Having a hard day today.
My ears are killing me. I’m in so much pain, I’m angry… and I want to cry. My ears are throbbing. They hurt so bad I can barely tolerate my glasses — even when I’m not wearing a mask.
So far, none of the ear saver designs I have tried have worked. They’ve either: failed to hold the mask in place; increased tension on mask elastic speeding up the sawing process; simply moved the pain to a different part of my ears; have caused headaches because they don’t fit my head properly; or have caused a catastrophic mask failure.
We are continuing to try to find a length-to-width ratio that spreads out the tension without shredding the masks. When it’s wide enough to get the elastic off the ears (about 2″ – 3″), it’s usually too wide for the elastic loops and the masks fail. When it’s long enough to preserve the elastic, at least one side of the loop is sawing on part of your ear. My wife’s stiching up a headband with multiple buttons. I’m going to try it tonight and see if I get any relief. The headbands that several folks had up here seemed like they were for people with smaller heads than mine and had only single buttons… again, just moving the pain.
And, until now, I never thought much about the size of my head. My hat size is 7 and 1/8 (ish) — U.K. 7 (ish). I didn’t think my head was all that large. Maybe it’s my ears that are weird.
I know I am being a whiny butt, but my ears are raw and painful. One of my coworkers has bloody ears from the elastic abrasion. He’s having the same trouble I am. We have full, fat heads. He also has glorious hair, but that’s another story. Several of us experience daily headaches. Several complain of jaw pain. I know it’s from constantly being in a mask.
I know the folks in the E.D. have it worse. I know the N95s are excruciating compared to the masks we have to wear. But I tell you, I look at the folks from Surgical Specialties, who get the masks with the double ties… and I am envious. Those narrow ribbon ties that secure the mask to your head, and not to your ears, are so much more comfortable.
My favorite homemade masks use dual bands of soft, elastic ribbon, or two shoe strings. They are plush and comfortable. They lack the thin, elastic cable that saws at your flesh every time you move.
In the image above, you can see how the mask hugs my head, instead of pulling on my ears. The image doesn’t make it visible, but both straps completely miss my ears. The lower passes close to the bottom of my ear, but doesn’t touch it. And the straps provide a cushion against my glasses. This is one of my three very favorite masks. I owe my friend who sewed them a debt of gratitude I may not be able to repay.
Yes, I know I’m doing nothing but whining today. But, sometimes, diaries are like that. Have you ever read the Psalms? Even though David didn’t write them all, they’re generally referred to as The Psalms of King David. And I’ve often thought that they seemed to be a kind of diary. If you ever read them more than one at a time, you see that there is every flavor of humanity in them. At times the psalmist is humble, worshipful, effusive. Positively gushy. Yet, at other times, he’s angry, spiteful and, yes, downright whiny. So, I’m just gonna say this is like that, if I may be so bold as to equate this humble endeavor with the Psalms.
Happy Monday.
Lori O'Ferell 