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I’m looking for advice on career path options besides getting a full on audiology degree. I’m 41 and after being a stay at home mom for the past 15 years, I am wanting to get going on a career. My bachelors is in secondary education (FACS). I’m less interested in going back to teaching high school. Due to my experience with my own hearing loss, and my daughters very different type of hearing loss, and my tendency to gravitate toward conversing with the elderly at group events as I see them closing themselves off due to hearing issues….. I feel like I’d really like to be in audiology and help people understand what they are going through better. I’m wondering what kinds of options I have in the field without actually going to med school and getting a doctorate. I could see myself doing a couple more years of advanced education, or certification though. I want to do more than be a receptionist or office manager. I want to work with patients in their treatment/assessments or education for patients about their condition and expectations with treatment/aides and such. What positions exist for something like this? And what would the career path be to becoming one?

ETA: I also wondered if my hearing loss would prevent me from being able to be in this kind of work? I have a ski slope loss. Profound highs and normal lows. I feel like I can understand and converse better than many I’ve met with less loss (maybe since I’ve had it a long time or was gradual) but worry that I’d need to be normal hearing to be able to do assessments or other issues. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I have narrow ear canals and I listen to music all the time. I would like to turn it up but I’m afraid I will damage my hearing.

My son has failed 3 newborn screenings tests in both ears. Audiology hasn't been super great at explaining the tests we've had done so far and the reports we've gotten seem vague. The most recent one says: " Potential for some degree of peripheral auditory impairment"

So far he's had: Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAEs) and Tympanometry. I don't have any numbers or graphs or anything as a result of the tests, just the statement that I quoted above so I don't really know what they mean. Is it just too early to tell?

We have another appointment coming up for additional testing.. based on what I've looked up online, I think it's an ABR? I know he needs to be sleeping for it.

Anyway, I'm feeling out of my element for questions to ask or tests/supports to request or inquire about? These specialist appointments are so hard to get and take forever to schedule, I want to make sure we are using the time wisely when with the providers. Any advice is helpful... thank you!

Hey all, first year AuD student here. Basically i'm freaking out and very concerned that i might fail out of grad school. I didn't do too good on a midterm i took a few days ago for one of my classes and I havent gotten above an 80 on any of the quizzes I took for another one of my classes. idk what the problem is, I study my notes, read the textbooks, and yet somehow i still fail the tests. I've talked to my professors and all they've told me was "study more". idk what to do now.

My husband has hearing loss and tinnitus and wears hearing aids, which help him with both. When his hearing aids are off at night he turns on a white noise machine to help him sleep. I make sure it is on quietly but despite that I have found that now I have tinnitus. Could this 8+ hours of white noise -even at lower than conversational levels, be a potential cause?

Hello.

We had a baby in August 2024, and he failed his hearing tests (Both OAE and ABR). We were told to do follow-up tests a month later and we did the OAE in a clinic nearby to our place (not the birthing hospital) and he passed it. However, the birthing hospital is chasing us to do an ABR follow up with them. The reason I am not doing it, is that it costs about $250 AFTER insurance, which seems excessive.

More info: We are based in NJ, USA.

Like an apprenticeship or something? I am trained in microsuction and I thoroughly enjoy it - now wanting to explore other options regarding audiology but I can’t go to university as I have bills to pay and a property that I own.

Did you know all sound can become damaging? Did you know that putting more sound aka sound therapy into a already damaged by sound, med or etc system can be potentially damaging and sending someone toward a early grave?

IMO there is no such thing as over protection & when someone comes to you with a damaged auditory system... Especially with Hyperacusis...or reactive tinnitus, they should be told to retreat to quiet settings only & protect against any sound that causes discomfort, pain or makes tinnitus rise.

It's damage & putting hearing aid sound maskers in ears can damage Hyperacusis and noxacusis and reactive tinnitus more.

IMO meds should not be recommended to anyone with auditory damage. Especially benzos and ADs. I am no doctor...but I have been worsened by them to a deadly degree.

Just seems so ASININE that specialist of auditory systems recommended more of what damaged the system in the first place.

Oh you got cancer?? Here do more of what gave you cancer to help your cancer.

