Hi: I’ve had ear problems my entire life, with numerous infections, sinusitis, and allergy-related issues into adulthood. In January 2022, I saw an ENT for worsening tinnitus. He ordered an audiology test, which he said showed typical, symmetrical, age-related hearing loss (I’m a 62-year-old male). He said the tinnitus was related to that. I went back this January for what felt like fluid in my right ear. He said he saw no sign of fluid and ordered another audiology exam, which actually showed slight improvement over the previous year (very slight, but improvement). Then I ended up in urgent care in February for a sinus infection and ear ache, and the doctor saw “lots of fluid in both ears, especially the right.” I was given prednisone and antibiotics and things improved, but did not go away entirely. So I returned to the ENT in March, and he inserted a tube in my right ear drum. That did help drain more fluid, but I still have tinnitus and I sense some hearing loss in that ear (but he did not do another audiology exam). In my follow-up visit, he said I should get an MRI for possible acoustic neuroma. This floored me. My insurance is not great, and this will cost me a lot of money out of pocket. Is this really necessary given that just three months ago I had an audiogram that showed no worsening of hearing, and was almost perfectly symmetrical? Thanks.
