Hearing aids

[Cornflake]

I could use some advice about hearing aids. Even though most of you are young and spry, one or two of you may know something about them.

This week I had the first hearing test I can remember. The left ear is pretty good. The right ear is significantly subpar. I haven't encountered any problems except in situations such as a large group meeting, where I've started to have trouble hearing the people farther away. I have the same problem if there's a significant background noise. Recently I sat right in front of a fan at a gathering of people and I had trouble hearing everything. But 95% of the time my hearing is still adequate.

The doc I saw said that people who aren't very motivated to get hearing aids don't tend to use them. He said they're kind of a nuisance. They can collide with your glasses. I suspect vanity also comes into play. I'm not sure I'm ready to have other people see me with an old guy's apparatus.

When I assessment my level of motivation, I conclude that I'm probably in the category of people who wouldn't use a hearing aid much at this point, and that I should probably wait until it would make more difference. No two of us will have the same level of hearing impairment, if any, but I'd be interested in hearing other people's thoughts and experiences. Are they a hassle? Do the benefits make them worthwhile?

[majorminor]

Jun 13, 2024 13:18:36 GMT -5 Cornflake said:

I should probably wait until it would make more difference.

Only caveat being in some cases your brain loses the ability to process the missing frequencies over time and late stage hearing aids aren't effective or as effective.

[howard lee]

I don't know much about hearing aids. My wife spent a pretty penny on a sleek, understated pair not too long ago, which have Bluetooth and all sorts of fancy doo-hickey options. She doesn't use them too often, and I think perhaps she hears about 50% of what I say. This could be very telling.

I also have diminished hearing in my right ear, while my left remains more efficient—but so did my mother, and her father, as well.

[John B]

My grandfather used to turn his off so he couldn't hear my grandmother. Or at least pretend to turn them off. Witnessing a blind woman yelling, "I know you can hear me" while her husband doesn't respond leaves quite an impression on a young kid.

Don, if there's a way to test them out I highly suggest you do. It turns out my mom isn't inattentive/not paying attention, she just couldn't hear what the rest of us were saying. Hers connects up with her phone as well so our periodic phone calls are better, too.

You really might not know what you're missing, and your family might not realize what they're missing. Plus others on this forum can talk about the ones that have different EQ curves (I think) for music.

[epaul]

My hearing is still pretty darn good. (Only testing ding is I can't hear frequencies above 9500K... which I don't miss).

And my reading is still pretty darn good. (thank you, bifocals).

And my excellent hearing and reading has led me to hear and read this over and over:

Go to Costco.


Don't question, don't fret, just go to Costco. If you don't belong, join.


(I just found out that if I had used Costco's new car buying service, I could have saved an easy $800 and gotten my car from the same damn dealer)

COSTCO

[epaul]

Oh, and you can't see the darn things unless you are sniffing the back of someone's neck, which you should hardly ever be doing in public.

[Dub]

We are having a late lunch so I’ll expand on this later

We are on the way home from picking up my brand new hearing aids. These are my third pair, the first being in 2007.

I have lots of experience and information.

[majorminor]

Jun 13, 2024 15:08:45 GMT -5 epaul said:

Oh, and you can't see the darn things unless you are sniffing the back of someone's neck, which you should hardly ever be doing in public.

[dradtke]

I was going to suggest going to Costco, but I see epaul beat me to it. (Beating me is one of his pastimes. Sometimes he uses a stick.)

The hearing exam is free, and the hearing aids cost much less than elsewhere. I spent years taking my mother to audiologists for tests and adjustments, and I knew what she was paying. I put off going myself because of the expense. Costco was less than half that.

I learned two things right away. I could suddenly hear birds singing on our deck in the morning. And my car has one of those annoying beeps when you don't buckle your seatbelt. I never knew it had that before.

Listen to epaul, go to Costco, sooner rather than later.

[Cosmic Wonder]

“ Only caveat being in some cases your brain loses the ability to process the missing frequencies ”

This ^^^

It’s kind of a big deal. We want to keep our brains as active as possible for as long as possible.

Mike

[james]

I remembered that Stephanie Carter wrote about the photo with Joe Biden posted above. It was taken from a video recorded at the swearing in as Secretary of Defence of her husband, in 2015.

From 2019 -

"......The Joe Biden in my picture is a close friend helping someone get through a big day, for which I will always be grateful. So, as the sole owner of my story, it is high time that I reclaim it — from strangers, Twitter, the pundits and the late-night hosts.....

.....Meanwhile, when I next saw the Bidens, I told them I felt awful that after he had generously taken time out of his day to swear in an old friend, his attempt to support me had become a joke and even more — supposed proof positive that he didn’t understand how to respect women. I thought it would all blow over if I didn’t dignify it with a response. But clearly that was wishful thinking."

medium.com/@scarterdc/the-metoo-story-that-wasnt-me-6c1d5eb1e94d

[millring]

Don't get the ones that allow you to hear what people are saying behind your back. They work too well.

[kenlarsson]

I got my hearing aids through the VA. Top of the line model, set up by the audiologist. I don't like them. I'm going to set myself up for mockery, but I've never been able to find a setting that makes my voice, or my acoustic guitars sound any good. The hearing aids take all the warmth out of the tone. Nothing to do with my limited abilities. I can strike a clean note or chord and they sound better without the hearing aides. Additionally, they can't handle the wind when I ride my bikes. The wind noise overrides other sound. I've got tone and volume setting galore, wind noise reduction settings and nothing works. They're ok for daily around the house and around the town but not for music or bike riding. Probably not so good for sky diving either..........