I trusted my audiologist Dr Paula Land & the people at Dallas Ear Institute Feb 2022 when I came to them with catastrophic auditory damage that needed to be rested in quiet for the rest of my life to contain the ringing and sound sensitivity.

They gaslighted me that it was just my anxiety and to not over protect. To stay off the internet horror stories...where ida found the truth that most auditory specialists dunno jack squat about anything other than hearing loss. Ida found the truth that steroid injections to ears right after sound damage might of helped me and stopped the forest fire of inflammation. WHY THE HELL IS NT3 NOT ALREADY AVAILABLE for injections right away after sound damage that causes Tinnitus...?!!

Not only do most auditory people not know anything about Tinnitus, most abide by Pawel Jasbroffoon's gaslighting techniques and have no clue that the system has no limit to how badly it can be damaged.

My tinnitus was only in quiet Oct 2021 after I think 1 moderna vaccine & prior nosie exposures, dental work spurred it. Never heard ringing until after shot. I go see my dad's band play jan 2022 in a small room 3 times & last time they blast it way too loud & next day I'm wrecked. Things spiral outra control there.

If the doctors I saw even cared to ask as many questions as possible & help address co factors instead of just trying to sell 5k hearing aids & push meds like gabapentitn, Amitriptyline, valium... all which make hyperacusis, tinnitus and noxacusis worse.

None of the doctors at dallas ear Institute. PAC Krysten Whaling and Yohan whatever both just downplayed it and prescribed all those meds above...and told me to do CBT & NOT over protect... get that. Don't over protect a extremely damaged auditory system.

You all have people's lives in your hand!!! Don't push more sound traumas into ears with tests and loud ear cleaning or TRT ( which is proven to be useless) & just masking the ringing... the best prescription for anyone who has Tinnitus is to rest in quiet environments for as long as possible & to get use to the ringing. Don't push MRIs for someone who has lost sound tolerance & you know the origin of Tinnitus & Hyperacusis.

Any further noise exposures can make it worse or keep the damage going and make the tinnitus stay for forever. The best chance for it to recover is at the start. Hell prescribe ice baths and supplements if anything.... Anything but push meds and more sound.

After my damage in Jan 2022. My sound tolerance had lowered. Had i got immediate care of steroid injections to ears & got to quiet only setting till now. My ringing would still be at 60db or so or lower maybe...my sound sensitivity was very bothersome , many everyday sounds then.

I needed ear plugs right away. Dr Paula Land said I could still do anything loud just use ear plugs..but don't protect to everyday sounds. Which is wrong cause bone conduction is a thing. She ignored the fact that I said my ringing was reacting to alot of everyday sounds. Said that regular sounds cant hurt me.

So now I've been gaslighted by all doctors & family members who are narcissistic ... telling me I'm just focusing too much on it and it's my anxiety making it so bad. My mom still tells me I need to control the T and H with my mind.

It's got so bad that since April 2022 I have been worsening everyday to all sound..lower and lower and lower sounds. I have been mostly homebound since then and 100 percent homebound since late 2023. If I had got to quiet right away and protected it would of stopped the damage.

Now I need Euthanasia...and there is nothing mentally wrong with me that is killing me. 100 percent auditory damage and sadly people pleasing/ co dependencey my family screwed me into going me here. I love life more than anyone!!!

So ya mental factors are at play for many people who get these afflictions, but not in the way yall play it. Alot of times its the reason they get these afflictions. Seems like many kind souls that have been stressed out and gaslighted alot in life get these afflictions badly..probably cause cortisol levels are sky high most of their lives.

Did the doctors even point me toward any co factors ? Like tmj , neck and back..no. did they even ask of prior med use? No. Did they even suspect sinus infection or inflammation running rampant after bad sound traumas. No.

Of course once I became homebound April 2022 after see numerous TMJ clinics just trying to get a bite splint. The last place ran a laser over my jaw & on the way home my ringing became reactive to most everyday sounds. I made my mother pull off highway and turn off radio & drive slower.

