Hi folks,
I have the Tinnitus clinic appointment tomorrow. I am trying to be positive.
Anyone have experience of what to expect at the meeting?
Thanks.
Nothing to be worried about
@monkey legs Please read the text below which is taken from my article:
Tinnitus, A Personal View.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
An ENT specialist may have already seen some of you but for those waiting for their appointment, I will try and give an account of what you are likely to expect on the day you arrive at the ear, nose and throat department. I won't be able to cover everything but hopefully, I will be able to include the most relevant points of what is likely to happen. Your consultant or ENT specialist will usually start off by asking you a series of questions that will probably begin with, how long have you been experiencing tinnitus and when did it start? Is this the first time that you have noticed ringing in your ears? Do you experience the noise in just one ear or is it in both and whether the tinnitus is constant or intermittent? You will probably be asked to explain in detail what the tinnitus sounds like, does the noise change or remain the same? Tinnitus can vary considerably between people from buzzing, whistling, ringing and sometimes musical tones are heard. Some people hear multiple tones.
One of the most common sounds is hissing, which resembles white noise as if a radio has been tuned between two stations. These questions are important so try to remain calm. You will probably be asked when does it bother you the most and how does it affect your quality of life and day to day living and whether you are able to work? A common question is do you have any idea what might have caused the tinnitus, as many things can cause it. Whilst this is going on your doctor will be listening and observing your body language as this can give an indication of how the tinnitus is affecting you physically and emotionally. The questions are necessary for it is you that is experiencing the tinnitus, as no one else can know what you are going through. Notes will be taken about your medical history and whether you are taking any medication. Some medicines, beta-blockers for example can cause ringing in the ears and aspirin has been known to cause it too.
Your occupation could also give an indication as to the cause of your tinnitus, especially if you work in a noisy environment or operate machinery where noise levels are high. You may be off work sick due to your tinnitus which is not uncommon. An important piece of information is what do you like to do socially. Do you attend nightclubs or visit places where music is played loud regularly? Many people enjoy a night out on the town and have experienced ringing in the ears after they have left a club. Going to gigs and clubs and subjecting one's hearing to high sound levels over a period of time can cause tinnitus to become permanent so it's something to keep in mind.
We live in a world where most people have a mobile phone on their person the majority of the time. It's as if these devices have become an integral part of one's wardrobe and many feel undressed unless first checking that they have their phone to hand before venturing through the front door. I often wonder how did we manage to exist before without them. These devices have much wider uses than mere telephony. They can browse the Internet when we are out and about take photos and communicate on social media websites and do many other things. They are often used to listen to music via headphones.
Walk along any high street or travel on public transport and you will see people listening to their music through headphones attached to their phone or an MP3 player. They are often totally immersed into what they are listening and sometimes oblivious to what is going on around them and to those that can clearly hear their music, which is an indication that what they are listening to is too loud for their ears. Prolonged headphone use and listening to music through them at high volume levels can cause hearing damage and tinnitus.
With noise induced tinnitus it is often the case a person can also experience hyperacusis, this is having a sensitivity to sound or certain sounds that become very irritating to the ears and sometimes even painful. I will be covering hyperacusis in more detail later on as I feel it deserves to be explained in much more detail and how people are able to get it treated since it is closely linked with tinnitus. You will probably be asked if you are sensitive to sounds and if so what are they?
At some point your doctor is likely to look into your ears using an Auriscope to inspect the ear canal and also the eardrum. It is similar in size to a small hand held torch and has a magnifying glass attached. A light shines through this allowing the doctor to see if there is any wax-build up in the ear which is another thing that can cause tinnitus. If everything is fine this part of the consultation will be drawing to a close. The next step is, you will probably be asked to take a hearing test, which will be carried out by an Audiologist in a sound proof room. You will be given a pair of headphones to wear and a selection of audible tones will be played and you will be asked to press a trigger on a hand held device when you hear each one.
Another test that the audiologist might perform is a Tympanometry examination. This will check the condition of the middle ear and mobility of the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and how the three smallest bones in the human body are fuctioning: the Malleus, incus and stapes. The test will measure your ears response to both sound and pressure and can detect things like hearing loss, fluid in the middle ear, otitis media (ear infection) and a perforation or tear in the eardrum and other problems associated with the inner ear. A small plastic bung rests in the ear and seals it. A machine gently changes the pressure in the ear canal and the results will be recorded on a graph called a tympanogram. Afterwards you will wait to see the ENT specialist again who will go through the results of your hearing tests that were plotted on an audiogram. With the onset of tinnitus especially caused by exposure to loud noise, it is not unusual to find there are signs of some hearing loss but not in all cases.
Another procedure that tinnitus patients are likely to have is an MRI scan. Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It will enable the ENT specialist to closely examine the inside of your ear and brain to see if there is an acoustic neuroma present. An acoustic neuroma is a benign slow growing tumour attached to the eighth cranial nerve, also known as the vestibulocochlear nerve. It connects the inner ear to the brain. It can cause problems such as hearing loss, dizziness and tinnitus.
If your hearing test and MRI scan show no abnormalities, then it's likely your doctor will discuss with you the different treatments that are available to help you manage and cope with your tinnitus better. Most people will be referred to a Hearing Therapist and you will probably be advised to wait for an appointment letter. Tinnitus can play havoc with one's emotions especially in first few months of having the condition. Therefore, it is not surprising that some people can find this period a little overwhelming and feel stressed out. Try not to be too hard on yourself because this condition isn't easy to deal with when it's loud and intrusive and remember, that you are still in the early days but as time goes on you are likely to see improvement.
Your doctor might ask if you are managing to get off to sleep at night or whether the noise is keeping you awake. If you are having problems sleeping then please say so because you are not alone. Many people that are new to tinnitus have some difficulty sleeping and a mild sleeping tablet might be offered to help you through this stressful time. An antidepressant might be prescribed if you haven't already been given them by your GP. Antidepressants can help prevent a person becoming too down due to their tinnitus because it has a direct affect on a person's moods. The more stressed one becomes the louder and more intrusive the tinnitus will appear which can result in a person feeling more depressed. Tinnitus feeds stress and stress feeds tinnitus.
When you meet with your Hearing Therapist for the first time you will probably have a lengthy conversation, where you will be able to relay how you have been feeling since the onset of your tinnitus. This is your chance to get it all out there and remember the person you will be talking to is someone that knows a lot about this condition and the way it can affect a person emotionally and physically. Some of the comments that you may have been told by people that play down tinnitus as something minor because theirs is not intrusive won't be mentioned.
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