SpecialistNow: Patient Story - Finding an ENT (Ear Nose & Throat Specialist)

My daughter, Michelle, has been hearing impaired since she was born. She was diagnosed with moderate hearing loss as a baby and has worn hearing aids ever since.

She’s always hated wearing hearing aids and even refused to wear them for a while when she was about 13 (typical teenager!) but she knows they help her.

SpecialistNow is a free service provided by Healthshare. We can help connect you with one of our qualified Australian Specialists. To find an urgent appointment visit: SpecialistNow.

Considering how hard it must’ve been for her to understand everything going on in the classroom and keep up with the other kids, she did incredibly well at school.

Michelle’s now 17 and studying Business at university on the Sunshine Coast – a fabulous accomplishment for any 17 year old.

Recently she came home to Sydney in her uni holidays and had a check-up with Australian Hearing. They told us her hearing had dropped and that she needed to see an ENT before flying back to Queensland.

I was searching for an ENT online and stumbled across SpecialistNow.com.au. I filled in the form that evening and got a phone call from SpecialistNow the next morning with the name and contact details of an ENT in Chatswood. In less than a week I had an appointment for Michelle.

The specialist sent her for blood tests and a CAT scan and put her on antibiotics. Turns out she had fluid in her ears and a chest infection, which was affecting her hearing.

Her hearing has deteriorated slightly but there’s nothing more sinister going on. The antibiotics worked brilliantly and she was able to fly home safely without having to delay her flight.

Michelle’s feeling great now. She’s back to studying and working as a kids swimming instructor.

She says when she has children she hopes they don’t have her bad hearing gene. She hates that she has it but accepts that she does.

I was a bit dubious of using SpecialistNow.com.au at first but it was such a positive experience. If I have to get an appointment for any of my family members I would definitely use it again. It worked really well for us - particularly as we were in such a hurry to get an appointment.

If you are looking for a fast-tracked specialist appointment, visit Specialist Now.

Do you have an experience you would like to share with us? Email us at specialistnow@healthshare.com.au.