Tinnitus consultations focus on education and management to better help people cope with their tinnitus.
Our two-hour tinnitus consultation is an opportunity for you to discuss your tinnitus with a trained and qualified audiologist. We take detailed case histories and questionnaires to better understand how tinnitus is affecting your quality of life. Education is provided, along with resources and management strategies.
As part of the consultation, your hearing will be assessed, and we will assess the pitch and loudness of your tinnitus. We will also conduct a questionnaire designed to assess the impact of the condition on your well-being.
What Is a Tinnitus Consultation?
During a tinnitus consultation, your audiologist will:
Assess the nature of your tinnitus by carrying out varying tests.
Since Tinnitus cannot be heard by others, and as such measured objectively, we assess the pitch and volume of your tinnitus to help you better understand your tinnitus range. This helps choose more targeted sound therapy options, as well it helps family/friends understand what it is you hear as it is often difficult to describe.
Review your history of tinnitus, your level of sound sensitivity, and hearing levels.
Through detailed case histories and questionnaires, we can look at possible underlying causes of tinnitus and look at strategies that may help reduce the perception of the tinnitus.
Discuss your individualized treatment plan. No two tinnitus patients are alike.
A variety of management strategies will be discussed, and we can focus on those that may be most helpful based on the specific areas that are most challenging.
What Are the Symptoms of Tinnitus?
Patients with tinnitus report unwanted noises in the ears or head that do not appear to have any external source. Common sounds include ringing, buzzing, humming, hissing, roaring, and whistling, depending on the patient. In some people, the sound comes and goes, while in others, it is continuous.
While tinnitus can be distressing and can affect your quality of life, it is not a serious health condition on its own, rather it is a symptom of an underlying cause.
If you have bothersome tinnitus, a tinnitus consultation may be helpful so that you can better understand the causes and management to lessen the impact on your quality of life.
How Do We Know that it is Tinnitus
Since tinnitus is subjective, we assess the presence of tinnitus based on self-reports. We do however carry out a range of additional tests to determine if any underlying conditions are causing the unwanted sounds.
As a part of the hearing assessment, we can determine if the tinnitus may be originating from a wax build up in your ears, to possible congestion behind the eardrums or due to an underlying more permanent hearing loss.
What Happens After a Tinnitus Consultation?
Based on what is discussed at the appointment, certain management strategies may be suggested. Resources will be provided. A follow up appointment will occur approximately 6 weeks later to see how these strategies are working and see if we need to introduce other strategies to best help you cope with your tinnitus. Further support is available after this follow up for those that need it.
