If You Visited an ENT, Were You Satisfied with Your Experience?

Yep, that sounds about right.

 

That's the problem right there. The ENTs get away with their perfunctory and vestigial diagnostics because patients have no point of reference, they don't know what an ENT is supposed to do for them.

In Germany there are guidelines published by the German ENT Society. The recommended diagnostics alone consist in a 1293 word laundry list of things to do and things to look at.

A laundry list that gets entirely ignored in my experience. All I got was hand-waving, plus anger and defensive word salad when I showed him a printout with the recommendations from his own guild.

Oh, and a lecture on how little money he makes with patients like me.

 

OMG, I hope you left a bad review on the doctor.

 

To be honest, I'm quite reluctant to publicly accuse anyone of misconduct that I cannot prove. Where I live, this would mean inviting a lawsuit for defamation that I would automatically lose.

I would have less of a problem with publicly excoriating a doctor for, e.g., writing a prescription for medication that he should not have written. I would have his prescription in writing, and therefore not a problem to prove what he did.

But this here? It's about unrecorded communication with no trace of it left in the world. Implying a risk/benefit ratio that seems unreasonable to me.

 

I was not satisfied with my experience. One made me worse, the rest hadn’t a clue what they were even looking at. Not a good sign when you spot your ENT turning around to Google what hyperacusis is. Outer ear stuff is pretty much all they know in my experience, after that forget about it.

 

Hey @bill 112, how are you now? How's your hyperacusis?

 

I'm supposed to be seeing an ENT on Monday. I will report back on my experience. Honestly my expectations are pretty low and I'm expecting to be given advice that would make this thing a million times worse than it already is if I was to follow it, which makes me question why I'm even going in the first place.

 

I've seen two ENTs - one privately and one through the NHS. Both were absolutely useless and just said it's permanent and there's nothing we can do. One even told me not to worry about protecting against loud noises!

 

Absolute wankers. Happy to take £200 off people AFTER listing tinnitus as a special interest.

 

No.

 

Ultra douche bag! Last week, I was referred, for an unrelated matter, to the same ENT I saw when I got tinnitus back in 2017. He was like "what can I help you with?" I then brought up that my GP wanted me to have this looked at, and that I was still struggling with tinnitus. He rudely responded "you just have to get used to it." I have never wanted to punch somebody in the face so badly.

 

We all need to go easier on ENTs. There is literally nothing he can do to help a patient with tinnitus and we all know it. The best they can do is a referral to therapy.

I went to an ENT again yesterday and he referred me to therapy even though I already went and didn't find it that useful.

He was completely useless about the random pain I get in my ear all the time. He just said it was maybe something to do with my jaw or neck and left it at that.

 

My ENT was walking around the clinic like Groucho Marx. That was my first clue that the visit wasn’t going to go well.

 

I went to an ENT when my tinnitus was really bothersome and I was really distressed.

My ENT, who was in the tightest shirt I’ve ever seen on a man, told me that I’ll get you used it.

I said “I hope so, but I can’t sleep.”

ENT: You’ll get used to it, soldiers sleep in war zones.”

Me: ...

I got out of that appointment so disheartened, my mum rang me asking how it went and I just cried.

God that shirt was tight but.

 

Bloody hell @Stayinghopeful. This had me bursting out laughing.

 

I get so tired of statements like that. I understand people can sleep through a lot of things... but it's somehow different when it's in your head 24/7... at least you know that you can escape the sound in those war zone situations...

 

The short answer: No.

 

I’m glad to hear it my friend!

 

Speaking of ENT clothing... way back when my tinnitus started, I didn't know what it was. I went to see an ENT (which is short for otolaryngologist) who turned out to be one of the most beautiful women I had ever met. A true 10 out of 10 from head to toe.

Sitting in a chair across from me (no desk in between), she was wearing what I guess you could call a business suit except the bottom half was a mini-skirt.

She was so beautiful I didn't hear a word she was saying. My ears had turned off so my eyes could function better. I wish she had been wearing a white doctor's coat so I could have heard what she was saying.

 

I'm still waiting to see an ENT after being referred in February and asking about it in 2022! Not expecting them to help with my tinnitus at all though. I've waited long enough so may as well utilise the appointment when it eventually turns up.