One of the times I wished I have a small otoscope in my handbag!

I was having my sahur (meal before the start of a fasting day) with my family at my parents’house during the recent Ramadhan. My husband came to the dining table, looking uncomfortable, and told me that he feels that something is inside his ear. He thinks it’s an insect and that it’s flying around at the ear canal. He asked me to look into his ears. I looked with my bare eyes and of course I couldn’t see anything. My sister, Najat, then offered me her torchlight which she took from her room. I used the big white light but still I couldn’t see anything, plus his ear hole is pretty small! I got pissed because I couldn’t help then I played around flashing a small red light (laser-like, also from the torchlight) inside his ear canal. A few seconds later, a small fruit fly flew out like a drunkard. I guess it must have been scared and lost, unable to find its way out until it saw the red light. So I managed to “laserized” it, haha.



If I had the otoscope, I could have seen it sooner! And it really is expected from an audiologist. Countless times my family members would occasionally complain about their ears to me but all I could say is, come to the clinic, then I’ll check you out because I don’t have the equipment at the moment. If I have the otoscope, at least I could rule out minor issues like blocked ears!

So, does anyone know where I can find a cheap, small otoscope that’s less than RM50? :D

A Conference on Autism for Professionals

Autism has always been complicated. Be it in terms of assessing, diagnosing, intervention, schooling - the possibilities on what's the best way to manage autism has been endless and debatable. Challenge your mind and clinical experience by participating in this in-depth conference - Unraveling the Paradox of Autism: A Conference for Professionals this November 2011 at Sunway Medical Centre.

Please click here to register. If you register before 30th September, you'll be entitled to early bird price! So hurry, it's a conference you wouldn't want to miss! :)

Wanna win an iPad, Galaxy Tab or D5000?

Just follow these simple steps: Go to Coopown website (click here), put in your e-mail to subscribe, then go to their facebook page and like Coopown Malaysia, then follow Coopown on twitter! As easy as A, B, C!

I joined. What about you? :)

Never Take Hearing for Granted!

A blogreader recently shared this with me:

"A man reached 80 years of age and he had an infection in his ears which made him almost deaf. The doctors informed him that an operation was necessary to cure this disease. He agreed to have the operation done as he couldn’t hear anything apart from the severe pain in the ears.

When the operation was completed successfully, his doctor gave him the bill which covered all the costs.

The old man looked at the bill and started to cry. Upon seeing this, the doctor felt pity on the old man and told him that if the cost was too high then they could make some other arrangements.

The old man said “I am not crying because of the money but I am crying bechttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifause God let me hear for 80 years and He never sent me a bill.”

Moral: There are so many blessings of God which we don’t realize its importance, until it is snatched away from us."

I end this post with a tearful video:



or if it is not showing on your screen, click here.

Syawal is about forgive and forget. Have a blessed and joyful Eid Mubarak. Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri :)

Say NO to Ear Candling

OMG. I was doing some MASH work while watching “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”. In this particular episode, Khloe came by to Jenner’s house and commented that she knows that Bruce, her stepdad is concerned with his hearing. So she bought him something. A “Harmony Cone”. Guess what that is? It’s a freaking ear candle! Khloe performed ear candling on Bruce on international television! And the whole family totally believed it and was like asking her to do his other ear! A definite no-no for an audiologist!!! Sigh. I am seriously AGAINST ear candling. It’s hazardous and actually caused deaths! In fact, I wrote a really good article about it, just waiting for it to be published in the local newspaper. If it’s not, watch out for this space!




Continuing with the Kardashians, so Bruce was obviously not hearing things and as a consequent not doing his responsibilities right. So he decided to see the Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Specialist, Dr. Sugarman. Bruce did a hearing test in a small sound booth and what looked like an ancient audiometer! (Sorry, but seriously I am feeling very much proud that my centre has a better audiology clinic and audiometer, hehe). I think he’s losing his high frequencies but the doctor was kindly saying that his hearing is normal for his age. I just wonder, what norms is he using?? Dr. Sugarman was also counselling him saying that maybe Kris (his wife) can try talking to him in a gentler, clearer manner rather than nagging him or screaming at him (that’s what I concluded). That made Bruce think he has selective hearing, which he then told Kris later when he got back home. Big mistake. You don’t tell your wife you’re tuning out on her! That’s the stupidest thing to say to a wife. I hope my husband won’t do that, ever! But then they talked things over, and things were good again.

Lesson to be learnt today: GOOD COMMUNICATION IS ESSENTIAL! (especially in marriage :P) And if you’re not hearing well, do a hearing test, NOT EAR CANDLING!

RM35 for a Hearing Screening Package by Gnosis Hearing Worth Up to RM520

Caught your eye? It certainly caught mine. I am very much impressed that Gnosis Hearing (TTDI branch in particular) is jumping in the bandwagon of promoting their services via social media. The buying power is definitely there right now. I myself am a regular visitor to the likes of dealmates.com.my (click link to this particular offer), groupon, hahah deals, ilovediscounts and many more. I am actually anticipating coopown to launch, because it looks pretty cool. (Yes, I am easily superficial at times :D)

Anyhow, good effort, Gnosis Hearing! All the best :)

"Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?"

