You totally spaced your hearing test tomorrow, but that’s not very unusual, you’ve been really busy. Thankfully, you just received that reminder text from us, and you still have a few hours to prepare. So what should I do to get ready?
You won’t need to stay up all night preparing for a hearing test like you did in school the night before a big exam. Getting ready for a hearing test is more about thinking over your symptoms and making certain you’re not forgetting 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.
Here are 7 simple ways to get prepped and ready!
1. List out all of your symptoms and when you experience them
Hearing loss doesn’t present the same way for everybody all the time. Some symptoms might be more prominent than others. So, before you come in, it’s a good idea to begin taking a few notes on when your hearing loss is most noticeable. You can jot things down like:
- Was it difficult to hear the television? Do you have it turned way up? And do you experience that it’s harder to hear at night than in the morning?
- Is talking on the phone difficult? Record times when it’s harder to hear people than normal.
- Did you have difficulty hearing a conversation while eating out in a busy restaurant? If so, how frequently does that take place?
- When you’re in meetings at work, do you lose focus? What time during the day is this most prominent?
This kind of information is very useful for us. Take note of the day and time of these symptoms if you can. At least note the occurrence of the symptoms if you can’t remember the times.
2. Get some info about hearing aids
How complete is your knowledge about hearing aids? It’s a relevant question because you don’t want to make any decisions based on what you think you know. A good time to get some accurate info is when we inform you that hearing aids would help you.
You will get better information and the process will be accelerated when you know what kinds of hearing devices are available and determine what your preferences are.
3. Review your medical history
This is another instance when writing things down can help quicken the post-hearing-test-discussion. Before your appointment, you should take a little time to write down your medical history. Include major medical incidents and also minor ones. You should write down things like:
- Allergies and reactions to medications.
- What kind of medication you take.
- Medical devices you may presently use.
- Sickness or diseases you’ve had that stick out in your mind.
- Operations you’ve undergone, both major or minor.
4. Avoid loud noises and noisy settings
If you go to a loud rock concert the day before your hearing assessment, it’s going to skew the results The results will be similarly impacted if you go to an airshow the day of your exam. The point here is that you need to steer clear of loud noises before you come in for your hearing exam. This will help ensure your results are accurate and reflect your current hearing health.
5. Before your appointment, talk to your insurance company
It can be a bit challenging sorting out what parts of your visit will be covered by insurance. Some plans may cover your hearing assessment, especially if it’s related to a medical condition. But other plans may not. It’s a good plan to get all of this figured out before your appointment, so you’re more confident about what you can look forward to. In some cases, you can work directly with us to get answers about insurance. If we can’t, you will need to speak directly with your insurance company.
6. Ask someone to come in with you
There are several significant advantages to bringing a relative or friend with you to your hearing exam, though it’s not absolutely necessary. Here are some of the most notable benefits:
- 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 certainly be aware of it. This means that we will have access to even more insight to help make a precise diagnosis or exam.
7. The results will come fairly quickly
With many medical diagnostics, it could be days or weeks before you get your results. But with a hearing test, that’s not the situation. With a hearing test, you will get the results right away.
And even better, we’ll help you understand what your results mean and how you can enhance your overall hearing health. Maybe that’s a hearing aid, maybe it’s some changes to your behavior, or some hearing protection. Either way, you’ll know it right away.
So you don’t have to overthink it. But it is helpful, mostly for you, to be prepared!