[Dub]

I’ve thought for a long time that I would get my next pair from Costco. I just got new ones and didn’t go to Costco.

Costco used to sell top level ReSound aids, the ones that suit me well and I’ve been using for a long time. That has changed. Costco now sells Jabra aids, a high-quality brand that is made by ReSound but lacks some top tier features. In addition, Costco doesn’t perform the extensive testing that a practicing audiologist (Au.D.) will and the quality of audiology support varies from store to store. Often it’s a licensed technician rather than an audiologist.

If I didn’t play music, I might still have considered Costco. I know the Jabra aids are very good and I have a lot of experience with aids already.

Even though my old aids (ReSound LiNX) were top of the line in 2016, the normal mode still made my guitars sound broken, as though there was a loose brace or something. They made a horrible rattling sound with each note played. This is because the normal mode in hearing aids cuts out frequencies above 6K or so and enhances other frequencies in an effort to make human speech more intelligible. What you’re hearing is not simply an amplification of the ambient sound. So they gave me an additional mode designed especially for music. This mode reproduces every frequency adjusted for my personal loss. It bypasses the extreme processing needed for speech and lets me hear music the way it should sound.

My former audiologist was part of a statewide company with several locations. Recently, they were sold by the founder to a larger, national company which was in turn bought up by Phonak, another top maker of aids. Now, Phonak is the only brand they sell and service. Fiddlerina gets Phonak aids free from the VA. Anyone who is a veteran should check this out. I knew I didn’t want Phonak because of the music issue.

Hearing aids are a heavily advertised commodity with models running from almost useless to brand new technology. They are supplied by people at all levels from OJT techs to University trained doctors. Now there are even OTC aids available and “hearing tests” conducted over the Internet. You need to know who is conducting your tests and have them done in person. In my case, I want to the audiologist (AuD) in my normal ENT’s office. They don’t sell hearing aids of any kind. I got a referral from my PCP and I think the exam will be covered by my health plan.

I asked her if she knew of a provider to recommend. At the time I was considering both ReSound and Widex since they are both top choices for musicians. She knew of a new office started by doctors, one of whom had been one of her teachers in school. I’m familiar with the University of Iowa Audiology department and volunteered for several years for hearing aid studies so I was very familiar with their educational background.

I went to the office she recommended and the experience was wonderful. They offer both ReSound and Phonak and they agreed that ReSound would be my best choice. So I’m now wearing a brand new pair of ReSound Nexia 9 hearing aids. I’ll go back in a couple of weeks to see if any adjustments are needed. I paid $2,200 per aid plus a selection of service options that might differ from person to person.

I have worn my aids every single day since late 2007 and wouldn’t consider going through a day without them. (Besides, Fiddlerina would insist.) You’ll be so glad you have them and I’m sure you’ll want them on all the time. And, as others have noted, ignoring hearing loss can mean permanent loss and dementia.

Do it!



On edit: My audiologist actually likes Dr. Cliff, AuD, a YouTube audiologist who is based in Phoenix. I have no idea what his offices are like but she thinks he’s the real deal.

[Dub]

Jun 13, 2024 16:50:33 GMT -5 kenlarsson said:

I got my hearing aids through the VA. Top of the line model, set up by the audiologist. I don't like them. I'm going to set myself up for mockery, but I've never been able to find a setting that makes my voice, or my acoustic guitars sound any good. The hearing aids take all the warmth out of the tone. Nothing to do with my limited abilities. I can strike a clean note or chord and they sound better without the hearing aides. Additionally, they can't handle the wind when I ride my bikes. The wind noise overrides other sound. I've got tone and volume setting galore, wind noise reduction settings and nothing works. They're ok for daily around the house and around the town but not for music or bike riding. Probably not so good for sky diving either..........

Ken, I totally get this. Fiddlerina is in the same situation. We talked with my new audiologist and she said Fiddlerina can bring her VA issued Phonaks to her and she will set them up with an additional mode that is adjusted for music. Her charge will be $120, cheap if it works. The VA is great but isn’t set up for specialty needs.

Look around, carefully, and you’ll find a qualified audiologist who’ll take care of it for you.

[howard lee]

Me, in 10 years:

[theevan]

Jun 13, 2024 16:03:09 GMT -5 Cosmic Wonder said:

“ Only caveat being in some cases your brain loses the ability to process the missing frequencies ”

This ^^^

It’s kind of a big deal. We want to keep our brains as active as possible for as long as possible.

Mike

I had no idea.

As far as I know my hearing is still quite keen, so Wendy informs me. Nevertheless, I'm getting tested!

Humans (well, Evan) have a marvelous capacity for self-deception.

[Cornflake]

"I paid $2,200 per aid plus a selection of service options that might differ from person to person."

That got my attention. I'd checked Amazon and got the impression that it would cost me a few hundred dollars. You get what you pay for, of course.

[Dub]

Jun 13, 2024 18:33:16 GMT -5 Cornflake said:

"I paid $2,200 per aid plus a selection of service options that might differ from person to person."

That got my attention. I'd checked Amazon and got the impression that it would cost me a few hundred dollars. You get what you pay for, of course.

Adjusting for inflation, this is probably the cheapest pair of aids I’ve purchased.

[Hobson]

I don't have or need hearing aids. However, I have years of experience as the spouse of somebody who does have them.

Your wife will appreciate not having to repeat everything. She will also appreciate not having the sound from the TV rattling the windows.