Sunday, April 8, 2012

A Thorough Hearing Test May Save Your Life

It was supposed to be a routine hearing test?instead, it saved this patient?s life.

Dan Whipkey, owner of Miracle-Ear, which offers free initial hearing tests in Greenville-Spartanbug and surrounding areas, has heard a great number of stories like these in his 20 years in the hearing business. He knows when it comes to your health, there can be a lot more going on than meets the eye. That?s why the hearing tests in Greenville-Spartanbug Miracle-Ear hearing centers are thorough, comprehensive, and test more than just the health of your hearing.

Whipkey can recall several stories of patients going in for hearing tests in Greenville-Spartanbug Miracle-Ear hearing centers, only to end up with much more serious diagnoses. ?Patients come in for a test, and it turns out that they have a tumor. We quickly refer them to a doctor, because some of the testing came up a little funny,? says Whipkey.

Instead of referring them to their doctor straight away, the audiologist or hearing instrument specialist could have gone ahead and pushed the patient into fitting and buying a hearing aid, and technically sold them one. Luckily, Miracle-Ear stands by their strong ethical guidelines when it comes to healthcare, and maintains a Hippocratic Oath. ?We pushed them instead to go to the doctor,? says Whipkey.

This particular patient ended up having an acoustic neuroma?a slow-growing tumor of the cochlear nerve that connects the ear to the brain. The tumor itself is not cancerous, meaning it does not spread to other parts of the body; however, it is known to cause damage to several important nerves as they grow. Luckily, the hearing professionals were capable of detecting the discrepancy during the routine hearing tests in Greenville-Spartanbug Miracle-Ear hearing center, allowing the doctors to successfully remove the tumor in time. ?Basically, we identified a problem through the hearing test that ultimately saved the patient?s life.?

Since Miracle-Ear staff members are not M.D.?s, they cannot diagnose a particular problem during hearing tests in Greenville-Spartanbug Miracle-Ear hearing centers. Nonetheless, their certified audiologists and specialists at identifying if there are any other medical concerns that need to be addressed, and make sure to recommend that their customers have those other concerns addressed prior to fitting for hearing aids. ?If we see something that?s wrong?we might even have a pretty good idea what?s wrong?but because we?re not M.D.?s, how we can help is by always recommending that they visit a doctor.?

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