ENT refuses to prescribe HA's

PiperFlute21

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Dr. Doctor,

Please, forgive my ranting, Dr. Doctor. I'm sure you think you have better things to do. I'm sure the co-pay I pay you to see me for 10 minutes will sit nice and cozy in your pocket when you get your check. I'm sure you're also enjoying the fact that you can hear everything around you just fine.

But just because YOU don't think I'm "deaf enough for hearing aids" doesn't mean my life wouldn't be significantly improved by them. What you don't understand is that I wake up and I don't know whether I'm going to be able to hear people talking to me at all, whether I'm just going to hear a little bit of sound that I can't make sense out of, or if I'll be what you think is "fine." Meniere's Disease, as you so nicely put, isn't "fixable" and my hearing loss can't be "cured."

You reason for not prescribing me HA's is that they will be more annoying than they will be helpful. Well tell me why the amplifiers I use occasionally when nothing else helps provides me with enough sound to get through classes and church and whatever else on my "okay" days? But the amplifiers amplify everything else, too. The sound of the car running, the sound of wind rushing by me when I go outside to run, the sound of hundreds of other people talking around me in a crowded mall, but not the person standing right next to me.

What you don't understand, what ANYONE who has perfect hearing can't understand, is that there are days when that just isn't enough and when those don't help. There are days when the buzzing and the ringing and the roaring are all I can hear and I have a hope somewhere that this might be the thing to help me. What I can't understand is why you can't explain to me why this won't help me when what I have now helps a little bit. If something that is not even prescription grade can help me a little, then shouldn't something that's tailored to my hearing loss help more?

Who are you to decide what's best for me? I may not be a doctor, but I live every day with this condition. And it is not you that is suffering from the migraines and the constant noise in your head that no one else can here and the constant rounds of steroids to stop the dizziness, that nothing can touch.

So you say I'm fixed now? So you say that just because I haven't had a drop attack in two weeks that I'm "healed enough?" You say that the fact that I'm still CONSTANTLY dizzy doesn't matter? Well you try walking just one day in my shoes, Dr. Doctor. You try living with this condition. You try being one of the millions of my friends that live this life. You try not being able to hear the most important sounds around you and tell me how much you like it. And you thank God before you go to sleep every night for the gift that you have to hear. And then think twice before denying someone else that opportunity, Dr. Doctor.

With love,

Piper
 
Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

I don't understand why you'd see an ENT hoping to get HAs?
In most paces you need to see an Audiologist, not an ENT to be properly tested and fitted for HAs - I'd suggest having an Audiologist assess you.
 
Kind of audist thinking. Just go to a Dr . who will give you what you want.

Meniere's people I know, say pretty much what your doctor is telling you.
 
Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

I don't understand why you'd see an ENT hoping to get HAs?
In most paces you need to see an Audiologist, not an ENT to be properly tested and fitted for HAs - I'd suggest having an Audiologist assess you.

I think the ENT wouldn't provide her a referral because hearing aids won't help her.
 
I went to vocational rehab, who saw me because I was having trouble keeping my job. My VR lady sent me to both an audiologist AND an ENT. It was a great day and only my lower range hearing was affected. I re-iterated over and OVER again that I was having trouble and that my hearing loss fluctuated a LOT. Some days are good, some are bad. Anyway, the audiologist said that I had moderate hearing loss in my lower tones only.
He sent me to the ENT because it was fluctuating, he said. He also said it would be up to the ENT to fix the balance issues and to look into the fluctuating hearing issues. The Aud. mentioned nothing about hearing aids other than that they might help. I asked the ENT about it and he said that based off my single hearing screening, they'd just be annoying. I came back to my next appointment with my current set of HA's which aren't even prescription grade -- they're just amplifiers. He told me that he didn't see the point in me using them because I'd just get tired of them and they'd be a hassle. Four months later, I'm still using them. He still refuses to do anything.
I went back to my VR rep and she can't help me if they won't prescribe them. She mentioned waiting until I have a really bad day and then asking the Aud. to screen me again. I'm about to do that. Today was a bad day, but I was also extremely dizzy and could barely function. :/

Edit: So basically, I don't need the referral because VR referred me to BOTH. I'm in the middle of moving though and plan on looking for new doctors.
 
Mistake on happened on Doctor fault! it is happened!
 
I know exactly what your hearing situation is like. I have those same severe fluctuations as you and some days I can hear speech, some days I can't. I have had to go to the audiologists and neurotologist's office many many times to get tested in order to finally have tests that show the range of what my hearing is like. They really should not base anything off of what a good day is like. I have really high end hearing aids and while they can be annoying at times, when my hearing is bad, they are the only thing that can give me a chance at understanding speech. I also have and FM system which is a Godsend.

Here are a couple of things you can do:
1. Track your day to day hearing with this: Equal loudness contours and audiometry - Test your own hearing
This website will show you how much your hearing can really fluctuate. I found that my 2000 Hz frequency response fluctuates by as much as 55 dB!

2. If all else fails and you can't convince the audiologist, you can try other hearing aid dispensers such as Costco (*cringe*) or order self programmables online from America Hears.
 
Just to let you know that hearing aids *also* pick up noise even when you just want to hear speech ...just to clarify. But I'd go to see a diff Audi and ask their opinion?
 
I know exactly what your hearing situation is like. I have those same severe fluctuations as you and some days I can hear speech, some days I can't. I have had to go to the audiologists and neurotologist's office many many times to get tested in order to finally have tests that show the range of what my hearing is like. They really should not base anything off of what a good day is like. I have really high end hearing aids and while they can be annoying at times, when my hearing is bad, they are the only thing that can give me a chance at understanding speech. I also have and FM system which is a Godsend.

Here are a couple of things you can do:
1. Track your day to day hearing with this: Equal loudness contours and audiometry - Test your own hearing
This website will show you how much your hearing can really fluctuate. I found that my 2000 Hz frequency response fluctuates by as much as 55 dB!

2. If all else fails and you can't convince the audiologist, you can try other hearing aid dispensers such as Costco (*cringe*) or order self programmables online from America Hears.

Thank I will add bookmark!! I am not sure on hz and db I am not sure familiar!
 
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