It was pure insanity. I am sure the constant exposures & not knowing that everyday sounds were making it worse from Jan 2022 till April 2022 helped bring the sound tolerence to such a lower extreme. Obviously now I see that it is a open wound Jan 2022 & many sounds were pecking at it and making ringing worse & lowering sound tolerance..obviously now I've found out the horrible truth that you and so many deny and sweep under the rug. Tinnitus/hyperacusis/noxacusis can force people to take their lives. Especially at beyond catastrophic levels.

I am insanely strong. I am 6 foot 6, German and Irish blood. It took a massive amount of damage to bring me down. I have worked my ass off through horrendous back pain all my life. So I'm used to being invalidated & told to stfu. Sadly that all contributed here to me not listening to my body instead of a hole know it alls pushing people to their death. Peer pressure has killed me all my life!!

I am now listening to 140db screaming in my brain. All sounds cause pain. Discomfort and increased ringing .. permanently. Even the spit sound in my mouth causes the ringing to be worse. I feel it deep inside my auditory system.

All sounds are damaging me. Where do I go from here? How do i make it better? I'm doomed..100 percent doomed. How can I last 40 more years when I cant tolerate any sound...and all you people push is sound therapy and meds!!!! Which both cause the shhit!!

Even in double pro sound still goes through my bones and gets me. Plus it traps the ringing in more do it makes me even more tortured. I have no desire to die and will keep fighting...but it's like Kent Taylor said. I gotta jet air plane in my head. How many more people have to die for everyone to wake up that the auditory system has no limit to how badly it can be damaged...& we should handle it with extreme caution and care.

My brain is screaming beyond a limit that anyone could stand. I have very rarely had anxiety all my life cause i been stuck in fight or flight mode all my life. So being damaged & always spurred along has been the norm for me.

Pardon my rambling. It's hard to think straight after 40 years of narcissist abuse and now 3 years of utter ringing hell that gets permanently louder everyday cause most Doctors dunno jack!!!! Please take all my words into account and update your practice!!!

Please read these websites entirely!!! Save lives!!!!!!

https://hyperacusiscentral.org/travis-hyperacusis-story/

www.Hyperacusiscentral.org www.Hyperacusisresearch.org

-Travis Scott Henry

Hi All,

Newer AuD here — At what point would hearing thresholds impact results of an ABR? A patient was referred to an outside clinic for an ABR (can’t do an MRI) to check for retrocochlear. The clinic said their hearing loss was too significant to perform an ABR. I was under the impression that ABRs can be performed with hearing loss, but waves will be smaller in amplitude and likely have delayed latencies.

The loss is a moderate to (barely) severe SNHL, AU for reference!

Thanks in advance!

I know I shouldn’t use them to clean my ears, but this time I went a little too far in my right ear.

I felt a little bit of pain for a split second and immediately removed the q tip. It felt like I just lightly touched the eardrum maybe. There was no pain afterwards or any bleeding. However my ear now feels muffled and a bit strange, could I have damaged my eardrum? And should I see a doctor?

Thanks

Hello everyone. I have a niece who is a sophomore in college in PA. She is debating SLP vs a PhD in audiology.

I was wondering what yalls thoughts between the two careers. Seems like a SLP needs a masters vs the PhD, is the extra schooling, loans, and years worth it from a job satisfaction standpoint? Same question for salary? Is work life balance better for one vs the other? Are jobs available everywhere or only in larger cities (she is from a very small town in PA)? Any other questions she should be considering?

Appreciate yalls help and advice!

And a brief explanation why if you want.

I feel like all hearing aids are good hearing aids nowadays depending on what the pt wants/needs.

I work for WSAudiology and I truly feel the signia IXs are are getting up there with the big dogs. That being said:

1. Phonak-almost always in targets at 100% first fit. Speech in noise program is elite. Wish they had a rapid exchange process like many others though.

2. Signia-Familiar. Know the hearing aid and software well. IX has doing well based on patient feedback. Fitting with the receiver shape can be challenging though.

3. Oticon-popular for a reason but I hate their software.

4. Starkey-not a fan but would fit them before resound and widex

5. Widex-come out with a new line already and the receivers suck.

6. Resound- pairing up to androids is a nightmare and no one likes the shape. Also traumatized by their receiver issues from the linx Quattros.

