Seeking info re hearing aids

G

Geezerette

Senior Member
I’m diagnosed with typical age related high frequency loss, nothing exotic. Started the search process late 2019. But after losing a couple of earrings due to mask, decided not to put any thing expensive on ears till not masking any more. Decided to start looking again after not hearing conversations well at a family reunion.The one brand my insurance has any coverage for, TruHearing, only sold here in a place that is totally inadequate as to handicap access and basic safety.
I would appreciate “hearing” about others’ experiences with brands, fitting, costs etc. Thanks.
 

Same here with Phonak. Thru Optum I got a significant discount. I like that they were custom fit to my ear canals. Mine are rechargeable & came with a 6 yr. battery life guarantee. The charging station was also free.
 

This was talked about a lot already with no clear answers. My advice is to ask yourself how and where you will need them. Are they worth the money? For me NO. I have 3000 hearing aids I don't wear often. I want a refund. Cannot get it. Do you need to hear every sound? I don't. They are annoying and the business is a racket IMO
 
My hearing problems are similar to yours, Geezerette. Except mine started over 12 years ago when I was still working. I worked for a large foreign company which required that I attend periodic international phone call, meetings and some video conferences. I soon realized I was not understanding correctly some that was being said and some I just could not understand. I had my hearing checked and found I needed hearing aids. After doing research I decided on getting a pair of Phonak hearing aids. They were set up to specifically help my hearing problems which was different in each ear. I did not spend the extra money to get them linked together or have Bluetooth. But they still cost well over $4,000 total.

I had been warned that they would take time to get used to and they gave me a schedule of how much to wear them, increasing the time over two weeks. The first time I put them on and left the office I kept hearing strange noises. I thought it was something wrong with the hearing aids. Then when I got in my car to drive home, I immediately thought something was wrong with my car as I heard a funny sound, I did not recognize that sound, so I pulled over and opened the hood. Everything looked find so I started the engine and listened...no more sound. As soon as I started driving, I again heard that weird sound. I decided it was something with the hearing aids, again.

She I arrived home I called my ear doctor and told him I thought my new hearing aids were faulty. He assured me they were not! He explained that over the years as I had slowly lost hearing, that some sounds were lost, and my brain actually forgot what those sounds were. Then all of a sudden, bingo there is that sound, your brain tells you something new, but actually it is a sound you have forgotten. Within a few days all these mystery noises stopped, and I recognized them right away. These hearing aids have been wonderful and solved most all of my problems. I especially like what I was able to hear as my grandkids as babies learning to talk....glad I did not miss much of that...

I still use these same hearing aids although my hearing has gotten worse and they have adjusted them as best they can, time for some new ones, as I don't want to miss out...

By the way they were guaranteed for a year. Good thing, I forgot to take them off when I was getting an MRI on my head. They were ruined.
The company replaced them with no questions asked...

Good Luck
 
bowmore said:
I have a pair of new Phonak hearing aids. They are programmed to match my hearing loss. They are also Bluetooth enabled, so I can use them with my smartphone. I also bought a TV adapter which allows me to hear TV audio without disturbing anyone.
Click to expand...
How much did you have to pay? I need new ones...so I hope I can get the same model you have...
 
Knight said:
Same here with Phonak. Thru Optum I got a significant discount. I like that they were custom fit to my ear canals. Mine are rechargeable & came with a 6 yr. battery life guarantee. The charging station was also free.
Click to expand...
How much did you pay, my Phonaks are old and need replaced...rechargeable sounds good...
 
Bowmore...thanks for the good information! My Phonaks lasted over 10 years. They still work fine, but my ears have gone beyond what they can do as far as volume....
 
I am about a month into my first hearing aids. I have resound ones. I understand they are the same as Cosco sells. I went to an audiologist, and they cost me about $2,200, that is a significant discount I got after negotiations, including my threatening to go to Cosco.

I do like them, but it is an adjustment and things are not perfect. I am still learning.

My hearing loss is a bit like yours, the high frequencies. What I found most impressive is that sounds now are much more complete. I could hear most things, but did not appreciate what I wasn't hearing. I compare it to color vs black and white.
Geezerette said:
losing a couple of earrings due to mask, decided not to put any thing expensive on ears till not masking any more
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Yep, that is a real problem. I take them out when a mask is required.

