Hearing Tests and Tinnitus

[Tamster]

Hi all,
I read a thread from a few years ago in which someone wrote that they were afraid to have a hearing test because it seemed that with each hearing test their tinnitus got worse.  Last week I scheduled a hearing test and now I'm hesitant to go. The person who wrote it hasn't been on the forum in ages, so there is no way for me to contact them. So, I'm asking about your experience. Has having a hearing test made your tinnitus worse? If so, was it temporary?

Thanks
Tam

[mk]

Hi Tam,

being fresh out of a hearing test on Friday, I have the following comments/observations.

- I can't see how the hearing test itself can make your tinnitus worse. It  can certainly make you more aware of it though, given that you are in a completely enclosed and quiet environment. I especially hate it when they use the "wooshing" sound to mask the good ear.

- I have been always wondering if tinnitus affects the actual results of the hearing test. It seems to me that if tinnitus is really loud, then it would affect the way we perceive the words/sounds during the hearing test and may mask them. The person administering the test would then need to increase the level of the sound, meaning that the PTA threshold would be higher. I haven't really figured out if this is really the case or not, in spite of all the hearing tests that I have done.

Marianna

[lawmama]

I had a hearing test last Monday and I didn't notice any change in my tinnitus during or after.  Then again, my hearing nerve was cut so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it.

I will say that it was a strange sensation because I could feel my ear vibrating, but yet couldn't hear a thing.  It was weird.  After the test, the lady seemed a little nervous to tell me that I was profoundly deaf on my left side.  I laughed and said, "Well, I have no hearing nerve on that side, so if I had been able to hear anything I would have been pretty stunned!"

I did notice a tiny bit of crossover hearing, if that is what it is called.  Meaning, at first I could hear some of the louder sounds from the left through my good ear, but as soon as the added the masking sound in my good ear, I couldn't hear a thing.