Hearing Aids

Ronni said:
The audiologist said his ears were so plugged with wax that he couldn’t do anything till they were cleaned out!
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MY right ear accumulates wax, as the canal is malformed, and doesn't allow ear wax to gravitate down and out properly. About every six months the build up get noticable, and I have to either do it myself with a product like Debrox, or get an ear lavage from Kaiser.
 

So far, I don't need them, but women's voices are hard at times, Why spend thousands for a hearing aid, when turning up the TV volume works so well. And from what the patients said the aids amped all sounds, so people's voices were the same as other sounds, say like clinking silverware. It wasn't always clear.
One thing, so many audiologists push the idea of hearing aids for tinnitus, there is very little evidence this is effective, but they still offer it as a cure.
 
Good hearing aids are expensive and luckily I qualify for free hearing aids and batteries through the VA and I'm very happy with them.......received my first pair (behind the ear Phonak brand) back in 2017 and my second set of the same early last year.

When I first got them I was only wearing them to watch tv because mama complained that the tv was way too loud, I still don't wear them all the time at home but I'm pretty much in the habit of putting them in every time I leave the house now.

Like most folks my hearing loss just didn't happen overnight it just gradually crept up on me so I slowly became use to not hearing well and I thought that my hearing was just fine......when I received my first pair I was astonished at the sounds that I'd been missing out on.
 
Sony makes a wireless headphone that receives a signal from the TV set, so that I can listen to it without the built in TV speakers making any noise. The head set has a volume control setting, so I can adjust it to my liking. I think the cost for the Sony wireless head phones was $160 at Best Buy here in Canada. JimB.
 
I have excellent hearing, but I often have trouble understanding the dialogue on TV shows. If I turn up the volume, the background music gets much too loud. It's not really a volume problem, it's more muffled speech, and a lot of the younger actors tend to mumble their lines very fast. (I know, I sound like an old geezer.)

The problem is solved by using closed captions, which nearly all shows provide now. I've gotten so used to them that I use them now for everything, except some of the news commentators, who tend to speak loudly and clearly.
 
Hearing aids make a big difference in my life. Yeah, they cost a lot of money. Welcome to the geriatric scene. I buy them at Costco. They sell the Costco brand for around $800 LESS than the name brand. They are different, and having used both types, I still haven't figured out if one is better than the other.

Loss of hearing in my case was an insidious and slow process. At first I didn't know what was happening. I couldn't understand why Hollywood started releasing movies with so much background noise that you could not understand the dialog. I actually walked out of theaters at times. I taught school, and the background noise in the classroom became unbearable. Emotions get involved. You do your best to cope, but your enemy (loss of hearing, not kids) keeps getting stronger.

Aids are not perfect. I wish they were even better, but without them, I would be the stereotype of an old fart making inappropriate responses to conversations I wasn't fully understanding, or complaining to people that they weren't speaking clearly. That would be a shame, since by other standards, I'm in excellent health, with a lot of life yet to enjoy.
 
Sunny said:
I have excellent hearing, but I often have trouble understanding the dialogue on TV shows. If I turn up the volume, the background music gets much too loud. It's not really a volume problem, it's more muffled speech, and a lot of the younger actors tend to mumble their lines very fast. (I know, I sound like an old geezer.)

The problem is solved by using closed captions, which nearly all shows provide now. I've gotten so used to them that I use them now for everything, except some of the news commentators, who tend to speak loudly and clearly.
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Yes, it's not a matter of volume. It's muffled speech, and turning up the volume won't help this. Hearing aids are programed to your hearing loss when You buy them. They increase the volume of frequencies you don't hear. This helps get rid of the muffle. I think the muffle comes when you don't hear certain highs, so you may only be hearing half of what composes normal speech. It's annoying as heck. It approaches garble.
 