Your turn!

Hi all!

I’ve had a very very long journey so far with battling Hyperacusis and associated phonophobia. Just a bit of background, I was dx ADHD age 3, and ASD age 7. It was pretty much normal development except for dysphasia on my right pre-frontal cortex.

I have an incredibly long list of sounds that make my spine chill just thinking about. These are things such as air pressure truck brakes making sudden loud noises,  balloons, loud music, pretty much anything that could go ‘bang’, sound of mosquitos, people yelling, car horns etc. I panic whenever I see any of these, and when I hear the noise happen, I get almost a hypnic jerk and an electric shock down my spine. I would describe this as phonophobia. I have hyperacusis as well, depending on the environment in my body; I’ll get to why that is.

The thing is, I’ve actually developed an incredibly effective way to block out environmental noise being processed down my ear drums, and I have probably done this since I was an infant and I didn’t think too much of it. Basically, by sucking in air through my nose, I create a vacuum of sorts in my inner ear passage, and this pulls the ear drums further inwards in my ear canal. I think this is called a retraction. Once I set the inner ear pressure, it holds and sets until I decide to equalize the pressure again. I push them back out again, by forcefully blowing air out of my nose.

By retracting my eardrums and ‘setting them’ this way, background noise and general noise is reduced by around 30%. But I saw an audiologist to have my ears cleaned (no one had looked at them in years), and she said I have one of the worst retractions she has ever seen. She basically told me to lose that manual retraction method or I will risk hearing loss. But I have NEVER gone a day with my ear drums un-retracted as such simple and day-to-day noise is absolutely unbearable when they are un-retracted and normal, and has been since infancy. Stuff life supermarket noise, people talking to me, sound of eating; normal environmental noise. I believe THAT is hyperacusis. In normal day to day life I wear noise-cancelling headphones most places.

SO this freaked me out a bit as being a musician, my ears are my greatest asset and I need to maintain them.

I got a referral to see an ENT to get his advice, and he agreed that I can’t retract my ears anymore. But at the same time I literally will not be able to survive with the level of sound sensitivity I have. He say’s I definitely need grommets, and I agree, but we need a solution to sound sensitivity and we need it ASAP before we put the grommets in as obviously the hyperacusis will be bad after grommets. (no retraction).  I have had years and years of exposure therapy (made everything completely worse), ILS therapy to no effect, sound therapy,  OT, every sort of anxiety medication to battle sound sensitivity to no real avail. I have tried FLARE earplugs and Loop earplugs, and they do nothing.  He was incredibly intrigued by my case and he’s referred me to the professors at my local university.

I’ve met with them, and they were stymied. Because the technology that I would benefit from doesn’t exist in todays world. If there was something like an ‘anti-hearing aid’ that I could use in an occupational environment such as Uni or at work then great. But I don’t think such things exist.

I’m just throwing this out there to any audiology nerds who have an interest in these sorts of things, and if you have any thoughts?

Not looking for a diagnosis, just any ideas of potential causes. For background, I’ve had tinnitus for 7 years in both ears. Ringing, not pulsatile. I’m used to it, doesn’t bother me. For the past 2 years, when I get a cold I end up with patulous eustachian tube dysfunction in my left ear that takes weeks to go away.

I’m healthy right now, no congestion what so ever. Midday yesterday, my left ear started to feel a little off. Noises were emphasized and there was this faint constant low vibration sound (not feeling). I also felt mildly dizzy? This morning I woke up to it being 10 times worse. My ear is ringing louder than usual, noises are so uncomfortably loud and echo that I wish I had an ear plug, and the vibration/rumbling sound is constant. Not dizzy though. I’ve never experienced this and it’s so uncomfortable. As the day has gone on, the sensitivity to sound has lessened but the rumbling sound is even louder. Especially when there’s any noise or when I talk.

I’ll add that although I feel healthy, my kids have colds currently. I’ve never had ear problems as the first symptom before any congestion but could that be the case?

Otherwise, what could be going on??

Hello there!

Fellow audiologist here! I have a bionex irrigation system that’s spray wash with the hand pump and then lighted currettes for cerumen management.

