ENT Clinic of the shortest waiting list ever!

I could not contain myself when I found out about this: a visiting ENT Clinic at KASP!!!!!

Not sure when it all started but basically there are three days when the Klinik Audiologi dan Sains Pertuturan UKM hosts a visiting ENT Specialist: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. What's the fuss is all about, you say? Well let me break it down for ya.

1. To see an ENT Specialist, let alone a specialist at a public centre usually takes agesssss. There is a long waiting list, and come appointment day, you still have to wait for hourssss (maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit but at some places it is true). Sometimes even seeing a private Specialist takes time too, because they can get quite busy. I mean, they are not just seeing people with ear problems, but also the nose, and throat; so don't go expecting they attend to one part of the body only.

2. Why pay more?

Would you believe that it's only RM53 (GST included) to get the consultation of this visiting Specialist?! And follow ups are only at RM31.80 per session! Tell me you're screaming "NO FRIGGIN' WAY!" right now because that was what I said when I found out. Of course you need a referral letter; once you have that just make the call and they'll put you on the almost non-existent waiting list and before long, they'll book you in!

FOC for government staffs (with GL); school/college/university students (with letter from the institution); pensioners (with card); OKU (with card); and senior citizens (with MyKad)

3. They do ear toilets too! From RM10.60! Out of this world. If you're not sure what ear toilet means. Google it. I'm just joking, what's the use of my blog if I don't talk about it? Basically anyone who has a blocked ear goes through ear toilet where they clean the ears for you. Sometimes it takes more than a visit, because you may have dead-hard wax that just won't come out at first tug. Highly recommended for those who gets in trouble for always pushing their wax in with the cotton buds (Big NO NO).

4. Read my previous post about the Klinik Audiologi dan Sains Pertuturan.

5. The ENT Specialists are from PPUKM. Experienced medical professionals. I would write their names but I won't just in case when you read this they're no longer visiting and it's a different specialist. Plus, they have an in-house medical assistant, audiologists, speech therapists, relevant professionals... This ain't some dodgy clinic guys!

Curious? Have queries? Give the clinic a call! 03-9289 5040/5041.

Where Can I Do a Hearing Test in KL?

I know a lot of people are not aware of this top-notch hearing assessment facility right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Not the General Hospital. Not one of the many private hospitals in Kuala Lumpur. This particular clinic is secluded near to the beautiful Titiwangsa Lake, and also near to the opening-soon Klinik Kesihatan Kuala Lumpur. It is none other than Klinik Audiologi dan Sains Pertuturan (KASP) of Health Science Faculty, UKM, Kuala Lumpur campus.

It is open to the public, but no walk-ins. Appointments by bookings only and to do so, make sure you have a referral letter (from a medical practitioner, be it public or private) with you.

So with that letter in hand, you give a call to the clinic’s reception at 03-92895040/ 5041, anytime between 8am to 5.30pm during weekdays. Bear in mind though, this is a teaching facility, so most likely you will be seen by a student, especially if your appointment is in the morning. BUT an experienced clinician will supervise that student, so you’re in good hands really. First appointment starts at 9am and the last appointment at 3.30pm. If you INSIST on seeing a clinician and not a student, feel free to be on the waiting list. But it shouldn’t take you months to be seen. If you ask me, two heads are better than one, and wouldn’t you just love the opportunity to bully a student? :D Unless of course, you have a real issue and you might want a serious, experienced head to look into it.

What happens in the appointment? Each appointment takes up to one hour, depending on the complexity. First appointment is usually the hearing assessment, which typically is the audiometric test where you will get an audiogram/ chart indicating your hearing levels. Audiologist will then advise you what to do next. If you need hearing aids, typically it would require you a follow up appointment.

HOW MUCH?! Flat rate for babies up to adults. Non-government employees have to pay RM61.80 (including GST) for the first appointment, and subsequent appointments (if necessary) cost RM31.80 per session. For government staffs, ensure that you have a hard copy of a Guarantee Letter (GL) from your HR (I guess?) for a free assessment.

OKU individuals, pensioners and senior citizens get this service FOC. But don’t rock up to the clinic empty-handed; bring the referral letter and your OKU/pensioner card please! Oh, and local students with a letter from the school (not medical doctor) don’t have to pay for the service as well.

The clinic is well set-up (remember, it’s a teaching facility so they have everything!). Location is in the heart of KL so easily accessible. Parking is abundant and free. And it’s not busy with people. I mean, you don’t even have to be a person with hearing impairment to come and have your hearing assessed, it’s always good to get a baseline audiogram! Or if you have been worried about your parents’ hearing but don’t want to spend so much on the initial test, or be pressured to get a hearing aid (this clinic is not profit-oriented), KASP is THE place to go.

So what are you waiting for? Get that referral letter and make that appointment now ☺

PS: I might just do YOUR hearing test ☺

PPS: Speech assessments are a bit more complex. Call them for any enquiries for speech therapy etc.

PPPS: non-Malaysians can book an appointment too! You just have to pay a little bit more.

Hearing Aid for Cheap!

Yes. I haven’t been updating my blog. But apparently, people still read my blog, so here goes.

