What Comes Next After Your Hearing Test?

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For many, hearing is something that is taken for granted and therefore doesn’t need to be seen or tested. Well, this way of thinking is wrong. Many also are not aware of the procedure of the hearing consultation, and what follows afterward.

What Happens After a Hearing Test

Having your hearing regularly checked is the best solution. This ensures you don’t have a creeping condition getting worse with time and leading to lasting damage, alongside a list of mental and physical conditions. It is just one step on the journey to getting your hearing successfully treated. Here is what typically happens after having the hearing test with the audiologist.

You’ve done the hearing test appointment. Now you are wondering what happens next! Well, several things usually happen after you take the hearing test. Check out the list below.

After your appointment

Your audiologist will discuss the results of your hearing tests with you. If required, additional steps will be requested.

If your hearing turned out to be a simple earwax blockage, then the treatment for it might be a round of micro suction that can be performed on the spot.

If your hearing test results show some hearing loss and your condition turns out to be more chronic, then hearing aids might be the appropriate treatment.

Modern hearing aid technology has led nowadays to smaller more advanced and discreet units. They augment your hearing instead of simply turning the volume up.

When they are suggested, your audiologist arranges a trial period for you to experiment with the right device and decide if it is the right one for you. These ‘try before you buy’ periods are usually agreed on a case-by-case basis and can be discussed in detail with your audiologist.

• Your audiologist goes over the results

There are many different hearing tests your doctor recommends. The type of hearing test you should perform depends on the types of symptoms you are suffering from. After taking the test, getting the results is your next step in the process of healing.

• Your doctor discusses the results with you

Your audiologist is trained to understand the results of hearing tests. After you get them, they will analyze and interpret them and then discuss them with you. The results of the test give a very good indication of the:

1. the extent of the problem

2. frequencies you struggle to hear

3. treatment that best suits your condition

• A treatment plan is set

Based on the results of the hearing test, certain recommendations are presented for you for what to do next. You might need to make lifestyle changes and maybe even change some medications that you are taking.

 The treatment plan might involve:

1. getting hearing aids

2. cleaning the ear canal

3. removing any foreign object that might be in the ear

4. getting surgery

5. planning to avoid loud areas

Each hearing issue requires a specific treatment plan. That is why knowing the exact hearing impairment that you are diagnosed with will largely dictate the treatment plan that your audiologist gives to you.

The next step here will be to choose a hearing aid model. A hearing aid fitting appointment is requested to have your hearing aids personally fit to your ears and then programmed for you by the audiologist.

Then, there is a trial period during which you wear them in a variety of acoustic environments to test if they are working properly. If they are not, you can tell the audiologist at the follow-up appointment to fix them. This period is usually a couple of weeks.

• Follow-up is required

After choosing the treatment plan, it is time to implement it. Following the instructions of the audiologist is a must. Sticking to the follow-up meetings is necessary to discuss together how the treatment plan is working. If any adjustments need to be made, then your audiologist will let you know.

1. Reordering

If there are major issues during the trial period such as the hearing aids falling out of your ears or hearing uncomfortable noises, you may reorder or refit the hearing aids.

2. New trial period

If your audiologist reorders hearing aids for you, you have to go to another hearing aid fitting, and then go through a new trial period. If this occurs, this will be hopefully the last step you have to get through to reach the point where everything is set, and you can just enjoy your hearing aids.

It’s time you include hearing tests in your routine health exams so you can prevent further damage to your ears. So, if you have not visited yet your audiologist, now is the perfect time for you to book your appointment!