You’re a really busy person, so it’s understandable that you totally forgot about the hearing test you have scheduled for tomorrow. It’s a good thing we sent out a reminder text so you should have time to prepare. So… what should you do?
Hearing tests aren’t like those days in college or high school where you’d have to pull an all-nighter to study for an exam. Getting ready for a hearing exam is more about thinking through your symptoms and making sure you don’t forget anything. Essentially, getting ready for your hearing exam is really about making sure you get as much out of your time with us as you can.
Get prepared with these 7 tips!
1. List out all of your symptoms and when they manifest
Hearing loss doesn’t manifest the same way for everybody all the time. Some symptoms might be more pronounced than others. So take some notes on when your symptoms are most pronounced before you come see us. Some things you can list out include:
- Did you have trouble making out a conversation while eating out in a crowded restaurant? Does that happen frequently?
- Was it hard to hear the tv? Do you have it turned way up? And do you experience that it’s harder to hear at night than in the morning?
- Is it challenging to have conversations on the phone? Note times when hearing the person on the other end is harder.
- When you’re in meetings at work, do you lose focus? Does this tend to occur in the morning? All day?
This type of information is very useful for us. Note the day and time of these symptoms if you can. If you can’t, just note that they did occur.
2. Get some information about hearing aids
How complete is your knowledge about hearing aids? You don’t want to make any decisions founded on false information you might have heard somewhere. An ideal opportunity to get some valid info is when we advise you that hearing aids would help you.
Knowing what types of hearing devices are available and what your preferences may be can help speed along the process and help you get better information.
3. Consider your medical past
This one will also help the process go faster after your appointment. Before your appointment, you should take a little time to jot down your medical history. This should consist of both major and minor incidents. You should write down things like:
- Medications you’re currently taking.
- Medical equipment you might currently be using.
- Operations you’ve had, both major or minor.
- Medication interactions and allergies.
- Sickness or diseases you’ve experienced that stick out in your mind.
4. Loud noisy settings should be avoided
If you have a hearing test scheduled and you attend a loud concert the night before, the results will be skewed. The results will be similarly skewed if you go to an airshow the day of your exam. You can see where we’re going with this: you want to safeguard your ears from loud noises before your hearing test. This will help ensure your results are reliable and reflect your current hearing health.
5. Consult your insurance ahead of time
It can be somewhat challenging sorting out what portions of your visit will be covered by insurance. If your hearing loss is part of a medical problem, some insurance plans will cover it. But other plans may not. It’s a good plan to get all of this squared away before your appointment, so you’re more confident about what you can expect. We can also help you in certain instances. Otherwise, you can speak to your insurance company directly.
6. Bring a family member or friend in with you
There are several important advantages to bringing a friend or relative with you to your hearing test, though it’s not absolutely necessary. Here are some of the most prominent advantages:
- When you’re at your exam, a lot of information will be covered. When you get home, after the appointment, you will have an easier time remembering all of the information we give you if somebody else is there with you.
- Even when you can’t tell that you have hearing loss, people close to you will absolutely be aware of it. So our test and diagnosis will be determined by much deeper and more detailed information.
7. Be prepared for your results
It might be days or even weeks before you receive the results of many medical diagnostics. But that’s not the situation with a hearing exam. With a hearing test, you will get the results immediately.
And what’s even better, we’ll show you how to improve your overall hearing health and help you understand the meaning of your results. That might mean using some hearing protection or some lifestyle changes or maybe hearing aids. Either way, you’ll know it immediately.
So there’s no need to overthink it. But it is helpful, mostly for you, to be prepared!