Hearing Aids?

[Sigarms]

Where did you buy your hearing aids?

What can you expect them to run for a pair?

Did you find they helped you?

After 17 years, wife is getting to fed up with me not hearing, and with my dad living with us, he's on her side.

I'm not completely deaf, but definately have a hearing loss since my late teens, early 20's, and I'm certain it's not getting better.

Thinking of Costco, but mother in law went to doctors office, ran her like 6k, but insurance covered 2.5k of that. Our insurance doesn't cover hearing aids, looked.

 

[Fuddy1952]

I've had so many accidents, concussions, guns, etc. I'm almost dead in right ear (one facing my wife as I drive ) and loss in left ear. I went to local medical center who specializes in hearing aids. After testing they ordered a custom set, $3,800, bluetooth adjustable. I tried them and wasn't that impressed. I had a $20 set in my pocket. Nurse checked them on equipment and said they were pretty good .
Any family member who got them never used them.
As long as I can get by I won't use them.
Wouldn't hurt to try them out.

 

[K5lwq]

My FIL just moved in with us last a couple of weeks ago. His hearing is horrible. Wife ordered him a pair from somewhere online and they appeared to work pretty good. Paid $200.00. 3 days later he has lost one of them and does not want to wear the other one. So we are back to yelling.

 

[3Ts]

I went to an audiology lab and had my hearing tested after it became obvious than I couldn't understand others very well if at all. They determined I have both low frequency and high frequency loss, mid frequencies are fine. I now have hearing aids that help at both ends of the spectrum at a cost of around $4k. They do help - doesn't fix it completely, but I do understand others much better. They also have bluetooth and I can adjust the volume of each one independently and mine have been set up with 3 programs and I can select the one I want based on the environment. If I'm going to be around other people, I'll wear them otherwise I don't. Batteries last about 5 days.

P.S. The ear canal is different sizes so be sure to get ones that can accommodate your size or they won't be comfortable. A one size-fits-all won't be comfortable.

 

[workinonit]

I have Phonak aids. I've been wearing aids for 40 years. From analog to digital and now bluetooth compatable. You can buy cheap aids if you just need volume. My loss is completely different in each ear so the aids are programmed to enhance my hearing based on the loss in the frequency range for each ear. I can't function without them if I'm around any other people. So yes, you can get hearing aids at a "bargain" but unless an audiologist does a sound booth hearing teat and the aids are matched to your frequency loss they really are just amplifiers. More simply put, if you pay less that $2K for aids they probably are just amplifiers.

 

[PuffyC]

More simply put, if you pay less that $2K for aids they probably are just amplifiers.

This. I don’t wear them but two in my family have hearing aids. One went the cheap ’as seen on TV‘ off the shelf route and the other went to a legit doctor. Sometimes spending 5 times more is the real bargain.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Tinnitus is the worst thing to me which I have also. That constant high pitched squeal.
Hearing loss to me isn't any big deal, except I ask my wife things like "Why did you just ask if an elephant borrowed my hammer?"
I never understood half the crap she was talking about when I had good hearing anyway.

 

[workinonit]

My aids have a anti-tinnitus function. I suffer from tinnitus as well. Some days it is unbearable. The hearing aids do help with it.

 

[MossRoad]

I'm curious to your decision as my hearing as well as my wife's is going. After experiencing this, I now know why many older couples get terse with each other.... they have no idea what the other one is saying. Sometimes that's good, I suppose.

 

[workinonit]

I'm in the power business, more specifically I install, commission and repair voltage regulators on large generators. I must be able to communicate with power company customers and fuction in meetings. I could in no way do this without hearing aids. I use other hearing devices at home and in hotels to function on Webex and phone calls and to watch TV without blowing family out of the house. Aids are a game changer for me. I take them out when I'm talking to the CFO.

 

[MossRoad]

I was repairing my in-law's vacuum cleaner and found a hearing aid in it's dust bin.

Couple thousand there.

 

[oldnslo]

I went the audiologist route since was offering free testing. It took trying three different sets of aides to get a pair that worked for me so strongly recommend getting a place that offers minimum 30 days free trial and better if 60 days.

My loss is higher frequencies and almost equal loss in both ears. I have worn both oticon and widex. Currently have widex with custom ear molds which cost around $3800 for both 4 years ago and batteries last around 5 or 6 days. The custom ear molds greatly improved comfort level and I believe also improves hearing quality

Suggest doing a google search for a company called hearing helpers. I believe they are an independent company that works with audiologist to provide lower cost aides and batteries. I get 120 batteries for $39 through them.

hearing aides are like glasses, they require time to get adjusted properly so that you will wear them. Neither do any good sitting on the shelf.

best wishes on a tough decision

 

[Bird]

I went to see a doctor about the ringing in my ears about 1989; first time I ever heard of tinnitus. At that time, he told me, "You don't need hearing aids NOW, but you will before long." 1992, I got my first Beltones for $1,630. 2001, I got Starkey's for $1,800 (audiologist in a doctor's office and both she and the doctor were later determined to be crooks and the so called "programmable" Starkey's were nothing more than a little volume). 2006, back to Beltones for $4,588 and I've stayed with Beltones. 2012, programmable 4 program Beltones for $4,000 with remote control that were reprogrammed in 2014. And unfortunately, no insurance that paid for any of them.

