Hearing Aids

[samd1351]

Well, it's been a tough week. Beside all of the normal bs, I was told I (by a professional, my family has been telling me for a while) need hearing aids. I went and tried some out, and was amazed at how much I really couldn't hear. The audiologist then showed me how much those little fuc'ers cost. $5,800!! And those were the middle of the road ones.

I tried to shop around on-line for some, but it's always "You need to make an appointment, get evaluated..." I just want a comparison price. Does anyone here have any experience with them? I see where I can order them on-line, but it always seems to come back to "we need to see you" which I take as a chance to up-sell you something.

This getting old is bullshit. Arthritis in my fingers, officially. Knees are killing me. Feet hurt most of the time. Fell at the lake a couple of weeks ago and my damn ankle still hasn't healed up. Everytime I get up from a chair or the couch, the first few steps I walk like a gimp. And at the ripe old age of fifty f'ing one.

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[JimC]

I've been wearing hearing aids for over 10 years now. Without them I can't hear anything - my wife was surprised when she went with me one time and they did the test with her sitting next to me. She could hear it and was surprised at how much sound I needed to hear the test. When they showed the results I am just above the level considered deaf.

It's very hard to price shop. Try going to a site like www.truhearing.com and you can do some shopping there. The also have great pricing and refer you to a local provider. My health insurance actually covers aids every 3 years and uses them as the provider.

Different providers will have their own biases. Some like over the ear and some prefer in the canal. As the consumer it is up to you to find what works, which means finding a provider you like first and then going over options. I started with the typical behind/over the ear. Moved up to a receiver in canal behind/over, and then went to a completely-in-canal on my 4th set of aids. I liked those, they were comfortable, I could wear my racing helmet - but did lose the directional capability.

Right now I am trying a new pair that will connect bluetooth to my phone, but I had to go with an in-the-ear style. Much more obvious but more powerful. Just now you can see the aids, which doesn't bother me. The advantage is I gained the directional mic capability again as well.

 

[samd1351]

I'm 33 and I've seriously considered getting the tinnitus reducing hearing aids. I could reach out to my friend who works in the industry about the cost range, but he might say the same thing about evaluation. The issue is that every person has different needs, so the range of prices will vary dependent on that.

My tinnitus is brutal. it's raging pretty good right now. I was told the hearing aids will help reduce / mask most of it. Although, I'm so used to it, it really doesn't bother me that much.

The pricing is just so all over the place. I'll probably end up just ponying up the $5,800.

 

[wireeater]

what?

 

[samd1351]

I've been wearing hearing aids for over 10 years now. Without them I can't hear anything - my wife was surprised when she went with me one time and they did the test with her sitting next to me. She could hear it and was surprised at how much sound I needed to hear the test. When they showed the results I am just above the level considered deaf.

It's very hard to price shop. Try going to a site like www.truhearing.com and you can do some shopping there. The also have great pricing and refer you to a local provider. My health insurance actually covers aids every 3 years and uses them as the provider.

Different providers will have their own biases. Some like over the ear and some prefer in the canal. As the consumer it is up to you to find what works, which means finding a provider you like first and then going over options. I started with the typical behind/over the ear. Moved up to a receiver in canal behind/over, and then went to a completely-in-canal on my 4th set of aids. I liked those, they were comfortable, I could wear my racing helmet - but did lose the directional capability.

Right now I am trying a new pair that will connect bluetooth to my phone, but I had to go with an in-the-ear style. Much more obvious but more powerful. Just now you can see the aids, which doesn't bother me. The advantage is I gained the directional mic capability again as well.

Our insurance covers $500. Not great, but I was told that is better than most. I think the ones I tried out were the in-the-ear ones. They had a small wire/mic fiber that wrapper around part of my ear.

My father-in-law got some from the VA that connect to his phone. I set them up for him. Seems pretty slick.

 

[samd1351]

It depends on the background noise for me. Quiet rooms suck.

Definitely the quieter the room, the louder, more pronounced it is.

 

[young at heart]

Trust me, at 51 you're just a young sprout. Wait till you've made 70 trips around the sun then report back in!

The best you're gonna do on the hearing aids is Costco. You can get a pair for less than 2 grand that are as good as anything. Be sure you get a pair that are rechargeable; those tiny batteries are a huge PITA. And the ability to do a bluetooth hookup to your phone is a good thing too.

It's a racket in my opinion but you can beat 'em.

 

[samd1351]

what?

Sorry, what'd you say?

