Going through a point in your life when you realize your hearing isn’t as good as it once was can be difficult. You’ve relied on your hearing your entire life and have never had an issue, so when things start to change it can be frustrating. If you do find that you’re dealing with hearing loss at any point in your life, you need to book yourself an appointment with an audiologist, who can help you to learn precisely your issue and whether it’s temporary or permanent. Below, you’ll find four common questions that you should ask your audiologist over the course of your appointment:

What will you do during my hearing appointment?

If it is your first appointment with an audiologist, you will want to provide them with a detailed medical history, including the current symptoms you’re experiencing related to your hearing or auditory system. This may be difficulty hearing the television, feeling like everyone is mumbling, a full feeling in the ear or hearing a ringing or buzzing. Your will want to provide the audiologist with a list of current and past medications, as these can sometimes be the culprit behind hearing loss. You will likely have a series of hearing tests conducted, these are painless and easy to complete. Once this is done, your audiologist will provide you with the results.

What is causing the hearing loss?

This is a broad question that can have several different answers. Age-related hearing loss is one of the most prevalent reasons for auditory issues. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule, with underlying and undiscovered medical conditions being a reason. You have to be able to narrow down what the cause of the hearing loss is, and your audiologist can help you to get to the root of the issue.

What can I do to prevent it getting worse?

During your time with an audiologist, it’s important to ask what you can do to prevent your condition from becoming worse. They will be able to tell you what the cause of your hearing loss is and whether it’s temporary for now or will progress. Hearing aids can help and there are sound therapies out there that will also be able to help your condition; your audiologist can advise on what’s best.

Remembering to ask your audiologist these questions can make your appointment far more comforting for you.