Posted on 06/16/2016 8:44:46 PM PDT by pfflier
I have reached the point where it is time to get a hearing aid. I assume that many Freepers have been through the experience that I am only entering and I value your experience and advice.
I already have had physiological testing and there is no obstruction or other problem associated with the ear canal, eardrum and other physical structures.
My hearing loss is classic "bi-nodal". I am losing it in two different hearing ranges but primarily in the very high range (soft sounds like "S" and "T" are simply gone) with only moderate mid range loss. There the sounds are just muffled. I find it very difficult to single out a conversation through the background noise.
Researching hearing aids online, I recognize there is a wide range of hardware capability at an equally wide range of prices. Some of the less expensive aids online are available through chain stores like Wal Mart and some are available only through big brand name vendors but at big brand name prices.
This is where I need the help. Is it wise to test the lower end aids to see what I like best then move up? Are the low end ones comparable in any way to the big name ones? Conversely, are the big name ones over priced or over rated?
Hearing loss ain’t funny as some might think on this thread. Been there most of my life.
I’ve had hearing aids for years (got’em in 1979), but I don’t wear them. They are the old type that fit in the ear, but are volume enhancement. Drive me crazy as my problem is pitch. One ear different from the other. The volume hearing aids make my hearing problem louder.
We live in rural area, and I don’t communicate with anyone but my wife, and she has a Lucille Ball type of voice that breaks the sound barrier :)
Someday I might go to Costco, get another hearing test, and try the new computerized hearing aids. They can be set to match the pitch situation I have. Only reason I haven’t is another old fart like me said his were OK in the beginning, but within a few months he was leaving them at home, cuz they weren’t worth wearing.
Til that day I remain an aggravating old guy people have to yell at.
I bought some really good Bluetooth enabled Starkey hearing aids from an audiologist in Fairfax, Virginia. I still have issues in crowded noisy environments, but overall they’re life changing.
Another Freeper mentioned perspiration behind them in the ear, I just carry some Q-Tips in my pocket and discreetly dry them out once or twice a day. I also live alone, and I don’t wear them when I’m not talking to anybody or watching a movie or something.
No- it damn well isn't. It robs you of a chunk of your life.
If it’s a large national chain provider, they probably don’t do the molds, but we found a small independent provider who seemed interested in actually providing devices that would help. He said they won’t work properly if they don’t fit well and that was the problem with the one size fits all products sold by Beltone. He didn’t charge extra for the molds so he wasn’t just doing it for money.
Are you a veteran? Even if you don’t qualify for extensive medical coverage, you may qualify for hearing aids through Veterans Administration.
I had exactly the symptoms you describe. They fitted me with in-the-ear-canal Siemens. They are almost invisible and are a big help for our type of hearing loss. They included more than a year’s supply of batteries.
Good luck.
I went to an audiologist, who administered a hearing test and did the molds. A week later they had been built for me, I went back to the audiologist and with the hearing aids in my ears, was wirelessly connected to her computer. The digital audiogram from the week before was matched to a 'tuning' and uploaded to my hearing aids while I sat there, wearing them. She asked me if I wanted any part of the profile changed, and I had her turn up the volume a little in a couple of frequencies.
My aids accommodate 4 profiles, swithchable at the touch of a single tiny button on the in-ear hearing aids. I have one mode that is close to my pre-loss hearing, two 'bionic' modes, and one that I call 'STFU Mode' where they're almost earplugs, which I use in really noisy environments. When I change modes, the aid that I pushed the button on tells the aid in the other ear to also switch to the same mode.
I had an old set from years ago, these are a million times better.
Can’t get out of my mind that a smart phone technology goes for less than 1K but hearing aids are north of 3K. I smell (hear) a rat.
You can have the best equipment money can buy, but it won’t work very well if not adjusted properly.
Our stories are very similar. Thank you for your advice. Precisely what I value in this search.
They denied the current claim. I did not claim a disability at separation.
later
I am not disabled either but am retired on SS. Even without a service connected disability I still have 100% VA medical care.
Correct. I have had excellent results with mine.
I got some from the VA and they are crap. Nothing but an amp you stick in your ear and it amps everything.What you are trying to hear and all the noise you’re trying to hear over.
Not mine. They are Resound surround sound. Run about $2k each. Computerized digital sound with remote. I can control either ear to the desired volume.
Costco hearing aids are equal to any available, better than most, and the prices are reasonable.
Same here I just got my second set a couple weeks ago from VA and I am not service related disability. However if you have a copy of the Hearing Conservation Program program or the diagnoses still bring it with you both to the VA Doc and the Audiologist. I did in my case. Being denied a VA Disability Claim doe not disqualify you from using VA health systems including Audiology.
It can take up to a year though pfflier because you first have to see a VA clinic doctor for a referral. But IMO V.A. runs the best Audiology Clinic System in the nation in terms of quality of the hearing aids and dependability.
A warning. Stay away from Hearing Aid Stores offering Free Hearing test and sell you hearing aids especially if the person testing you is not a licensed Audiologist. In some stores in some states Licensed Hearing Aid Dispensers test and sell hearing aids. As such they are not qualified to diagnose actual hearing loss causes. I got ripped off for $5K at an Audibel store by such an arrangement. I went to VA after that and theirs were far better and all testing done by a Board Certified Audiologist.
I have Phonak brand from VA the one piece that sits just inside the ear type. There are three types. Over the ear with a tube with an ear mold going in the ear canal, in the ear, and in the canal hearing aids. VA will also send you free batteries and do all repairs as needed. You have about 4 months to try the hearing aids out and if you don't like the type or they don't fit you can get them replaced with new ones.
Your question is not a simple one to answer. Many people have difficulty adjusting to hearing aids. I have worn them since the late 80’s when I suffered a head injury in a car crash. You will never have natural hearing again, aids augment your hearing but can’t restore it. In-the-ear aids prevent you from appearing disabled, but the behind-the-ear aids will generally function better.
After I get new aids, which only last about 5 years, it usually takes me several visits over several months to get them working in a way that assists me, rather than annoy me.
On price, it is like anything else, you get what you pay for. New high end aids are supposed to provide better directional support (I can’t wait to try a pair). You also get Bluetooth capability, which for me is a must for talking on the phone. High end aids offer better electronics which improves their performance, like I said, they don’t restore your hearing.
Get the best you can afford, and accept the fact it may take several months to get them performing in a way you are comfortable. The other issue is, since your audiologist isn’t deaf, he/she doesn’t understand what you are experiencing. You can pretend to be blind, or disabled, but you can’t experience what it is like to be deaf, or to suffer from hearing loss.
I am a retired musician. Pedal steel player/ The small stages always put me to the right or left of the drummer. Ride cymbal behind my ear all night. 6 hours a night, 6 nights a week. Tinnitus louder than people speak. Last tester asked if I was reading her lips. The test tones in the machines are not loud enough for mr me to even hear, No help available I guess.
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