I was googling for some ideas to embark on a monumental project for the betterment of the hearing impaired community in Malaysia (drama, exaggeration at my finest); and that search ended up on lelong.com.my (a local version of ebay). So guess what I saw. Hearing aid selling for RM29.64… including free shipping!

11 sold!!!

I found it amusing and sad at the same time. It reminded me of the time when I was in Melbourne, when my husband showed me a text in a group chat. One of the group members in Malaysia was asking for one of their mates in Melbourne to buy a hearing aid on ebay for his relative. Obviously I have educated my husband well. He consulted me as soon as he saw that text. I put on my audiologist hat and answered in the most diplomatic way possible. It was something along the line of,

“Hearing aid is not something that you can buy off the rack. For vision, you wear glasses/spectacles to see. And to get that glasses/specs, you see an optometrist to be prescribed with the right glasses/specs, otherwise you will just damage your vision further! Likewise with hearing, same concept applies. You just don’t get a hearing aid from any Tom, Dick or Harry; you see an audiologist so that you get the right prescription for your hearing aids. An audiologist is a professional that can test your hearing and advise what is the best way to manage the hearing loss (if that is the case). I understand why people would consider getting them off ebay because hearing aids can be really expensive. But if it’s not fitted properly, you might just worsen your hearing and consequently make that user not want to wear hearing aids at all! In fact, he/she would feel better off without any aid, when all it needed was the right fitting. Please do consult an audiologist before making that purchase… you can see them at major hospitals in Malaysia or any hearing clinics/hearing aid centres.”

There was quite a long pause before anybody responded. Which means either they are digesting the information (yay!), or they couldn’t care less to read the whole thing. But then somebody suggested a friend who is in fact, an audiologist, so that was good. But the person who initiated the text said he’s just asking, he’ll let his relative know. Hopefully after all these years, his relative did get the right help!

So.If you’re an audiologist reading this. Do YOU find it disturbing that about a few units of these cheap aids have been sold? Share me your thoughts ☺ And if you’re on the web prowling for hearing aids, would you still buy a cheap hearing aid off the rack/ebay without consulting a professional? Do let me know as well! Obviously there’s something that is making you not convinced to seek an audiologist’s help…

Super Audiologist.

I have yet to become.

Considering that I did my bachelor's degree and postgrad in Audiology you'd think I am one.

Anyhow. Wow. I did not update at all in 2013. It was definitely not my best year. Yet I'm so grateful people still read my blog and found it relevant as I still get e-mails from readers. Thank you so much!

So as you would have guessed, I graduated :)

Alhamdulillah.

Super Audiologist. Not yet. But one day inshaAllah.

Hearing Loss Simulation

Ever wondered how it sounds like to have a hearing impairment. Check out this page, though mind you, it's been 5 years old... At least just as an idea of how things are with hearing loss.

International Day for Ear and Hearing

We've been busy celebrating May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, but did anyone know about the International Day for Ear and Hearing? I certainly didn't until I stumble upon it on WHO's website.

It's on the 3rd of March every year!

WHO | International Day for Ear and Hearing, 3 March 2012

No prize to those who guessed why 3.3 is chosen as the special date. The shape of the numbers represent the two ears! It should be easy for people to remember then :)

It is actually still new, as the initiative started in China in April 2007, during the first International Conference on Prevention and Rehabilitation of Hearing Impairment. You can read more about it here.

I'm always happy when something is done to increase the awareness on hearing impairment. So spread the news, people!

People as Young as 12 Suffer Impairment Due to Loud Environment

As seen in the news today. My comment: no kidding.

People as young as 12 suffer impairment due to loud environment

Say What? I Can't Hear You.

That's exactly what I said to my husband, as I blissfully placed myself in a somewhat quieter world of my own. How did I do that? Ear plugs! (Yep, ear plugs seem to be a popular topic for me these days. It's abundant at my university!)

It was an assignment for my aural rehabilitation class. My lecturer gave us students ear plugs and asked us to go back and try wearing the ear plugs at different environments to experience having some level of hearing loss.

It was the day that me and my husband moved in to our new place (I will remember that day for the rest of my life - it was embarrassing and pretty stupid actually, but that incident shall not be elaborated here). I realized that once I open the tap water at the sink, it's pretty noisy! And also annoying. So I thought it was the perfect time to put on my ear plugs. I did just that and cleaned the pots and pans that we got for free that day. Naturally, I felt that my ears are blocked, but I ignored that feeling and focused on the comfort of the noisy sink being somewhat reduced. At the same time, I was cooking something as well, which required me to turn on the overhead fan. Obviously, that's noise as well. So the earplugs was really handy at that moment of time, and I was appreciating it for the wrong reason than what I was set out for. Not to piss my husband off, I eventually told him I had the plugs on, and he didn't bother to talk to me after that. After a good 40 minutes (yes, the washing took that long), I felt that the blocked feeling was too much, so I took the plugs out. Definitely no lesson learned from that.