Best of luck to you!
 
I have a slight hearing loss on the right side, caused by
shooting rifles, in the military.

After tests, just before the pandemic, I was given an in-ear
unit, this was fine in the beginning, but the hair in my ear
pushed it out and had me worried that I would lose it, so
had to get a little machine to clip the hair, then it got wax
in it and I couldn't hear anything till I got a new filter fitted,
plus on top of that, my smartphone wouldn't accept the
software, needed to change the volume, so I had to get a
new phone.

During the pandemic, I didn't wear it, I have headphones for
the TV, even now I am liable to forget to wear it when I go
out, so my hearing is not as bad as others think, although the
test said that it is.

The unit is a Starkey, "Micro-Tech XS"

Mike.
 
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I am currently on my 3rd set of hearing aids since 1994, when I got my first set.
Three different companies and each one performed well for the technologies available at the time.
The three were Siemens, Starkey and my last set are Phonak.

There is a learning curve when you get your first set.

These are the ones that I remember:

1. The fitting is very important. If they are not comfortable, you'll tend to wear them less and less.

2. Getting used to hearing your own voice amplified. This will pass after a while.

3. You are going to hear more background noise and find yourself wondering what they are.
Remember they were always there, it's that you are now aware of them.
The newer aids can be adjusted to help with this problem.

4. Treat them carefully, clean often. They are a major investment in most cases and they should last a long time.

These are just my take on hearing aids.

Bottom line, they opened up a totally different way I interact with my environment.

Good luck on your search.
 
I've been wearing them as I see fit for about five years and I'm on my second pair of Phonak's......I know good hearing aids can be expensive but luckily I qualify to get mine and the batteries free from the VA.

Like most my hearing gradually went away so I guess my brain got used to not hearing very well......I was really surprised at what I'd been missing out on when I got my first pair.

I don't have them in now and when around the house I just put them in to watch TV because if I don't mama yells at me that the TV is too loud but I'm pretty good about putting them on when I go somewhere.

Wearing them with a face mask can be tricky when taking the mask off and nine times out of ten the mask ear loops will pull them out so I've got to be careful and pay attention to what I'm doing when wearing them and removing a mask.
 
IKE said:
I've been wearing them as I see fit for about five years and I'm on my second pair of Phonak's......I know good hearing aids can be expensive but luckily I qualify to get mine and the batteries free from the VA.

Like most my hearing gradually went away so I guess my brain got used to not hearing very well......I was really surprised at what I'd been missing out on when I got my first pair.

I don't have them in now and when around the house I just put them in to watch TV because if I don't mama yells at me that the TV is too loud but I'm pretty good about putting them on when I go somewhere.

Wearing them with a face mask can be tricky when taking the mask off and nine times out of ten the mask ear loops will pull them out so I've got to be careful and pay attention to what I'm doing when wearing them and removing a mask.
Click to expand...

Ike, good information, I too have been wearing them for some time. By the way, thanks for you service in Viet Nam!

The facemask thing is gone now, most all I know no longer will wear masks. For me, nothing will ever make me wear a mask for a virus again! I believe it all was a scam...
 
I have hearing loss around the frequencies associated with speech. If I don't have subtitles on when I'm watching a movie, I lose half the dialogue. One of these days I'll get some hearing aids. I wish there were some that you could dial in yourself. There might be. I haven't really looked.
 
If there is fine print on anything you sign, read it! My mother didn't, and the fine print said the full guarantee was in effect only if she paid $200 per hearing aid to the audiologist, if they needed repair. It was called a mailing fee.

If you live in a high humidity area, buy a hearing aid dryer. I forget what they are called, but they do lengthen the "life" of hearing aids because it prevents unseen condensation from collecting in them.
 
Timewise 60+ said:
The facemask thing is gone now, most all I know no longer will wear masks. For me, nothing will ever make me wear a mask for a virus again! I believe it all was a scam...
Click to expand...
Yes, deceiving the whole world, a many trillions of dollars profits scam, that is due , it looks like, to come back worse scam in a few months, with more severe health problems from the mandates or laws, more deaths, and greater cost still.
 
Interesting topic. I know I will need hearing aids someday so it is helpful to gather information.
 

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