My hearing loss is now classified as "profound". I don't watch TV that isn't closed captioned and I hate telephones that are not speaker phones.

 

[Sigarms]

I'm curious to your decision as my hearing as well as my wife's is going. After experiencing this, I now know why many older couples get terse with each other.... they have no idea what the other one is saying. Sometimes that's good, I suppose.

For 17 years my wife has dealt with having to keep repeating herself. More than I can count, if I look at my wife and asked her why she's asking if an Elephant borrowed my hammer" she would just roll her eyes (thanks to Fuddy for that good example). Don't get me wrong, sometimes we have had some good laughs over what I thought she said, but more than often, she's getting exasperated and I'm learning if I wondering why she's asking me a dumb question, I should just keep my mouth shut

Throw in the fact that my 89 year old father has had hearing aids for a couple of decades and has better hearing than myself, and he's telling me I need them as well. Add in my wife and I share a home office when I'm not on the road, and sometimes I use my headset, and sometimes I don't (it's not charged) and at the end of the day I'm not being fair to her. Also started a new job about 16 months ago and some of the guys I work with the closest in the office I can tell are getting tired at times having to repeat themselves sometimes when we're together talking about something. Even in my early 20's, when I was in a car with a bunch of buddies driving around, I was asking guys to repeat themselves.

Do I think I need hearing aids? Eh, I really don't care. However, I am noticing that it's slowly driving my wife up the wall.

I was talking with my mother in law the other day, and she has the newer digital ones with bluetooth, and she tells me they are worth every penny as she didn't realize how much she was missing per her hearing. My wife had told me that when she just spent a couple of days with her last week, her mom was complaining to her about keeping the TV so loud because my MIL forgot to put her hearing aids in and when she did put them in, she noticed how loud the TV was.

I'm rationalizing that with the bluetooth option, it could help me immensely with work as I'm on my phone a huge amount of time during the day.

 

[Sigarms]

I went to see a doctor about the ringing in my ears about 1989; first time I ever heard of tinnitus. At that time, he told me, "You don't need hearing aids NOW, but you will before long." 1992, I got my first Beltones for $1,630. 2001, I got Starkey's for $1,800 (audiologist in a doctor's office and both she and the doctor were later determined to be crooks and the so called "programmable" Starkey's were nothing more than a little volume). 2006, back to Beltones for $4,588 and I've stayed with Beltones. 2012, programmable 4 program Beltones for $4,000 with remote control that were reprogrammed in 2014. And unfortunately, no insurance that paid for any of them.

My hearing loss is now classified as "profound". I don't watch TV that isn't closed captioned and I hate telephones that are not speaker phones.

I have to laugh, just like you, I tend to only watch TV with closed captioned (which drives my dad up the wall if I'm downstairs watching a movie with him), and when the boys were younger with a 8:30 bedtime, every once in a while if my wife and I wanted to watch TV and it didn't have closed captioned, I'd grab my electronic shooting earmuffs and turn the volume up on them so we didn't have to blast the TV.

Your comment about the telephone is spot on as well. If I don't have my headset, I'm generally on speaker phone and that can drive my wife up the wall as well as no matter where I'm at on the first floor, she can pretty much hear the conversation.

When we go out on our early morning or late night walks and I was talking about what was going on with work, generally she already new because she has heard the "fires" I was putting out when talking on my phone.

Don't get me wrong, I still think I can live with it as I can still get by, but I am noticing it becoming more aggrivating to others around me.

My father has always had the Belltones and loves them as well.

 

[Hay Dude]

Huh?

 

[Frankenkubota]

I was diagnosed with profound hearing loss at the Portland blues fest years ago, i always thought that was funny.

I'm single so that helps. My dogs can smell what i'm thinking.

I was in the radar business, defense related. There is a technical term called discrimination.

Not that kind of discrimination.

It's the ability to "single out" one tone....one frequency in the presence of many other signals, all at about the same amplitude or.....loudness. That's why you and i can hear each other fine if we are alone but go to a noisy restaurant and try the same conversation.

Years ago I read that the loss of discrimination in human hearing is due to tissue damage. Neil Young is responsible for mine, that and lots of pre osha factory work. While the defense industry can address the discrimination issue, i don't believe they can fit their solution in your ear! Stem cells might offer a better solution?

Almost everyone i know try's them, loves them for awhile, then they get put in the dresser drawer.

If they work for you then....good on ya.

Truth.....i told a guy interviewing me for a job late in my career that i didn't have hearing aids because 95% of what i hear is BS.

I got the job anyway.

 

[Hay Dude]

Yeah a Neil Young concert can but a hurtin on the ears. Saw him a few times

 

[MoKelly]

Best concerts I’ve ever been to is Toby Keith.

He has a zillion drinking songs!

I have Phonak hearing aids. Makes a ton of difference. To me, hearing is close to eyesight in criticality so it’s worth the money.

As a foolish youth, I never wore hearing protection. Now, all the time while working.

MoKelly

 

[plowhog]

Do I think I need hearing aids? Eh, I really don't care.

Ask your wife to wear earplugs for about a week when she is around you so you can get a sense of what others around you go through.

You'll learn how much effort it takes to constantly repeat yourself at near-yelling. And learn how many things no longer get said because maybe it won't be heard at all and for sure I will have to yell it again.

Poor hearing affects relationships in ways that are near invisible to the one with impaired hearing.