Hello again, friends!

With this time of year comes many opportunities to get out of the house and into the community to mingle – block parties, barbeques, and of course, city days! Here at Andros ENT, we’re heading out to see old friends and make some new ones.

We’ll be at Mendota Day on Saturday, July 13! (http://www.cityofmendota.org/MENDOTA-DAY-2014.html ; https://www.facebook.com/MendotaDay/ ) where there will be complimentary items, educational materials, and the chance to win a free hearing screening!

Since a hearing screening is part of what we’re giving away, we thought we would use today’s conversation to give all of you more detail about a hearing screening actually ENTAILS.

At a very basic level, a hearing screening is an abbreviated hearing test, where the only pitches tested are the ones considered most important for speech. A full diagnostic evaluation would test at different levels (starting louder and moving to the softest sounds that you are able to hear), a hearing screening only tests at one specific level, at what we consider “the borderline of normal.” The idea behind this, is to confirm that at the very least, you can hear the most important speech information at a normal level for both ears. If at any of these pitches, you are unable to hear the “borderline normal” level that we initially present at, we’ll then go looking for your hearing threshold (or the softest sound that you can hear). So, that we can tell you exactly what level of hearing loss is present (if any). A hearing screening is short and sweet, and typically comes with the possibility of a few recommendations.

The outcomes typically involve the following:

– You passed! Hooray! This means you heard every sound we presented at the “borderline of normal”; for the different speech tones, and you can go about your merry business with little to no interference from us! We recommend getting your hearing tested every 1-2 years as preventive care, even if you pass your screening with flying colors, but you should always feel free to come in sooner if any new concerns come up.

– At one or more pitches we tested, we found some hearing loss – what now? The next step will typically be a diagnostic evaluation – the concept is similar to a screening, except in far more detail – more information is better!

– This diagnostic evaluation may be scheduled only with the audiologist, or it may involve “tandem”; (or associated) appointment with an ENT physician. Typically, you only have to see the physician if there are any FDA referral symptoms, or if you have concerns, you’d like addressed from a medical standpoint.

– FDA Referral Symptoms – quickly: ringing/buzzing, especially if it’s only in one ear; pain; sudden hearing loss; a large difference in hearing ability between your ears; fullness in either ear; active drainage from either ear; dizziness; earwax; or any trauma to your ears

– At some point during your diagnostic evaluation, your friendly neighborhood audiologist may mention that you are what we consider a hearing aid candidate – don’t panic! This is the beginning of a conversation that you are an active participant in – your opinions matter, and this is the time to get any questions you may have addressed. We’re here to educate, offer you opinions with the knowledge that we have, and most importantly, LISTEN to YOU. You drive the next step in the process.

So, there it is: your 60-second snapshot into a hearing screening, and some of the potential outcomes. Come see our faces at Mendota Day on Saturday, July 13, and we’ll be happy to answer even MORE questions (we might even reward you with candy)!

Happy summer-ing, all!