That's the title of Steven Tyler's rock 'n' roll memoir. When I first saw it, I was thinking, is he having tinnitus? Haha. With his 40+ year-old music career, it is highly likely that he has some level of hearing loss associated with tinnitus. But don't get me wrong, the book is definitely NOT about tinnitus! :)

MASH AGM 2011

To whom it may concern:

Malaysian Association of Speech-Language & Hearing (MASH) AGM 2011 is happening today!

Date: 18th June 2011
Time: 2.00pm - 5.00pm
Venue: Swan Convention Centre, Level 4, Sunway Medical Centre

Activities include: A talk by Pn. Tan, Allied Health Professional (AHP) Head; public forum and free food!

Join MASH today! "Why do I need to join?", you ask? Read 'Why Become a MASH Member' on MASH's e-newsletter, Within Earshot: Special Edition.

Or be an observer, if you want. MASH wouldn't mind.

See you guys!

Within Earshot: Special Edition

MASH's E-Newsletter came out with it's BHSM special edition for the public. Check it out here!

You can also check out excerpts of previous issue on the website :)

Fellow colleagues, if you are still not a member, join MASH today! Priviledges await :D

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month!

It's that time of the year again! May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, and you and you and you and yes, you, should know it by now!

It's easily the most anticipated month of the year for Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists :) Hearing and speech centres all over the country surely are organizing speech and hearing-related and fun-filled activities throughout the month. Which explains why I haven't been updating my blog as much as I want to :( I have a lot of topics to discuss on, but there never seems enough time, is there?

Nevertheless, check with your Audiologist/SLP or the nearest Hearing and Speech Centres for activities that you can join. I know SunMed has a good month going :)

MASH is also supporting its members' activities. MASH's theme for BHSM 2011: "Communication, Our Key to An Increased Quality of Life".
In fact, this month's MASH's e-newsletter, Within Earshot, will be shared to the public in conjunction with BHSM. Check it out on the website!

Naturally ASHA will come out with some cool stuff on their own. Don't forget to check out their website too!



ASHA's BHSM 2011 Logo

Come Join SunMed's Charity Jogathon!

This coming May, in conjunction with Better Hearing and Speech Month, Sunway Medical Centre is organizing SunMed Jogathon 2011! Proceeds from the event will be channeled to the Children's Wish Society of Malaysia (CWS). It is a society that grants a terminally ill child's last wish. To find out more about the society, check it out here.

Back to the event, so come one come all! It's for a good cause, and you'll get to burn that much-needed fat that you're dying to rid off (I know I do). In addition, for each registration you'll be entitled with race kits! So what are you waiting for, register now! Click here for there registration form.

Noise Induced Hearing Loss Awareness Campaign

Audiologists at Speech & Hearing Centre, Sunway Medical Centre will be having a booth over at the Sunway University Open Day this Sunday, 13th March, from 1pm to 5pm. They'll be doing a noise induced hearing loss awareness campaign, so if you're in the neighbourhood, do drop by! Information and goodies await! :D

Remarks from Hearing Aid Clients

Throughout my working experience doing trial hearing aids and fitting them, I've heard remarks that really amused (and some, still amuses) me. So now I decided, whenever I hear an interesting statement, I will put it up in this post.

Was trying on different range of hearing aids. As I revealed the price, the client was shocked to hear the figure. Although he admits the benefit, he left the clinic with a remark, "If I lived a different life, I would get the more expensive hearing aid". I always, always, always hate it when cost is the barrier to a better quality of life :(

Client came in, very motivated to wear hearing aid. When he first tried it, he can really feel the benefit that he exclaimed, "I feel like Superman! Fantastic!" Seriously, I've never had that enthusiastic of a client before, so his feedback really made me happy that I was able to help him.

An elderly man came for hearing aid fitting. He has a prosthetic leg made in Denmark. In the clinic, he chose a hearing aid from Denmark as well. Following fitting, I cleverly said to him, "So you're half Danish now" The joke brought laughter from the client and his son. :D Not exactly client's remark, but still, the theme is: amusing! (got the idea from my colleague, hehe)

More remarks to come!

A Hearing System in Your Mouth?!

Can't believe what you're seeing? Believe it.

SoundBite, the latest innovation of a hearing device. See below article to find out more. The things people come up with. I wonder how comfortable it is to wear. Because whenever you have something on your teeth, it's never comfortable~ for me that is. I hated my dentist visits with a passion!

And the device is using bone conduction method. So will the teeth vibrate when the microphone picks up the sound? I seriously could not imagine!

SoundBite In-the-Mouth Hearing System Is FDA Cleared for Single-Sided Deafness | February 3, 2011 | The Insider | The Hearing Review | Hearing Review Products

The Simpsons: the Episode that Bart went Deaf?!

