FAQ
Information on tinnitus in Long Island, NY.
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Tinnitus FAQs
Tinnitus causes can include exposure to loud noise, stress or trauma, certain medications, hearing loss, head or neck injuries, blood vessel problems, or chronic conditions. Dr. Elena Maresca is an expert in tinnitus treatment and can diagnose the cause of your ringing in the ears.
Treatment for tinnitus is specific for your individual needs. Dr. Elena Maresca will work with you to determine what kind of treatment will be best suited for you. Dr. Maresca is the best doctor for tinnitus treatment in the Stony Brook area.
The goal is to retrain the subconscious part of the brain to ignore the “sounds” and to reach the stage in which you are not aware of and/or annoyed by your tinnitus.
There are no side effects of tinnitus treatment.
We will perform an extensive hearing test, and several specific tinnitus tests which will allow us to determine whether you have tinnitus, hyperacusis, or any combination of these and to what degree. None of the testing is painful; we begin with low levels of sound which gradually become louder. If tinnitus is not present on the day of testing, it will not influence the possibility of success with treatment.
If it has been performed by an audiologist within the past 3 months then it does not. We do ask that you bring your previous audiological results so we don’t have to repeat any testing.
The counseling will provide you with information about the causes and factors involved in your tinnitus/hyperacusis. We will also explain how tinnitus/hyperacusis management works, guide you through your treatment, and teach you how to control your tinnitus/hyperacusis. The counseling sessions are a fundamental part of the treatment process.
The devices are used to help speed up the process of retraining, but what is important, is how they are used. How the devices are used depends on each patient’s individual needs. If you just buy and wear the devices, you probably won’t achieve improvement, and in some cases, you may make your tinnitus worse. We will teach you how to properly use the devices so they are the most effective for you.
It is possible for us to work with your current hearing aids depending on the type they are. In some cases, it is possible to utilize both hearing aids as well as other kinds of sound therapy at the same time, so we can incorporate your current devices into your treatment plan.
This therapy uses sound as a part of the treatment. So, if your mother is completely deaf and does not have a cochlear implant, she would not be able to benefit from this therapy. However, the use of electrical stimulation of the ear (through a cochlear implant or external stimulation) combined with a tinnitus management program may help. If she can hear sound, even if she cannot recognize speech, we can try to help her.
Yes, you may continue your medications. We will examine all of your medications, as some may contribute to the tinnitus. If a medication you are taking seems to be linked to your tinnitus, then we will work with your prescribing physician to come up with an appropriate management plan.
Because every case is different, the treatment may last anywhere between 18 to 24 months.
There is no guarantee, but approximately over 89% of people who undergo tinnitus management will no longer be bothered or annoyed by their tinnitus. For some patients that means they do not hear any tinnitus signal whatsoever. For other patients they may be aware of their tinnitus, but it is so minute they are not aware of it for the majority of the time. It is important to remember that tinnitus management is a treatment, not a cure. So, if patients focus and concentrate on hearing their tinnitus, they will hear it.