I started losing my hearing at 50 years old. I think it was due to all the 'rock and roll' loud music I listened to as a teen and the fact that I shoot shotguns for clay pigeons and birds for sport. Unfortunately, many times I did not wear my hearing protection. I also worked in a manufacturing plant for 17 years and sometimes was exposed to noises that may have hurt my hearing. I have no doubt that I did this to myself.
When I started having problems, my boss actually asked me to get my hearing checked, as I was misunderstanding some comments and not hearing all that was being said, especially in teleconferences. I actually did not realize this was noticeable to anyone. I was in management, so it was not a good situation. I got checked and ended up getting a set of hearing aids, I paid over $3,000 for the pair, and they were not the most expensive ones available, they were middle of the line...

The first time I put them on, I suddenly started hearing a bunch of sounds that I did not recognize. One example I remember is when I started driving home, I heard a loud noise, seemed to be coming from my side of the car. I thought something had gone wrong with the car. I pulled over and checked all around and in the engine for the noise, found nothing! When I got home, I asked my wife to ride with me to help figure out what that noise was. She heard nothing and thought I was losing it! Finally, I figured out the sound was the normal sound of wind whistling on the window of my side of the car. This is a normal sound that most of us just ignore or don't notice. My mind had forgotten what sound that was, and since it was amplified, my brain could not recognize it. As time went on, I found I had to 'relearn' a lot of sounds. Within a few days of wearing my new hearing aids this all went away. They actually helped me a lot at work and home. I could not hear as well as I used to but much better than I could before getting them. I am now 20+ years older and I still use these old hearing aids, they still help me enough for me to do all I have to do.

If you get real hearing aids, and not the plain amplifiers, they will help you if you are willing to go through the adjustment phase. It is hard to get used to them, but they do work, once you get used to them. Prices on these hearing aids have dropped dramatically since Congress changed a law that now allows makers of all hearing assist aids to advertise and compete with the original manufactures. But, beware, the hearing assist devices will not give you the help you may need, although they sure are better than nothing. Shop and be sure to get a hearing aid that has to be set up for your specific hearing problems, but you do not have to pay $3k anymore...
 
Just had my first ever hearing test by an audiologist. He told me what I already knew, profound hearing loss at higher frequencies, ok at low. He says I really need hearing aids. Maybe I do, but this is a lifelong thing, it is very slowly getting worse, but I have learned to live with it.

I did not want to get one of those "free" hearing tests by someone who's real objective was selling hearing aids, so I got my Dr. to refer me. I did pay for the exam. However now it seems to me he is the same, wants to set up a hearing aid fitting and tryout for me. But he seems a reasonable guy.

I asked him about price and competitiveness with Cosco. That set him off on an anti-Cosco rant... However he did in the end say he could match Cosco prices. If that is true I would prefer him for convenience (nearest Cosco is a 30 min drive) and to have someone I can go to for adjustments.

Any thoughts or recommendations from people who have been through this would be appreciated.
 
Alligatorob said:
Just had my first ever hearing test by an audiologist. He told me what I already knew, profound hearing loss at higher frequencies, ok at low. He says I really need hearing aids. Maybe I do, but this is a lifelong thing, it is very slowly getting worse, but I have learned to live with it.

I did not want to get one of those "free" hearing tests by someone who's real objective was selling hearing aids, so I got my Dr. to refer me. I did pay for the exam. However now it seems to me he is the same, wants to set up a hearing aid fitting and tryout for me. But he seems a reasonable guy.

I asked him about price and competitiveness with Cosco. That set him off on an anti-Cosco rant... However, he did in the end say he could match Cosco prices. If that is true I would prefer him for convenience (nearest Cosco is a 30 min drive) and to have someone I can go to for adjustments.

Any thoughts or recommendations from people who have been through this would be appreciated.
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I think you are on a good track. I also went to a medical doctor specialized in hearing. He tried to sell me a pair of real expensive hearing aids. So, I went elsewhere getting a copy of my hearing tests from him. When I went, no one had these cheap ($200-$800) amplifying hearing aids that are now splattered all over for sale... So all I could get was a medical hearing aid that was expensive, that had to be set up for my particular hearing problems. I too could not hear the higher sounds, low sound were ok. I think Costco aids would be fine. Seems to me they will set them up uniquely for you, if that is true, they should be alright. When you get them be patient with what you hear, give it time, your brain will adjust and you won't even know you are wearing them after a week or two, if you wear them a lot. This is key, many people think they will fix your hearing right away, they do, but your brain does not recognize all the new sounds, so you have to wait for your brain to relearn sounds...good luck!
 