I tried again the next day, putting both plugs on my way to officeworks, a stationary shop. Again, I enjoyed the somewhat reduced environmental noise (mostly the sounds of trams). But the sounds of my footsteps were really obvious to me. My husband talked to me, and I had to strain myself to listen to him. Again, he didn't talk much when I had to point out that I had the earplugs in again. When I reached the shop, I went to the counter to ask to do some printing. I actually asked my husband to lead the conversation, but when he looked stuck, I jumped in, and both of them looked at me puzzled. I think I did not answer what the counter guy asked, but I just said what I needed and he did just that. So that wasn't too bad. I then went around the shop looking for a pen, and another shop assistant came to me, asking whether I needed any assistance. I didn't hear him clearly but I could make out that was what he asked, and I answered appropriately. At that moment, I realized that is how it is when people say they miss out parts of conversations and do a learnt guess (I think there's another term for it). Learnt guess by means that you can guess what a person would say at a particular situation as it is expected that the person would say so. That's why people with slight hearing impairment would insist they can still hear, because of that particular adaptation strategy. But when I went back to the counter to make payment, I already took out the plugs because I think it was already about 40 minutes and obviously I couldn't stand the blocked feeling, and I didn't want to risk the possibility of miscommunication with the cashier! I went back home feeling slightly guilty.

I think my husband wouldn't be so mad at me if I made such a cute face like this boy 

My third and last attempt wearing the plugs: I wore only on one side, this time to the Victoria Market. The blocked feeling was not so bad, and I could still hear my husband talk clearly, especially when he's on the side not blocked (obviously). However, upon reaching the market, as I was about to make my first purchase, after just one question from the fish guy, I immediately took out my plug. I have to say, it was a market, and it was pretty noisy. With that plug inside my ear, I was definitely struggling. But as I continued on with my shopping with my normal hearing, I felt kind of bad, and guilty, because I've been telling people that I know what they're experiencing, and counseling them on strategies to adapt, but when it was my turn to experience it, I couldn't even handle it. At least I could take out the ear plugs, but what of those with permanent hearing loss? They can't simply take out their ears and replace with a good one now, can they? :(

Definitely a good lesson, and made me appreciate my hearing much much more. Hopefully I'll remember this the next time I'm counseling a patient. We may "experience" it, but we can never truly be in a hearing-impaired person's shoes, as everyone is unique and has different problems/situations. I think as long as you are sincere in helping these people, they'll know that it's coming from your heart :)

What Audiologists Really Do

I think this "What 'insert profession' Really Do" series has been quite a craze. Audiologists are not excluded. Just thought I would post it on my blog for the fun of it.

My opinion: It's true I suppose, if you're at managerial level or also doing administration stuff. I don't think I've experience that kind of pile up of papers, thanks to computers! We should all go green by now :) To future audiologists, do not be fooled by this image! Not all audiologists are like this! But if you're thinking of being a boss, you have been warned :P

A Different Kind of Ear Plugs.

There were so many interesting things that I came across since I landed in Melbourne. In fact, I was extremely excited to see that ear plugs can be easily bought at only $2 at a clearance store!



For 3 pairs! Cool, isn't it?

And then, on one fine Sunday, as me and my husband were looking around for stuff at the Queen Victoria Market, I saw this:




I was looking at it with another lady, and both of us looked at each other and laughed. We found it hilarious. I guess it can be pretty useful. But at $2.99, and converting it to ringgit, it'll be about RM10+, so I will definitely not rush into buying that.

Funny with the things that people come up with :)

Happy New Year! 2012 Hola!

I know it's really pathetic that I haven't been updating my blog much. HONESTLY, I WAS SUPER BUSY. Yeah, like the rest of the world isn't busy. As if I'm running a country or something. Anyway, enough monologue. Happy new year people! Hoping for another blessed and prosperous year, insyaAllah.

I have a good news to share! Reason why I was so busy and still am is because I was offered a sponsorship to further my education! I will be doing my Master in Clinical Audiology, in University of Melbourne. Woot, woot! :D I'm flying on the 1st of Feb: 010212 and will be arriving on 020212. Nice number, isn't it? :)

So I have resigned from my job. It was a great 2 and a half years journey. I don't think I could learn as much if I was elsewhere. Had the best mentors and colleagues. Period. They seriously were like a family to me. I had a farewell party and farewell cupcakes. Touching moments...


And since my resignation, I have been a lot more busier! I moved out from my own house to my parents' so that I could have quality family moments but turned out that I became the "house manager" - my mom own words - and been meeting up with good friends to catch up and say goodbyes. I have also started doing translations, just so that I have some back-up money while I'm in Melbourne. I'm a student, every dollar counts! (btw, the current conversion rate from RM to AUD is a nightmare!!!)

Oh, how could I forget to mention. My lovely husband is also following me, doing his MBA and CPA. He'll be enrolling into RMIT. It'll be like uni days all over again! Love on campus hehe.

I think just by reading this post, you would already know that I'm super-excited. It's a bit of a mixed feeling though: excited, scared, sad, tired (because the thought of having to start over after being quite stable earning own money and such); but it'll be an experience of a lifetime, I'm sure. Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me the opportunity, it would be a shame to mess it up.

So, hang on tight guys, will definitely write more once I'm there. Hopefully it'll make up for my previous absence ;) Do pray for me and wish me luck!