Was flipping the channels on tv when I settled on the Simpsons. It has been a while since I last watched an episode, so it was "fate" that I watched this particular episode. It was "The Donkey Basketball Game" (I have no idea what that is) episode. Tried to find the episode on youtube but couldn't. If anyone finds it, let me know okay?

Anyway, in the episode, Bart was not hearing well, or "deaf" as the rest of the Simpsons said. Homer and Marge brought him to see Dr. Hibbert - at the roadside, mind you. Dr. Hibbert took out his otoscope and saw that there's a swelling inside Bart's ear. He told Homer and Marge to give it a day and it will resolve on its own. So Bart went through the rest of the day, not hearing anything except white noise (that's what they showed, really!) which of course resulted in laugh-out-loud moments for me . He managed to be not bullied because he didn't respond to the bullies (he couldn't hear what they wanted!) and the funniest part for me was when the Simpsons had dinner later that day.

Marge was saying she wanted Bart to stay home from school the next day since he hasn't recovered. Bart disagreed because he wanted to watch the Donkey Basketball Game. Homer, whom kept asking Bart to pass this dish and that but didn't get any because Bart couldn't hear it, retorted something like, "Donkey Basketball Game? Now i've heard everything! (looking at Bart) Unlike you!" He laughed out and realized Bart didn't hear that remark and said to the rest of the family "Everybody remember that when he got his hearing back". LOL!

Bart did got his hearing back but of course at the expense of the Simpsons being labeled as unpatriotic. Anyway, the episode was hilarious, as always. But of course, the facts are not right! I'm not sure what type of hearing problem Bart had but it sure wouln't have caused him to go deaf! A bit of hard of hearing, yes, but not total deafness! Especially when's the swelling was only on one side of the ear! And that it can recover on it's own without anything!

But hey, they're doing it for laughs, so like Lenka sings, "Just enjoy the show~" Don't ask for your money back though! :D

Happy Lunar New Year!

To those celebrating, have a prosperous rabbit year ahead!

Careful with the fireworks, you don't want any acoustic trauma or noise-induced hearing loss to celebrate the year with!

Happy holidays to all :)

Hearing & Hormones

I haven't gotten the chance to look up on this... so here's a quickie:

Does menopause affects hearing levels???

Please do share if you know anything about this :)

Laugh-A-Minute

Something light for a stressful week.
A man feared his wife wasn't hearing as well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid.

Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family Doctor to discuss the problem.

The Doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband could perform to give the doctor a better idea about her hearing loss.

"Here's what you do," said the Doctor, "stand about 15 metres away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. If not, go to 10 metres away, then 7 metres , and so on until you get a response."

That evening, the wife is in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he was in the den. He stood about 15 metres away, and in a normal tone he asks, 'Honey, what's for dinner?"

No response.

So the husband moves closer to the kitchen, about 10 metres away from his wife and repeats, "Honey, what's for dinner?"

Still no response. Next he moves into the dining room where he is about 7 metres from his wife and asks, "Honey, what's for dinner?"

Again he gets no response. So, he walks up to the kitchen door, about 3 metres away.
"Honey, what's for dinner?" He hears nothing.

So he walks right up behind her. "Honey, what's for dinner?"

(Wait for it....)

"Ahmed, for the fifth blooming time, CHICKEN!"

:D

thanks to EBI Lockhat of South African National Halaal Authority

Can You Please Test My 3 Year-Old with AABR?

In my heart, I was like, "WHAT?!"

An aunty innocently asked me to do so recently. It was quite funny, really.

A baby was referred for hearing screening from an external hospital. The baby was brought in wide awake, so I advised the mother to put her to sleep. While waiting, I ushered the other family members who towed along to the lounge area. They were the maternal grandparents and 3 year-old nephew. As we were walking I noticed the boy vocalizing jargons. I began asking the grandmother questions. She reported that he's still not speaking a word yet. I told her she (and the child's working parents!) should be concerned with his speech development. So I went on and on about children development and the appropriate assessments needed. I even advised for a hearing test to be done, but granny wanted to talk it over with the child's parents first, which was fairly expected.

Back to the baby girl. Wow, she was really curious with the place. She looked so obviously sleepy but was still looking around the room. At one time, we thought she had fallen asleep, but she woke up at the slightest touch! The mother decided to take her out of the room and settle her down. As I wanted to leave the testing room, suddenly the granny rushed in carrying her sleeping grandson. She wanted me to test her boy with AABR that instant! I was shocked for a second, then quickly recovered by explaining to the granny that the test is designed for babies. Briefly I told her that her grandson needs to be assessed with a behavioral test, and if that is not successful, then only we test with a diagnostic sleeping test. She looked kind of disappointed with my explanation but accepted it anyways.

The baby later on slept and passed the AABR test. The family went back, happy with the result. Hopefully I'll hear from the granny about her grandson soon!

Funny start for the new year.

Happy 2011 y'all! :)