I have to disagree. In most cases, the first couple visits to your primary ENT for tinnitus are not "worthless." Remember, your ENT cannot "cure" tinnitus. Nobody can. The primary ENTs job is to weed out obvious (and sometimes fixable) causes of T, like ear wax buildup, infections, etc. The ENT also give you (or order) at least a basic hearing test and brain scans such as an MRI, to check for hearing loss, tumors, neuromas.
If all that comes back A-OK and you still have tinnitus: You then might want to find more sophisticated medical specialists and treatments, as suggested by
@InfiniteLoop. Be aware it can be a long, expensive and sometimes (but not always) fruitless search for better management techniques.
For starters, you should get a more sophisticated hearing test that goes above the 8,000 hz used in most primary ENT offices. If you are having trouble with severe anxiety or depression because of your tinnitus, seek help from a mental health professional -- preferably a psychiatrist, if you need short-term medication relief for very severe symptoms, or a therapist if you need better coping techniques.
I would say part of what tripped up
@Charlie396 is that he had to wait a month for that first visit. If at all possible: You need to get in for a primary ENT visit ASAP if your tinnitus has been hanging around for more than a day or two -- or immediately if you know it was caused by trauma or noise exposure. I was in my ENT's office the day after my pressure injury occurred. Some treatments, like steroid injections, have a very small window of opportunity. I recognize that not everyone has quick access to a healthcare professional. But if you can, make a lot of phone calls, say its an emergency, and demand to be seen.
And of course, even being able to see an ENT immediately didn't "save" me. More than two years and $14,000 later, I still have tinnitus. But I discovered good ways to manage it and, today, am able to live pretty much as I did before.
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