You’re a pretty busy person, so it’s reasonable that you totally forgot about the hearing exam you have scheduled for tomorrow. It’s a good thing we sent you a reminder text so you should have a few hours to prepare. So what should I do to get ready?
Hearing exams aren’t like back in college or high school where you’d have to stay up all night to study for an exam. Getting ready for a hearing exam is more about thinking over your symptoms and making certain you don’t forget anything. In other words, preparing for your hearing test is really about ensuring you get as much out of your time with us as possible.
Get prepared with these 7 tips!
1. List out all of your symptoms and when they manifest
The symptoms of hearing loss differ from person to person and at different times. Some symptoms may be more pronounced than others. So take some notes on when your symptoms are most pronounced before your appointment. Some things you can list out include:
- Was it difficult to hear the television? Do you have it cranked way up? And do you notice that it’s more difficult to hear at night than in the morning?
- When you’re out in a busy restaurant, do you struggle to hear conversations? If so, how often does that happen?
- When you’re in meetings at work, do you lose focus? What time during the day is this most prevalent?
- Is it a challenge to carry on conversations on the phone? Note times when understanding the person on the other end is harder.
We find this type of information very useful. If you can, note the time and day these instances occurred. If you can’t, just note that they did happen.
2. Get some information about hearing aids
How accurate is your knowledge about hearing aids? It’s an important question because you don’t want to make any decisions influenced by what you think you know. A good time to get some valid info is when we advise you that hearing aids would benefit you.
Knowing what kinds of hearing devices are out there and what your preferences may be can help speed along the process and help you get better information.
3. Think about your medical past
This is another time when writing things down can help hasten the post-hearing-test-discussion. Before you come in, you should take a little time to write down your medical history. Write down major medical incidents and also minor ones. You should note things like:
- Any history of sickness or health problems (you don’t need to note every cold, but anything that stands out).
- Any medical apparatuses you use.
- Allergies and reactions to medicines.
- What kind of medication you take.
- Surgeries you’ve had, both major or minor.
4. Stay away from loud sounds and noisy settings
If you attend a loud rock concert the night before your hearing assessment, it’s going to skew the results The results will be similarly skewed if you go to an airshow the day of your test. The point here is that you need to avoid loud noises before you come in for your hearing exam. This will help ensure your results are reliable and reveal your current hearing health.
5. Before your appointment, talk to your insurance company
The way that health insurance and hearing tests interact can be… perplexing. Some plans may cover your hearing exam, particularly if it’s related to a medical condition. But not all plans will. You will be a great deal more confident at your appointment if you get this all squared away before you come in. In some instances, you can work directly with us to get insurance answers. Otherwise, you can speak to your insurance company directly.
6. Ask someone to come with you
Bringing a trusted friend or loved one with you to a hearing appointment isn’t strictly necessary, but it can offer numerous advantages. Among the most notable benefits are the following:
- Even when you aren’t aware that you have hearing loss, people close to you will absolutely be aware of it. This means that we will have access to even more information to help make a precise diagnosis or exam.
- You’re likely to cover a lot of information during your exam. Having a dependable friend or loved one with you can help you remember all of that information later.
7. The results will come fairly quickly
With many medical diagnostics, it may be days or weeks before you get your diagnosis. But that’s not the situation with a hearing exam. With a hearing test, you will get the results right away.
And better yet, we’ll help you understand what your results mean and how you can improve your overall hearing health. That might mean using some ear protection or some behavioral changes or maybe hearing aids. Either way, you’ll know it immediately.
So there’s no need to overthink it. But being prepared will be helpful, particularly for you.