I find the hand pump slow and takes multiple rounds.

What do you use in your clinic ? Suggestions for what I can purchase would be great. Trying to streamline my time spent cleaning ears!!

Hey, does anyone have experience with this employer as an audiologist? Feel free to DM me if you'd like.

Hi all,

I'm considering a career change from english teaching into Audiology-- I have been taking some prereqs for free using my work benefits and I'm doing well in the classes and interested in the material so far!

HOWEVER, I have dyscalculia and I'm becoming concerned that my disability might make me not the best fit for this field. I'm curious how much math is required on a day-to-day basis, and what types... and if you have any insight into the fit for someone with dyscalculia! I have strong language abilities, and am able to understand math concepts, but absolutely make math related errors even with support and my hardest focus due to inability to relay numbers sequences and other symptoms.

I’m an audio engineer with some background in medicine but am by no means a professional. I have NIHL -21 db at 3200hZ and I’m wondering if sine wave specific treatment to those specific cochlear regions could stimulate the hair cells with a pure tone or if anyone has ever tried it? I can’t find any articles on it so maybe someone could point me in the right direction?

What do audiologists think of Hearing Instrument Specialists? I'm an HCP Trainee and recently I've been struggling with feelings of self doubt/imposter syndrome. I'm not sure how most audiologists feel about Hearing Instrument Specialists but I feel overwhelmed by my perceived lack of knowledge in comparison to all the audiologists out there and feel like I'll never be qualified to do what I'll be doing. I struggle to see my purpose when there's there are those who are WAY more qualified than I am. I'm not looking for validation necessarily, but for someone to verify (yes pun intended) that we are useful.

While I'm not seeking medical advice, I am trying to clear up a misconception of my late father's that sleeping with a fan can cause hearing loss, even if the fan is relatively quiet compared to, say, a washing machine, and definitely below 85dB if cell phone decibel meters are to be trusted, sitting at a supposedly safe 55-58dB.

My father has also expressed concern with me wearing headphones even at a low volume, and wondered if noise cancelling headphones are safe.

He also had these ideas about things like dubstep music, etc., causing hearing loss because there are many screechy and growly tones he believed are automatically deafening.

Also, he believed that high pitched sounds could deafen if they were audible at all.

And, at times, that "his audiologist" told him that any sound, no matter how quiet, can and will produce wear and tear on your ears, even tapping on a table.

Curious to hear other audiologists thoughts on this new product. I work at a Sonova owned chain of clinics, so they've been pushing this one pretty hard. The next "revolutionary" step forward in technology. At our launch event our managing director compared it to the switch from analog to digital hearing aids.

I listened to a sound demo and have reviewed all the info I can... and I can't say I'm very impressed. Phonak went on and on about a "10 dB improvement" in speech in noise. Yet when you read their white paper it's a 10 dB improvement over omni directional, and only a 3dB improvement over existing DNR/Ultrazoom. Even more importantly, that 3 dB improvement was only obtained with a completely occluded canal. How many RIC users have completely occluded canals?

Not to mention that it only activates automatically in the speech in loud noise program. In my experience reading datalogging that program is rarely ever activated, usually less than 5% of the time. I think a manual toggle would be necessary to get any benefit.

I don't know. Demand seems high, and audiologist "influencers" seem to love it, but it seems mostly to be mostly marketing and hot air to me.

I’m sorry if this is in the wrong place, I would just love an audiologist’s perspective.

I am currently going through testing to figure out if I have Ménière’s disease and/or vestibular migraines. Been dealing with vertigo, tinnitus and fluctuating hearing loss for about a year. I keep passing hearing tests (slight hearing loss shown but not enough to concern audiologists) even though I have a serious problem understanding people especially if there is background noise. One audiologist suggested low gain hearing aids and I’ve been using those for the past 4 months and I find they really help. My ENT thinks that my “lack of hearing loss” means it’s probably not menieres.

What are your thoughts on passing hearing tests but struggling to hear? Someone suggested APD but I can’t afford to get that tested. Can I have hearing loss and pass a test? Thank you in advance!

Minor pain too, loud sounds have been scaring me and making me uncomfortable also?