Hearing loss

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  • littletommy

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 29, 2009
    13,015
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    A holler in Kentucky
    It’s nothing new for me, I’ve had a combination of tinnitus and hearing loss for quite a few years now. I’m getting to the point where I can’t follow along with conversations, especially if someone is on my left side. Watching television requires a volume level that is too loud for my wife. It’s getting frustrating.

    I guess my question is, does anybody use hearing aids? Do they sound “synthetic” or like you can actually hear again? I just have this perception of something like that sounding like an old transistor radio, don’t know if that’s realistic or not, but I’m afraid it’s something that is in my very near future.
     
    Rating - 100%
    28   0   0
    Oct 3, 2008
    4,184
    149
    On a hill in Perry C
    A very good friend of mine has hearing aids, he says that his are very natural sounding. Don't know if it would make any difference but if I remember right his loss was due to disease rather than age or damage. He also says the downside is he no longer has an excuse to ignore his wife. :):
     

    PhxCollier

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    May 19, 2017
    118
    16
    Indiana
    I have worn hearing aids for about 7 years, and needed them long before that. If there is little background noise, they work well. But in noisy environments - restaurants, bars, etc - they are not much help at all. The accessory gadgets, tv streamers, direct Bluetooth to iPhone are useful to me, so those help. Hearing aids will not give you normal hearing, but it will be better than what you have now.

    As to sound quality, music sounds different but better.

    Some of the functionality depends on your specific loss, low freq vs high freq. as we get older most people lose high end hearing from sustained loud noises or music. I inherited low frequency loss, so once the high end started to go I had to get hearing aids.

    If if you do end up needing hearing aids make sure to check out sams club and Costco. They sell low to mid featured aids at much lower prices than your audiologist.
     

    amboy49

    Master
    Rating - 83.3%
    5   1   0
    Feb 1, 2013
    2,293
    83
    central indiana
    A friend of mine gave in and admitted he had a hearing problem. He checked into several providers and ended up purchasing hearing aids at Costco. He is generally satisfied although he said there is definitely a period of adjustment to get used to wearing them.
     

    SAILORGOLF46

    Expert
    Site Supporter
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    20   0   0
    Feb 14, 2012
    901
    63
    Greenwood
    I wear aids, but unlike you vision your hearing can't be restored to 20-20. It will be better but take a while to adjust as mentioned earlier. I have had very good luck with Costco aids, recently my KS8's needed to go back to the factory while gone I was fitted with the latest Costco KS9's loners, WOW the newest KS9 are soo much better and $100 less, $1500 for the pair. Your hearing test results will be fed to a computer program and your aids will be set up with that data, some fine tuning may be needed but a very good starting point. Good luck.
     

    boogieman

    Expert
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    48   0   0
    Nov 14, 2009
    1,401
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    under your bed!!!
    I finally broke down and got hearing aids this year. I have been wearing them about a month and it has made a world of difference in my life. I have severe loss in the higher tones but am close to normal for low tones. When you get the aids they program them to your specific hearing loss. Mine amplify the highs but don't do much with the lows. The first week was a lot of getting used to the feel and actually hearing what you have been missing. I did have some electronic sounds at first. I went to the audiologist after a week and told her what was going on. She took them and reprogrammed them then did some fine tuning and now all of the electronic sounds are completely gone. It's a pretty natural sound. The ones I have, have bluetooth in them and are hooked to my phone. I can use my phone to adjust volume and other settings if I need to. The doctor can also log in through my app and change the settings from the office while I'm at home.The other problem I had was the insert that goes into the ear canal was a little large for me so made my ears hurt. She also changed that to a slightly smaller piece and now I forget I have them on. Find a good audiologist and it will really help. Just for reference I wear the Phonak audeo 50 with rechargeable battery
     

    Ziggidy

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    May 7, 2018
    7,266
    113
    Ziggidyville
    Been wearing aids for about 8 years now. NOTHING replaces what God created! That said, background noise is rough. Certain tones ad pitches in different voices is a problem for me.

    My STRONG recommendation is go to Costco. They are very good and very reasonable with price. Warranty is not to be matched anywhere!
     

    ws6guy

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Feb 10, 2010
    773
    43
    westside
    I've been putting off aids for a little while. I also have tinnitus and hear loss cause from meniere's disease. The ENT that I've been seeing said that in the near future there should be some aids coming to the market that are cheaper than the traditional ones. He said they will fill the void between cheap and high end models.
     

    DoggyDaddy

    Grandmaster
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    73   0   1
    Aug 18, 2011
    102,030
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    Southside Indy
    I've been putting off aids for a little while. I also have tinnitus and hear loss cause from meniere's disease. The ENT that I've been seeing said that in the near future there should be some aids coming to the market that are cheaper than the traditional ones. He said they will fill the void between cheap and high end models.

    I just saw a commercial for some new ones called "Nano" or something like that. Only $297 a pair (buy one get one free). Sounds too good to be true though, so take that for what it's worth.

