I’ve been dealing with a persistent sinus problem for a while. I figured it was just the typical allergy stuff. However, since I busted my face last year in Mineral Wells, its been chronic. I’ve been off and on seeing a Ear-Nose-Throat specialist here in Cheonsang since I arrived in January. He gives me a few antibiotics and other drugs, the junk goes away but then eventually comes back. To be honest I can remember only a few weeks when my left nostril didn’t feel like I had a three-pound booger lurking up there.

Well, the ENT dude decided to do some extra tests today when I went to see him. Normally, I pay him about $8. But today, it was significantly more – a whopping $11. I mean damn, that’s a37% increase in fees! But, hell, it’s still only $11 – and that’s just walking in the door, no appointment, and NO insurance. (Suck it, all you Americans with poor or no insurance!)

He’s determined that after last year’s broken nose, my septum has become deviated. It matches the rest of me now, I suppose. Sometime after I come back from China, I’ll have him rip open my face, rebreak my nose and fix the deviation, which has been causing chronic rhinitis. It’s not a huge infection or anything, but just a little post-nasal drip and constant talking during the day and its wreaking havoc with my throat. I hope to be rid of it soon. If it turns out it really is a three-pound booger, I’m gonna put it on eBay. You can sell anything there.