Flatirons Audiology Dr. Julie Eschenbrenner

JULES MARIE

If anyone, even a doctor, tells you that nothing can be done about your tinnitus and that you should just learn to live with it, seek another opinion.

Audiologist Julie Eschenbrenner, owner of Flatirons Audiology, specializes in the treatment of tinnitus and hearing loss which are major public health issues affecting all ages. Nearly 50 million Americans live with hearing loss and it’s not just a matter of getting older. According to the Hearing Loss Association of America, nearly one-fifth of American teens, 20 percent of adults and 60 percent of veterans experience hearing loss.

Hearing loss is a sudden or gradual decrease in how well you can hear; it can vary from very mild to profound, and from temporary to permanent. Tinnitus is a sound in the absence of another sound; it can come and go. Some people can tune it out; but for others, the sound can remain a nuisance.

Common causes include sudden or sustained loud noises, injury to the ear or head, ear infection, a ruptured eardrum, earwax, or a host of other causes that affect the ear.

[more…]Dr. Eschenbrenner opened her practice in June 2007 to provide comprehensive hearing services to her patients. She decided to specialize in the treatment of tinnitus because so many people needed help with the condition. “I began marketing tinnitus directly to physicians and brought everyone cookies on plates engraved with our logo,” says Dr. Eschenbrenner, whose exhaustive research into the world of tinnitus has made her a go-to audiologist for those with tinnitus. Dr. Eschenbrenner also offers custom ear molds for swimming, sleeping, or sound reduction in noisy environments as well as musicians plugs.

She cautions that patients be wary of choosing an audiologist. Ask questions: How do you evaluate tinnitus? Are you testing my hearing or evaluating my tinnitus? How many patients do you see with tinnitus? What treatment options do you offer?

“I’ve had patients come in who were sold a hearing aid and never told that they had options; nor was the aid adjusted correctly. That’s my job. I give them all the information they need so they can make the best decision,” she says.

Dr. Eschenbrenner’s comprehensive hearing evaluation takes place in a soundproof booth where she evaluates loudness tolerance issues, then tinnitus, then hearing loss by performing a comprehensive evaluation and making appropriate treatment recommendations. She notes that about 20 percent of people with hearing loss have a medically treatable condition. If necessary, she refers them to a specialist to eliminate any medical issues before treating the hearing loss. Her goal is to determine the best treatment option for the patient and whether the patient is a candidate for an amplification device or tinnitus treatment.

Today’s hearing aids fit every budget, lifestyle, and listening need. They are revolutionary with their superior technology, and colorful, slim designs. With nearly invisible wires, they fit neatly and discreetly behind the ear. Some brands can be programmed via a wireless system, are Bluetooth enabled, and controlled by remote. Dr. Eschenbreenner says thousands of adjustments are possible with the new aids to ensure that voices and environmental noises are amplified at a level that can be comfortably controlled.

Patient Michael Whelan suffers from severe hearing loss and received his first aids from another doctor at the age of 25. “It was like having a megaphone in my ear and it hurt. My hearing never got any better with those aids until I saw Julie. It turns out that the master setting was wrong, so all the other settings were wrong. The improvement was remarkable; no earaches; no head pain. I could hear 75 to 80 percent better. She started from scratch and it changed my life,” says Michael.

Several years later, Michael has turned to a higher-end hearing aid with wireless and Bluetooth capabilities, which allows him to talk on the phone, and stream music and television directly through his aids. “I couldn’t talk on the phone or enjoy social events. People assumed I was reserved, shy, or snooty. I never talked, never responded to people. I was lipreading subconsciously. I had no idea how bad it was until I saw Julie. She made it click for me.”

Lori Drake has profound hearing loss and sought out Dr. Eschenbreenner because technology forced her to go digital and replace the analog hearing devices she’d been accustomed to for 34 years. “Dr. Eschenbreenner listened to my needs carefully, reviewed my history, and fit me with a Widex aid. It was a delight to my heart and spirit to finally find a digital aid that actually worked for me. Every loss is unique. Not every audiogram can detect every little sound you can and cannot hear. I am proof of that. Dr. Eschenbreenner will bend over backwards to get your fitting just the way you like it. When you find an audiologist who understands what your life is like without hearing, or how much better it can be with the aid of a hearing aid, you know you’ve found an audiologist who is working in the field of her passion,” says Lori.

“Dr. Eschenbreenner’s staff is friendly and always willing to get you in when needed,” continues Lori. “They work hard to make sure that the process goes smoothly. My kids love the specialty cookies she makes and my husband and I always feel at home with a cup of coffee. While those are the small pleasures of life, it is Dr. Eschenbreenner who gives me great confidence in her ability to continue giving me what I enjoy and love in life—the ‘sound’ of living—and she does it right, which makes me a happy and content person,” says Lori.

Dr. Eschenbreenner enjoys spending time with her family and baking cookies with her two sons. She likes giving back to the community and donates used hearing aids to kids in need, as well as to a local audiologist who takes a mission trip to Belize to help kids with hearing issues. They also provide free health screenings at health fairs and sponsor local school and community events.

Flatirons Audiology, Inc. is located at Exempla Hospital in the Community Physicians Pavilion at 300 Exempla Circle, Suite 365 in Lafayette. Call the office at 303-664-9111 or visit the website at flatironsaudiology.com.

This article originally appeared in October 2013.