Dismissive ENT

Hi all,

I went to an ENT appointment last week because of suspected Pulsatile Tinnitus and the consultant I saw was not even bothered to listen properly to my descriptive explanations of the pulsing in my ear and what exactly affected it.

She told me to shorten my explanation and then dismissed me telling me it was tinnitus making me convinced she didn't even listen to what I had to say.

This was incredibly disheartening and it was difficult to hide how upset I was. She did book me in for an MRI but I'm worried that she did not take me seriously.

Anyone else had a dismissive GP/ENT? How did you deal with it?

 

My ENT couldn't wait for me to leave to allow him to see the next patient. It is my understanding that this is the experience of most T sufferers. You can learn more about your T by reading about the experiences of people on this forum, then you can learn from an ENT. Apparently, T is not really covered in medical school. They are just being told that it is an incurable disease (even though the reality is that it gets better for most sufferers, although it usually takes months, if not years, for it to happen).

 

Cannot believe that it's not properly covered in med school. In the months waiting for my ENT appointment, I spent some time on here and it honestly did help me understand possible causes, ways to deal with PT etc whereas the ENT just slapped a Tinnitus information sheet in my hand (which didn't contain anything I hadn't already read online) and told me it would go away, like I haven't heard that before.

 

@Tosin

Please believe it and I will now tell you the reason.

Doctors are trained to know about the anatomy of the ear and how to treat things that go wrong with it medically or surgically. This will involve conditions such as Meniere's disease etc. Contrary to what some people believe Doctors, especially those that work in ENT know very little about tinnitus because the majority of them have never experienced it. In my opinion, it is virtually impossible for anyone to have an understanding of tinnitus unless they have experienced it.

It is for this reason once ENT doctors have carried out tests on a person's auditory system: Hearing Tests and MRI scan etc. If these tests show no abnormalities then a patient is normally referred to a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist whose trained in the treatment and management of tinnitus. There are many treatments available once a person is under the care of these health professionals. Briefly: Hearing aids, TRT treatment, CBT, Mindfullness, counselling and more.

Hearing Therapists and Audiologists that work with tinnitus patients and administer the treatments above are the people with knowledge about tinnitus, not the doctors. Furthermore, it is not unusual to find most of them were either born with tinnitus or acquired it at some time in their life. They will have an understanding of tinnitus and be able to empathise with what you are going through because they have experience of the condition. If you want help with your PT or straightforward tinnitus then get a referral to a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist for treatment. Please click on the link below to read my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/