All hearing has now gone in the gunk-filled ear. It was something like 5pm before queasiness and dizziness subsided enough for me to feel vaguely human. Spent a lot of the day before this point propped up against a corner in the bedroom, sitting as upright as possible.
Things did improve somewhat after this but you know it's been a dull day when the most exciting thing in it was watching Tim Henman play tennis.