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Post by Cosmic Wonder on Jun 13, 2024 21:50:12 GMT -5
I agree with Ken. I take my hearing aides out when I ride my bike or play guitar or use power tools.
Mike
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on Jun 13, 2024 22:07:02 GMT -5
I agree with Ken. I take my hearing aides out when I ride my bike or play guitar or use power tools. Mike If I had Ken’s problem, I would too. If your hearing test is done by a qualified audiologist with the proper equipment, and if you get top tier aids and if you have them properly set up by an audiologist who is experienced with the product and willing to spend the time understanding your needs, you won’t have these problems. If you think all you need is louder sound, you probably won’t be happy with aids. |
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Post by Cornflake on Jun 13, 2024 22:29:24 GMT -5
I appreciate all the comments. It's a lot more complicated than I thought.
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Post by TKennedy on Jun 13, 2024 22:56:19 GMT -5
As a long time wearer and dealing with intrusive tinnitus since last August related to hearing loss I would say find the best audiologist you can in the area, get a quality brand (I now have Oticons) and tell them you are a musician . They will work with you to get them dialed in as well as possible for the music setting.
Expect everything to sound terrible at first but try to wear them full time for at least three months. The sound you hear is created in your brain and it will interpret the new signals it is getting as weird. Eventually it modulates them into a pretty acceptable format. This requires patience.
I am getting used to my tinnitus to some degree now and the music setting on my aids is very acceptable for amplified jazz or acoustic guitar. Playing straight acoustic is still not like the old unampllified ear was but not horrible. I frequently take them out if I play acoustically.
Lastly go to whatever lengths you can to protect your hearing with muffs or plugs around loud sounds, lawn mowers etc.
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Post by epaul on Jun 13, 2024 22:58:38 GMT -5
Be sure any testing is done by an audiologist that has no affiliation whatsoever with any outfit that sells the things. See a clinic specialist recommended by your Doc or someone affiliated with your clinic. Some of these hearing aid outfits are on par with those characters who flood your mailbox with extended warranty offers for your car or cash offers for your house or limited trust deals that will keep that bum your kid married or some nursing home from ever seeing a dime of your money.
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Post by Marshall on Jun 14, 2024 7:40:22 GMT -5
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.  , or grab them by the pussy. |
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on Jun 14, 2024 8:50:37 GMT -5
I appreciate all the comments. It's a lot more complicated than I thought. Yes, it’s complicated, but so worth the effort. Terry’s post is right on. For us, musicians and people whose needs go beyond simple amplification, it’s a journey, and patience is definitely required. I can often hear even small, quiet sounds without aids, I just can’t understand what people say. I hear them, but only as vocal sounds. Aids process the sound so I can understand human speech but that same processing distorts other sounds such as music. Getting the music mode set right isn’t as simple as installing the stock music mode. ePaul is also correct. Get a referral to a trusted audiologist who can perform the most rigorous testing, including the bone conductivity test, and who doesn’t sell hearing aids. Then get them to refer you to an audiologist they trust who does sell aids. Your choice of an audiologist is probably more important than who makes the aids, as long as you stick with one of the four or five top manufacturers. One of the down sides of aging is that we need to spend a lot more money to maintain things we’ve always taken for granted. |
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Post by epaul on Jun 14, 2024 9:01:47 GMT -5
, or grab them by the pussy. Ah, yes. Those partisan truth tellers. Biden offering support to an appreciative friend is the icky pervert. Trump bragging about grabbing pussy and barging into a dressing room filled half-naked teens getting ready for a swimsuit competition is the defender of justice and the American way. Biden, stumbling over a couple words in a speech, is demented. Trump, going off the teleprompter and into a five-minute ramble about how electric boats would be a good thing because if you were about to be eaten by a shark you could just electrocute yourself first, is the man with the judgement and mental acuity this country needs in a leader. |
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Post by Rob Hanesworth on Jun 14, 2024 10:23:27 GMT -5
I started wearing aids a number of years ago. My insurance offered a house brand for $350/each co-pays. They were pretty low-end, but they improved my hearing some.
Five years ago my father-in-law died, leaving behind a pretty expensive pair of Phonak hearing aids. Mother-in-law let me have them. They are not in any way custom fitted to me but I hear much better with them than the previous ones.
With all the over-the-counter hearing aids that have become available over the last couple of years I decided this spring to try a pair that placed high on multiple review sites. They were not as good (for me) as the Phonak so I returned them within the trial period for a full refund. No hassle.
I would like to get an upgraded pair of aids but haven't been willing yet to fork over the $3K or so a new model Phonak pair would cost. I am sure I would hear better with them but, how much better?
I did spend two semesters in Air Force ROTC, but I don't think the VA recognizes my service.
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Post by david on Jun 14, 2024 16:32:33 GMT -5
I have used them for about 10 years - two different Costco sets. Both have sounded crappy for music. Both have helped me hear better in all environments. But even with my hearing aids, environments with a loud background noise make it impossible for me to understand speakers with high pitched or soft voices.
In considering your purchase consider that the lifespan of a hearing aid is 3 to 5 years. Whatever brand you purchase, make certain that you put it in some type of drying device daily. The device provided to me is a small heating plate. It probably heats them to 100 F.
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