Timewise 60+ said:
The first time I put them on, I suddenly started hearing a bunch of sounds that I did not recognize. One example I remember is when I started driving home, I heard a loud noise, seemed to be coming from my side of the car. I thought something had gone wrong with the car. I pulled over and checked all around and in the engine for the noise, found nothing! When I got home, I asked my wife to ride with me to help figure out what that noise was. She heard nothing and thought I was losing it!
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That first experience with hearing aids can be really wild, and it takes time to adjust. Basically, you are relearning how to hear. I suspect babies learn this too. I was amazed at the intense sounds that I was missing. I never realized the racket that is made by turning a door knob, and that particular experience blew my mind. Now, I must have learned to either accept it or tune it out. With hearing loss, you hear things too, but you can't hear all the important things. While the noise of a door knob is not important to me, it must produce a lot of frequencies that are part of speech, which I can't hear without the aids.

I was kind of self conscious when I first started wearing them, but never once in years as anyone ever commented about me wearing aids. I'm not sure people even notice. They hide behind your ears and have but a thread that leads to the mini speaker in your ear.
 
Sunny said:
I have excellent hearing, but I often have trouble understanding the dialogue on TV shows. If I turn up the volume, the background music gets much too loud. It's not really a volume problem, it's more muffled speech, and a lot of the younger actors tend to mumble their lines very fast. (I know, I sound like an old geezer.)

The problem is solved by using closed captions, which nearly all shows provide now. I've gotten so used to them that I use them now for everything, except some of the news commentators, who tend to speak loudly and clearly.
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Hearing aids would help you hear the detail on TV. You would have to get a good hearing aid that is set up to your specific hearing deficiency. In that way, they actually block out much of the background noise allowing you to hear the voices much better. In time you will probably have to have them for day to day listening inside and outside of your home. If you get them, you will be amazed how much you are missing. Hearing loss frequently comes on slowly over years, therefore, you really do not notice many of the things that you cannot hear anymore...
 
Sunny said:
I have excellent hearing, but I often have trouble understanding the dialogue on TV shows. If I turn up the volume, the background music gets much too loud. It's not really a volume problem, it's more muffled speech, and a lot of the younger actors tend to mumble their lines very fast. (I know, I sound like an old geezer.)
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I have a similar problem, and based on what the audiologist told me @Timewise 60+ maybe right on the hearing aids.

What I was told and have read elsewhere is that for someone like me, good hearing in some frequencies and not others often leads to this problem. You can still hear the sounds, but sorting out the complexity of voices and what is being said suffers because you are only hearing some part of what is being said. Background noise makes it worse.

So I will give the hearing aids and shot and let you know if it works for me. Doesn't necessarily mean it would or wouldn't for you, we and our hearing, are all different.
 
Pepper
Pepper said:
Aren't hearing aids very expensive, like thousands of dollars? And not covered by Medicare? I hear, but don't always make out individual words. Have had tinnitus since 1986. It's loud but I can usually ignore it.

Sometimes bad hearing is an excuse I use for tuning folks out and off. It's an isolating problem.

Off course they are very costly. Although there is some cheap options also, like if are looking for quality as well as budget friendly hearing aids, you must visit Auditech Hearing and Audien as they have lots of variety of good quality aids
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Sunny said:
I have excellent hearing, but I often have trouble understanding the dialogue on TV shows. If I turn up the volume, the background music gets much too loud. It's not really a volume problem, it's more muffled speech, and a lot of the younger actors tend to mumble their lines very fast. (I know, I sound like an old geezer.)

