Went to the SOS clinic for a Typhoid shot yesterday. While there I thought I might as well get my right ear checked as I have had some trouble with it.
Here is what happened. Told a lovely Indonesian doctor that I needed a Typhoid injection but I also needed her to check my right ear. She asked me to lie down on the bed as she wanted to check my blood pressure, I thought I better let her know that I have very low blood pressure and that is normal for me, she asked how low and I said usually 80/60, she looked puzzled at me and smiled, she took my blood pressure and her face changed, she said with a panicked voice, "it is 80/50", then she said "would you like to fall down?" I said, no with a giggle, I'm fine, just not a lot of stress living in Bali. The look on her face showed she wasn't quite satisfied with this answer. I assured her I was fine and I was already laying down, so she said she would check my heart rate, my pulse. She put a little peg attached to a machine on my finger and the thought going through my head was "on no, here we go again", so I quickly said, "oh, and my pulse will be low as well". She looked at the machine and looked at me and quietly said with a puzzled look, "yes, its 52". I explained to her that I do physical exercise for work every single day and it's normal for me. She seemed to be happier about this answer so she said she would check my ear now, so I went to sit up. She threw her arms down at me and pushed me back on to the bed, "No, No, I dont want you to fall down!". I layed back down calmy giggling to myself, so she could examine my ear. She put her little light in my ear and said "Oh, yes, you must have much pain,there is a big hole in your ear!"
She let me sit up after asking me one more time if I wanted to fall down, I assured her I was fine and asked her to explain what a large hole in my ear was, so she drew me a diagram and I realsied my eardrum had a hole in the membrane, so I asked her what I could do about it and she answered me "do not swim". I looked at her strangly this time and said I don't have time to swim, nor do I have a swimming pool, could I have surgery?, She said, "oh yes, but not in Bali". I said is there anything I can do for the pain, she said yes, "do not swim".
I let her get on with the Typhioid injection, tried not to "fall down" while leaving as I believed she'd have a heartache and went and paid my bill.