You completely spaced your hearing exam tomorrow, but that’s not really unusual, you’ve been really busy. It’s a good thing we sent out a reminder text so you should have a few hours to prepare. So… what should you do?
Hearing exams aren’t like those days in college or high school where you’d have to stay up all night to study for a test. With a hearing exam, it’s more about trying to remember everything you need to know about your symptoms. Getting the most out of your time with us is what preparing for your hearing test is really about.
Get prepared with these 7 tips!
1. Create a list of your symptoms (and when they occur)
Hearing loss doesn’t present the same way for everyone all the time. There might be some symptoms that are obvious and others that are more subtle. So, before you come in, it’s a good idea to start taking a few notes on when your hearing loss is most significant. Some things you can list out include:
- Is having phone conversations difficult? Note times when hearing the person on the other end is harder.
- When you’re out in a crowded restaurant, do you strain to hear conversations? Does that happen a lot?
- During meetings at work, do you lose focus? Does this tend to occur in the morning? All day?
- Was it difficult to hear the tv? How high is the volume? And do you experience that it’s harder to hear at night than in the morning?
This kind of information is very useful for us. Take note of the day and time of these symptoms if you can. At least note the occurrence of the symptoms if you can’t remember the times.
2. Get some information about hearing aids
How complete is your knowledge about hearing aids? You don’t want to make any decisions based on false information you might have picked up someplace. A good opportunity to get some valid info is when we inform you that hearing aids would benefit you.
Knowing what kinds of hearing devices are available and what your preferences may be can help speed along the process and help you get better answers.
3. Think about your medical past
This is another moment when writing things down can help hasten the post-hearing-test-discussion. Before your appointment, you should take some time to write down your medical history. Write down major medical incidents and also minor ones. Here are some examples:
- Medications you’re currently taking.
- Surgeries you’ve had, both major or minor.
- Allergies and reactions to medications.
- Medical equipment you might presently be using.
- Any history of sickness or health problems (you don’t have to note every cold, but anything that stands out).
4. Avoid loud noises and noisy settings
If you go to a booming rock concert the night before your hearing assessment, it’s going to skew the outcome. The results will be similarly impacted if you go to an airshow the day of your test. You can see where we’re going with this: you want to protect your ears from loud noises before your hearing assessment. This will ensure the results are a correct reflection of the current health of your hearing.
5. Consult your insurance ahead of time
It can be somewhat challenging sorting out what parts of your appointment will be covered by insurance. If your hearing impairment is related to a medical condition, some insurance plans will cover it. But not all plans will. It’s a good plan to get all of this figured out before your appointment, so you’re more confident about what you can look forward to. We can also help you in certain situations. If not, you can speak to your insurance company directly.
6. Ask someone to come in with you
There are some significant advantages to bringing a relative or friend with you to your hearing exam, though it’s not entirely necessary. Among the most prominent benefits are the following:
- Even when you aren’t aware that you have hearing impairment, people close to you will certainly be aware of it. This means that we will have access to even more insight to help make a precise diagnosis or exam.
- You’re likely to cover a lot of information during your appointment. Having a dependable friend or loved one with you can help you remember all of that information when you get home.
7. The results will come fairly quickly
With many medical diagnostics, it might be days or weeks before you get your diagnosis. But with a hearing test, that’s not the situation. Similar to the bubble-sheet tests that were fed through the scantron machine when you were in college, you get your results right away.
And even better, we’ll walk you through what your results mean and how you can improve your general hearing health. That could mean using some ear protection or some behavioral changes or perhaps hearing aids. Either way, you’ll know it immediately.
So you don’t have to overthink it. But being ready will be helpful, particularly for you.