    Edit: Looks like they've been around since at least 2018.

    https://besthearingaidreviews.com/is-nano-hearing-aids-a-scam/
     

    chocktaw2

    Home on the Range
    Site Supporter
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    2   0   0
    Feb 5, 2011
    61,470
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    Mayberry
    It’s nothing new for me, I’ve had a combination of tinnitus and hearing loss for quite a few years now. I’m getting to the point where I can’t follow along with conversations, especially if someone is on my left side. Watching television requires a volume level that is too loud for my wife. It’s getting frustrating.

    I guess my question is, does anybody use hearing aids? Do they sound “synthetic” or like you can actually hear again? I just have this perception of something like that sounding like an old transistor radio, don’t know if that’s realistic or not, but I’m afraid it’s something that is in my very near future.
    Spouse lost hearing in one ear 20 yrs ago. Sister had the same condition, only difference is sister got 90% of hearing back, after she had a streroid shot. Wife waited to long for it to help. Make check this out first. Shot wasn't cheap. Sorry to .................... "what".:(
     

    NKBJ

    at the ark
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Apr 21, 2010
    6,240
    149
    Sent them off an email to inquire about the rechargeable batteries, how long before replacement is needed and how one goes about it.
     

    vvet762

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 16, 2013
    248
    18
    Fort Wayne
    I have had bad tinnitus since Vietnam. Sometimes it wakes me in the middle of the night. I have been able to put it in the background most of the time but it is ALWAYS there. A few years ago I went to the VA and was able to get a very nice set of hearing aids that amplify ambient sounds but does NOTHING for the tinnitus. The ringing is always there above what ever the hearing aids amplify. I hope your condition has better results.
     

    Ziggidy

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    May 7, 2018
    7,266
    113
    Ziggidyville
    I don’t work for Costco. That said, make sure you compare warranty on products and services. I still get free cleanings and checkups (with supplies) even after 5 years. You can retur them after 5 months and they are fully replaceable up to 3 years. These are for brand name and their own brand.

    Dollar for dollar.....Costco cannot be beat.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    ditcherman

    Grandmaster
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    22   0   0
    Dec 18, 2018
    7,607
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    In the country, hopefully.
    Resurrecting this 2 year old thread, as I am curious as to what the OP ever decided on if anything, and wondering if anyone has tried the ‘online only’ hearing aids, such as Lively https://www.listenlively.com/product?bk=2
    Or if that’s a bad idea.

    From my understanding if someone has insurance they will go to an audiologist to get coverage, and the cost will be in the 6k range, mostly covered.

    Costco and these online companies are in the 1400-2500 range.

    To me it seems like the app from the online companies can do more than Costco’s, but there could be an advantage to seeing someone in person.
    Wondering if anyone has input on this they’d be willing to share?

    Also wondering how the Bluetooth connectivity works for calling; I wear a noise cancelling headset most all the time if I need to talk on the phone as I’m always around something loud, and I pretty much demand being hands free to keep working.
    Is there a way to get the noise canceling so people can hear me, or a way to keep using the trucker headset?
     

    patience0830

    .22 magician
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 96.6%
    28   1   0
    Nov 3, 2008
    17,587
    149
    Not far from the tree
    Those prices were from 2018 I think. They're even less now. On the commercial they were $297 for a pair.

    Edit: It was their RX2000 I saw. Regularly $397 each, but on sale Buy One Get One, plus $100 off. But those are their bottom of the line.

    https://nanohearingaids.com/
    Make sure you find ones that are tunable by frequency. Many of the least expensive ones are simply amplifiers without any discrimination and may cause further hearing damage. My new ones are Eargo6, available on the web. Not extremely cheap, but do amplify the areas I need w/o making the ones I hear well louder.
     

    patience0830

    .22 magician
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 96.6%
    28   1   0
    Nov 3, 2008
    17,587
    149
    Not far from the tree
    Resurrecting this 2 year old thread, as I am curious as to what the OP ever decided on if anything, and wondering if anyone has tried the ‘online only’ hearing aids, such as Lively https://www.listenlively.com/product?bk=2
    Or if that’s a bad idea.

    From my understanding if someone has insurance they will go to an audiologist to get coverage, and the cost will be in the 6k range, mostly covered.

    Costco and these online companies are in the 1400-2500 range.

    To me it seems like the app from the online companies can do more than Costco’s, but there could be an advantage to seeing someone in person.
    Wondering if anyone has input on this they’d be willing to share?

    Also wondering how the Bluetooth connectivity works for calling; I wear a noise cancelling headset most all the time if I need to talk on the phone as I’m always around something loud, and I pretty much demand being hands free to keep working.
    Is there a way to get the noise canceling so people can hear me, or a way to keep using the trucker headset?
    I really like the Blue Parrot headset I use on the truck. My h/a's communicate with my phone using hi frequency sound. Blue tooth connectivity would make mine substantially larger. They are nearly invisible currently.
     
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