Today we were at Ara Damansara Medical Centre for my other half's appointment. She had another audiometry test, which is longer than the last one due to more elaborate testing (see figure below). After two weeks of taking steroids, the curve that corresponds to the nerves seem to be responding well. However her hearing is still impaired according to what the doctor said as conducting loss. We were thrown a few medical terms for which I write here: grommet, tympanosclerosis, otosclerosis. From the doctor's brief study of the curves drawn by the audiometry tests, my other half is probably suffering from otosclerosis. The treatment for this probably involves surgery and the doctor has referred us to the public hospital in Seremban this coming Monday, as the surgery will be more invasive than the previous one. We can no longer afford such treatment at the private hospital.
My other half joked a little about her getting these rare medical cases: first, the spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak which rarely happens without any form of head injury, and second, otosclerosis where her impaired hearing occurs at low frequencies (usual impaired hearing involves higher frequencies). As much as I want to be humoured, this is no joking matter. Both of these will cause further financial stress on me and today I also heard about another financial worry. With her impaired hearing, she could no longer perform her normal doctor duties and any possible near-term locum seems to be out of question. Note that she has already closed her clinic in Rembau years back and the usual clinics where she sometimes did locum have mostly closed down. The only means of help to alleviate financial stresses has been my part-time teaching duties, which I will probably continue in the coming April semester.
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