How Ear Doctors Can be a Mother’s Worst Nightmare
According to reports, there are about two percent of babies who will fail in the newborn hearing screening and as parents who will do anything that your doctor tells you, doing further tests would probably be on top of your priority list.
Most doctors prefer to wait six weeks to about two months to have these babies checked out first and often than not, test results will still vary but mostly will show the baby to have moderate to severe hearing loss. This result may cause parents their first heartache regarding their children but as doctors, they do not have the authority not to break the news to the parents.
However, this type of news is not what most parents fear. Believe it or not, 10 percent of doctors may wrongly read the results, ending to a misdiagnosis. Being parents, they depend on doctors to help them understand their child’s condition but it will not hurt to always ask for a second opinion and seek a specialist’s diagnosis.
What experts say
Pediatric hearing experts know and believe that physicians and audiologists are prone to missing the correct diagnosis from time to time, especially if the condition is uncommon and new like that of auditory neuropathy.
There are about 12,000 babies who get this diagnosis every year and based on reports, if a misdiagnosis occurs, it can actually damage the child’s hearing if it is misdiagnosed and given hearing aid as treatment because it will amplify the sound to the ears and be transmitted as loud noise.
Auditory neuropathy is a condition where sound enters the ear normally but the transmission to the brain and sound nerve gets impaired. If the doctor prescribes the use of hearing aids, further damage may be done on the child’s ears, just as much as how a rock concert affects your ears.
A mother’s woes
Being a mother or a parent who is immensely concerned with the well-being of your child, it is crucial that you follow the instructions and advice of your doctor. That is why it is ironic that by following what the expert says, your child ends up with damaged ears. Experts state that putting the hearing aid on the baby’s ear compliantly on a daily basis can cause permanent damage to the ears within a week.
Sometimes, gut and instinct can help warns parents that something is terribly wrong. It may be terrifying to correct an expert’s diagnosis but as it could help save your child, it is best to bring along the specialist and explain it to the referring physician.
What to do if you suspect a misdiagnosis
If you think if you or your child needs a hearing aid, make sure that you get a hearing aid prescription. We are ENT specialist providing hearing test and assessment and hearing aid prescription.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription