Generally speaking one purchases the devices for the sound therapy part of TRT from the same individual who is doing the counseling part of TRT. But that does not necessarily have to be the case, and if the audiologist who is going to do your TRT counseling suggests that you get the devices elsewhere, I see no reason not to do so.
@mexigrl64, I have given some more thought to the above post, and perhaps I responded a bit too hastily.
In theory what I said is true - providing everything goes smoothly with the sound therapy part of TRT. But I can see a potential problem if it doesn't, because not infrequently the sound therapy requires tweaking.
Here is but one example of what I'm talking about. Let's say, for instance, you develop "six-week syndrome," where in up to one-third of cases the tinnitus actually gets louder after four-to-six weeks of doing the sound therapy, even if you do the sound therapy exactly as you are supposed to do it. Now it turns out that six-week syndrome is actually a
good prognostic sign overall, but at the time it happens (
if it happens), it can be very distressing to the patient and may require some temporary adjustments to get him or her back on the right track. So suppose for a moment that it happens to you. You have purchased your devices from Kim Juneau, whom I have known for some five years now and hold in high regard as an audiologist. But while Kim does have an interest in tinnitus, she has little, if any, experience in TRT. So whom will you contact in that event - Kim Juneau (who doesn't do TRT) or Laurie Hebert (who has not yet started your TRT counseling)?
In my own clinic it works differently. I do not sell devices at all; my patients can buy their devices wherever they can get the best deal. If anything goes wrong technically with the devices themselves (tubing, circuitry, etc.), my patients know to contact the audiologist who sold them the device. But if anything else goes wrong with the sound therapy (six-week syndrome, etc.), they know to contact me - because the actual
application of the sound therapy and the
tweaks are all part of the counseling.
In your case, however, if something goes wrong while you are out of the country and before you have started your TRT counseling, it seems to me that you might really be stuck there! So you should have a clear understanding
ahead of time regarding whom to call for what indication and more importantly regarding who will take responsibility for getting you back on track while you are away and before you have started your TRT counseling.
I hope this clarifies more than confuses.
Dr. Stephen Nagler
Member
