for the second time over Spring Break, it dawned on me that I only look for ways to help his pain, never for ways to clear the eustachian tubes.  After 15 years of ear problems with four of my kids, I actually cannot fathom why it hasn't dawned on me before.  I went onto Pinterest in search of natural remedies to clear them.  The very first thing to pop up was a video of a doctor showing you a way to clear them.  It was as if he was speaking directly to my heart-- I just knew this had to work.

{The 20-second cure:}  Take both ear lobes and pull them straight out (not tugged down), so they are parallel with the shoulder.  While doing this, open your mouth wide and then jut your chin as forward as you can.  Alternate these two motions, all the while holding your lobes out, for twenty seconds.  Do this daily and you'll keep your tubes clear.

I sat there in silence after the video, wondering why the heck I had never thought to try and fix the problem, instead of just fixing the pain.  15 years of ear problems, and it had never occurred to me.  How do I function as a mother again?

That night I was a mom on a mission.  I had Brennon do it many times that night, probably 25 times.  I also took a vibrating wand and massaged the tubes (which I thought ran down the back of the neck from the ear, but actually run from the ear to the nose.  Again, 15 years of being wrong) to get the fluids warm and moveable.  While doing this for about 15 minutes, Brennon jerked.  Hard.  "Mom, it just POPPED!"  I continued to massage his face and neck, skeptical that it could have worked that same day, and so fast.  When I asked him to do it again the next morning, he asked, "Why?  Don't you remember that it popped?  I can hear again!"  I thought we were all clear forever more, but when his headaches started up again last week, I was back to thinking that his ears were still clogged, so I kept the appointment time.

Nope!!!  Everything was clear.  I am a believer in the "20-second cure."  I've had him do it daily, so I hope that he can get into the habit of clearing the tubes so that we never have to go through this ENT stuff again.  His headaches were most likely allergy related.  But, being so close to all of the ear stuff that has been plaguing him since his birthday in February, I just reverted back to blaming the ears.  No tubes.  No surgery.  No medications.  Just clear ears and a happy mom... who also feels a bit guilty that the appointment ended up being useless after the moving fiasco.

Just so you know:  The 20'second cure can be used for sinus stuff as well as ear stuff.  Since they are all interconnected, do it when you are feeling stuffy.  I love stuff like this!