Bend Sinister Vs. Q-Tips

There's a reason why Q-Tip boxes warn you not to put them in your ear canal.

Bend Sinister drummer Jason Dana has suffered pain and hearing loss after using a Q-Tip, which has put the band's plans to record later this month on hold.

Bend Sinister vocalist/keyboardist Dan Moxon wrote in a recent MySpace blog entry that Dana showered, used a Q-Tip to get the water out of his ear and went to bed on May 12. He was awakened a few hours later by a growing pain in his ear, which continued to worsen until he panicked and bicycled to the hospital.

Doctors could find nothing wrong with the drummer and gave him some mild painkillers. The pain returned the next day worse than before and was accompanied by a ringing sensation. Dana's condition deteriorated to the point where even moving caused him pain and he felt as though he had the flu.

Bend Sinister had a show scheduled for May 15, which Dana was only able to play while wearing ear protection and after taking the extremely strong painkiller, Oxycontin.

The drummer has since lost all hearing in one ear, and the band's recording plans have been cancelled for the time being. Dana is scheduled to fly to Europe on Sunday despite concerns the plane's air pressure could further damage his eardrum.

Moxon plans to travel from Bend Sinister's hometown of Vancouver to Toronto in the near future to spend a week in songwriting workshops with EMI representatives. You can hear his demo recording of new song "Everlasting Fears" here.

Bend Sinister are scheduled to play the Dawson City Music Festival in Dawson City, Yukon on July 17.