Carol: Hello my dear, how's your summer this year? One hears about awful heat waves in Australia.
Resa: Not so bad here! Maybe slightly warmer than average but rarely above 30. Very pleasant indeed.
Resa: If you were staying with us, I image you'd be in the pool all the time.
Carol: Sure I would. Are you?
Resa: No. You know me.
Resa: Bill saw the ENT doc today. He will have an MRI scan soon to determine if he has growths on the ear nerves.
Carol: What?! What does it mean?
Carol: Any suspicion of spreading????
Resa: No, the doc says these are usually benign.
Carol: Thank goodness for that.
Resa: And slow growing, but the damage to the nerve is the issue.
Carol: Has he got any hearing problems?
Resa: I'm frustrated because everything Bill has suffered from, I've asked him to seek medical attention and he's declined. So he's suffering now (and am I) from lack of preventive care.
Carol: Typical male. Thomas is not different.
Carol: Of course the partner suffers along, sometimes even more.
Resa: So true...
Resa: It's bad Carol. We cannot hold a decent conversation. He can no longer watch television.
Carol: That really sounds awful. So sorry for you.
Carol: And what about hearing aids? Also refused??
Carol: But he loved television so much!
Resa: Another challenge to deal with.
Resa: Hearing aid will come once the cause of deafness is diagnosed.
Carol: My mother in law had a pair of earplugs connected to the TV set via Bluetooth, so she could walk around her room and still hear tv.
Carol: I mean the technology is there to grab it.
Resa: Yes, that's  a fantastic option.
Resa: We'll go that route soon I'm sure.
Carol: You are a very brave and strong woman Theresa!
Resa: Thank you dear. I know I'm strong. And that keeps us both going.
Carol: Lucky Bill to have you!
There are heatwaves in Australia. It's over 30 degrees where Resa stays. Bill will have an MRI scan soon. He declined to look for medical help before. Bill can't hear properly.