June 4, 2019
We wanted to share a glimpse into the diversity of patients we might see on a typical day. We will follow one of our providers as the morning unfolds.
First patient is a 65 year-old male with a known hearing loss. He has been referred to us by a friend who is our patient. We test his hearing, and he decides to upgrade his ten year-old hearing aids.
A 40 year-old woman has been referred by her primary physician for a “plugged” ear sensation. She is found to be occluded with copious but shallow ear wax. We clear the ear under magnification by way of suction. Her hearing is found to be normal, and the plugging is resolved.
An 86 year-old woman is seen for a routine check-up. Her hearing aids are not working properly. After cleaning and basic maintenance, the aids are functional and working appropriately.
A 55 year-old male is seen for bothersome tinnitus. During the examination he is found to have significant noise-induced hearing loss. We fit him with open-fit hearing instruments and provide counseling on tinnitus therapy strategies. We will track his progress over time.
A 58 year old woman is seen for severe dizziness triggered by motion. Testing reveals one-sided hearing loss and positional vertigo. The vertigo is treated at our office, and we refer her to an ear, nose and throat physician, due to asymmetric conductive hearing loss.
A 21 year old musician is seen to have impressions made for custom high fidelity hearing protection. He has requested baseline hearing testing and is found to be normal.
A 91 year old woman is brought by her son for severe hearing loss and difficulty hearing her family. The son acts as translator and driver. We evaluate her ears and fit her with appropriate hearing aids.
A 46 year-old male is seen for tinnitus. He is concerned the noise in his ears is a sign of a deeper medical issue. He has a history of industrial noise exposure. Testing reveals an early high frequency loss of hearing in both ears consistent with tinnitus. We discover no “red flags” pointing to tumors or major ear abnormalities.
This morning’s patients have come here from the city, the suburbs, rural villages and senior living facilities. We have the privilege of serving a wide variety of people with a variety of problems. It is our mission and our passion. As always, we wish to keep you on a CLEAR PATH to good hearing and ear health.