The problem is solved by using closed captions, which nearly all shows provide now. I've gotten so used to them that I use them now for everything, except some of the news commentators, who tend to speak loudly and clearly.
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I've had this same experience and have researched it, turns out that sound engineers for movie productions are designing the audio for large multi-speaker systems, such as found in a movie theater. Most flatscreen TVs have small, low fidelity speakers that typically face down or to the rear. One solution is using Closed Captioning, which is what we do for streaming Netflix. Adding good quality external speakers, either wired or wireless is an option for most.
 
debodun said:
What is your take in people that have trouble hearing, but refuse to get or wear hearing aids?

Deafness is people over 70 seems endemic around here. There are many people in the church I attend or to whom I used to deliver meals that are obviously hearing impaired, yet do not wear hearing aids. I find it frustrating to try to have a conversation with them.
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Yes, deafness is common with the over 70 crowd, all my friends and associates are in their 70~80s. Consider for a moment how frustrating it is for people with hearing impairment to keep up with conversations. Many feel like withdrawing socially, because of hearing difficulties.

I have a documented hearing loss, but much of that is with constant Tinnitus, which hearing aids don't help.

If most hearing impaired people are like me, the decision whether to buy hearing aids hinges on the probability of them working, and at what price.
 
I have a pair of Sony wireless headphones that receive a signal from the TV set. It requires a small box that sits under the TV on a shelf. The head phones allow me to adjust the volume to my liking, and they also have a 4 position switch that allows me to choose the sound channel that is clearest to my ears . My Wife is happy, as she can set the TV volume through the speakers to suit her needs. They cost about $150 a few years ago, at Best Buy. JimB.
 
VA eligibility is at the mercy of Congress. I learned this when I was turned down for getting a mortgage on my first 2 homes. On the 3rd one I qualified.
I got hearing aids about 5 years ago. When I went back to the clinic for a check up, they gave me new ones that are rechargeable. Both sets are Resound brand. I see a lot of ads for in the ear hearing aids. I have to wonder if they will work for me. I have had a problem with skin irritation behind my ears. My dermatologist prescribed a medication that helps but it is slow.
 
Byron Warren said:
Pepper
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I have had hearing aids for years. When I originally purchased them, they were "thousands of dollars"! In time I had to replace them. Fortunately, the US Congress changed the laws they had made, allowing other companies to make and sell less expensive models of hearing aids due to the fact that the parts necessary to make them had dropped in cost substantially over the years due to more competition.

Therefore, when I bought new ones, they cost a bit over $1,000 dollars for a pair. I have had them for a couple of years, and they work just as well as the original ones I had for twice as much money. Shop and save, as they continue to come down in price.
 
debodun said:
. I find it frustrating to try to have a conversation with them. I have to keep repeating what I say or end up shouting. Then when I shout, they look offended.
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:) I know! I hate being such a bore, but better a bore than a hearing aid, which only aggravates the problem by distorting sounds and emitting loud electronic noises. Foreign accents, telephones and certain soft voices are the worst, I hand over a card suggesting email communication.
 
I have been wearing hearing aids for over ten years now and I have to say that I have had no real satisfaction from any of the three types I bought.
Ar present I have the in ear buds which I don't recommend so don't waste your money on them. After a few hours of wearing I just have to get them out a there. Ears hurt eventually. They cost $3000.
They do not work any better than over the ear type.
I should mention that they were purchased through three different hearing ear specialists/audiologists.

Hearing aids as they are now just amplify sound. Clarification does not exist.
I still have difficulty with some people who talk fast or mumble or talk off in a different direction.
Group chatting I avoid. Nightmare!
I like classical music and that is another nightmare. Especially violin so I don't wear them for that.
Fortunately, I still have enough hearing in one ear to enjoy a concert without them and can still have a one on one conversation
with people.

For TV, movies etc., I need captions though I do find that I can hear male announcers better than most female. There are too many young babbling females telling the world news. Some of them need to take some elocution classes.

So folks that is my tuppence worth on hearing aids.


Whatt !!!.JPG
 

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