 

[JimC]

Our insurance covers $500. Not great, but I was told that is better than most. I think the ones I tried out were the in-the-ear ones. They had a small wire/mic fiber that wrapper around part of my ear.

My father-in-law got some from the VA that connect to his phone. I set them up for him. Seems pretty slick.

That is the "receiver in canal" version. Much better than what I had for my first pair that used a sound tube to go in the ear - and had to be cleaned out fairly often. With RIC you simply change the wax guard in front of the speaker in your ear.

My tinnitus is brutal. it's raging pretty good right now. I was told the hearing aids will help reduce / mask most of it. Although, I'm so used to it, it really doesn't bother me that much.

The pricing is just so all over the place. I'll probably end up just ponying up the $5,800.

The tinnitus can be a real problem, you get to the point where it can be ignored. Mine came after I started to lose my hearing and is part of Menieres Disease (which also caused my hearing loss). Used to be a chain saw running off my right ear, now since I had surgery for the Meneire's it changed to a dull low hum constantly with an occasional roar/whine sound. Unless I think about it I don't hear it. Supposedly my aids have a setting for tinnitus, but I never activated that setting. So can't tell you if it works at all. I know that if I have sound in the background it will mask it, which is probably what the aids to -- introduce some white noise to mask it.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Our insurance covers $500. Not great, but I was told that is better than most. I think the ones I tried out were the in-the-ear ones. They had a small wire/mic fiber that wrapper around part of my ear.

Any part of a hearing aid that wraps around part of the ear has some risk of getting snagged in mask straps. Which is more of a PITA than not wearing the aids and having to ask people to repeat what they said . . . assuming that you've got some hearing without them.


Norm

 

[samd1351]

Any part of a hearing aid that wraps around part of the ear has some risk of getting snagged in mask straps. Which is more of a PITA than not wearing the aids and having to ask people to repeat what they said . . . assuming that you've got some hearing without them.


Norm

I've still got some hearing. And the mask is already a pita with my glasses, so one thing won't matter much.

 

[Balr14]

I am on my 5th pair of hearing aids. I have found those that have an ear piece that fits in your ear and the actual hearing aid goes behind your ear work the best. Also, a closed ear piece gives the best clarity, but an open ear piece sounds more natural. I replace mine about every 3 years and spend around $5000. I usually wait for a sale or special deal.

I have tried cheaper models and they don't work nearly as well. The best test of a hearing aid is understanding what is said by English actors on PBS shows or by people in a loud environment with lots of background noise. If you have been losing your hearing for a number of years and it's finally something everyone notices, you are going to need good hearing aids. Your brain separates sound, so you hear what you want to hear and reject the "noise". But, as you lose your hearing, you lose this ability. Your brain will gather all the sound. A good set of hearing aids will help, but you will never recover the ability to separate sound. Cheap hearing aids just make all sound louder.

One more thing I found interesting is you would be surprised how much you learn to read lips without being aware of it. I found out real fast how much I miss that with everyone wearing masks.

 

[CJJon]

Try Costco

 

[JimC]

I am on my 5th pair of hearing aids. I have found those that have an ear piece that fits in your ear and the actual hearing aid goes behind your ear work the best. Also, a closed ear piece gives the best clarity, but an open ear piece sounds more natural. I replace mine about every 3 years and spend around $5000. I usually wait for a sale or special deal.

I have tried cheaper models and they don't work nearly as well. The best test of a hearing aid is understanding what is said by English actors on PBS shows or by people in a loud environment with lots of background noise. If you have been losing your hearing for a number of years and it's finally something everyone notices, you are going to need good hearing aids. Your brain separates sound, so you hear what you want to hear and reject the "noise". But, as you lose your hearing, you lose this ability. Your brain will gather all the sound. A good set of hearing aids will help, but you will never recover the ability to separate sound. Cheap hearing aids just make all sound louder.

One more thing I found interesting is you would be surprised how much you learn to read lips without being aware of it. I found out real fast how much I miss that with everyone wearing masks.

That was a good explanation. I've said it that "I hear everything which means at times I can hear/understand nothing"

 

[m3incorp]

My in-the-ear style are not noticeable, as they are skin color. You have to look really close to see the little wire you use to pull them out of the ear. I've never had anyone notice that I have them in, if I don't mention it. The over the ear are definitely noticeable but they "supposedly" are better for getting sound to the ear.

Right now I am trying a new pair that will connect bluetooth to my phone, but I had to go with an in-the-ear style. Much more obvious but more powerful. Just now you can see the aids, which doesn't bother me. The advantage is I gained the directional mic capability again as well.

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