the tinnitus that wasn't

My spring break is almost over. The idea of going back to school makes me start hyperventilating (I'm only exaggerating slightly.) I think I speak for all the students and teachers of the world when I scream, "IS IT SUMMER YET?!"

Anyway, I was home alone on this lovely spring morning, since my mom and sister had some college meeting to attend, and my dad had work. I'd just finished draining the Pacific Ocean taking a shower, and my dog excitedly ran up to me, with that I've-really-gotta-pee look in his eyes. My hair was wet, so my CI's were off.

I ran to the back door, with a smile on my face, laughing at the fact that I'm basically my dog's slave. As I shut the door, I noticed a strange sensation in my left ear.

My ever-present tinnitus sounded...different. Rather than the lovely chirping I'm used to, it sounded like a faint, high-pitched whining/ringing noise.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Whoop-de-doo. Bring out the marching band and parade floats. But, you see, when you've heard the same chirping for a year (it's been exactly a year and 2 days since my 2nd CI surgery!), it's a pretty big deal when it suddenly sounds different.

I briefly worried if that meant something odd was going on with my ear. No change is good in my book.  I rubbed my ear, to see if it made it sound different. It didn't. I shuffled away from the door, pondering this change.

That's when I noticed it getting louder. I realized the noise sounded oddly familiar...almost like the alarm for our home security system. No...it couldn't be! I went over to the alarm keypad to look at the screen. You know,  just to be sure.

I looked at it, only to be greeted with the words "ALARM. BACK DOOR OPEN"

I silently cursed my mom's fear of getting the house broken into, and quickly punched the 4-digit code that was engraved in my memory, while freaking out. The last thing I needed was the police coming over, with me (nearly) stone-deaf, dripping wet hair, and in my raggedy bath robe. I mean, isn't that how people get tased?

At that very moment, as if on cue, my mother and sister walked in, to see the horrified look on my face. My sister simply said "Wow, nice going." and walked away. My mom soon called the security people, and everything was settled and that all too familiar chirping returned.

Zach the Lhasa-Poo. He's not as innocent as he looks!

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