Informed Consent: Say NO to an Acoustic Reflex Test

[lurid-lucid]

The audiologist did not tell me what she was doing during my hearing exam and blasted my ears with 95 dB, or possibly even higher.

To anyone considering a hearing exam—honestly, don't even bother unless you take precautions—make sure to ask exactly what the audiologist plans to do, and tell them to limit the volume. You would think a "professional" seeing the word "tinnitus" would consider using lower sound levels, but no.

I'm now dealing with intensified tinnitus and ear fullness. I deeply regret taking the exam.

 

[Mark F.]

I hope you will be okay. I am taking a hearing test tomorrow, and I will ask exactly what they plan to do and how loud it will be.

 

[kingsfan]

I hope you will be okay. I am taking a hearing test tomorrow, and I will ask exactly what they plan to do and how loud it will be.

They will tell you that nothing is loud, when in fact both the Acoustic Reflex and Otoacoustic Emissions tests are loud. Tympanometry is not loud, although some people have said it made their tinnitus worse.

 

[KellenDryce]

To anyone considering a hearing exam—honestly, don't even bother unless you take precautions—make sure to ask exactly what the audiologist plans to do, and tell them to limit the volume. You would think a "professional" seeing the word "tinnitus" would consider using lower sound levels, but no.

Thank you for sharing this. I have a binder with all my health records printed out, and I will place this next to the audiology section as a clear red flag.

When I was experiencing ear fullness, some things that helped me were hypertonic saline rinses through the sinuses, Guaifenesin, a warm compress against the ear, and using a humidifier while sleeping.

 

[Mark F.]

They will tell you that nothing is loud, when in fact both the Acoustic Reflex and Otoacoustic Emissions tests are loud. Tympanometry is not loud, although some people have said it made their tinnitus worse.

The lady performed a Tympanometry test on me, and you are correct—it was not loud. I asked if she planned to do an Acoustic Reflex Test, and she said no. The whole process went smoothly. My hearing has remained virtually the same as it was two years ago. I still hear quite well for a 55-year-old.

 

[Nes]

Be prepared for the ENT to possibly get angry too. I recently refused all tests during an ENT appointment because the doctor would not tell me what tests she planned to do, and she refused to avoid using loud ones. She basically told me that if I had tinnitus, it was my own fault for refusing to get better by not agreeing to the tests.

 

[Mark F.]

Be prepared for the ENT to possibly get angry too. I recently refused all tests during an ENT appointment because the doctor would not tell me what tests she planned to do, and she refused to avoid using loud ones. She basically told me that if I had tinnitus, it was my own fault for refusing to get better by not agreeing to the tests.

Sounds like her God complex was in overdrive. I would never go back to her.

 

[Nes]

Sounds like her God complex was in overdrive. I would never go back to her.

She was genuinely obnoxious. She even recommended that I read a book about "the Judeo-Christian guilt."

While I was explaining my symptoms, she kept contradicting me or repeating them back incorrectly. When I corrected her, she got upset and said, "You really don't want to be wrong, do you?"

But come on—she was the one gaslighting me and then getting angry when I pointed it out.

It's a shame, because she was supposed to be one of the top tinnitus experts in my city. If anyone in Brussels wants to message me for her name so you can avoid her, I would GLADLY share it.

 

[Meyer37]

Microsuction too. I don't understand how supposedly trained professionals think it is acceptable to use a vacuum exceeding 100 dB inside the ear, without proper warning or informed consent. Audiology as a field often reminds me of medicine from a hundred years ago.