“IMPAIRED HEARING”

[glenbo]

I had the same problem initially. I tried every available size and style of rubber dome, and nothing worked. The audiologist finally said 'Oh, we can make you custom molded earpieces,' and they did. Now I can keep them in my ears and actually hear with them! They were just too lazy to do it initially. Ask them about the custom molded earpieces!

Thanks for the info, I'll do that next time I see her.

 

[oldag]

I would deeply regret not being able to hear music.

 

[leVieux]

Now he lives in the islands, fishes the pilin's
And drinks his green label each day
He's writing his memoirs and losing his hearing
But he don't care what most people say
Through eighty-six years of perpetual motion
If he likes you he'll smile then he'll say
Jimmy, some of it's magic, some of it's tragic
But I had a good life all the way

<>

AMEN !

<>

 

[mmcbeat]

I’ve been using hearing aids for a long time. The pair I have now are about a year old, I got them at Costco. I can’t say enough good things about service, pricing and testing at Costco. Without a doubt the best I have had. I have no ties to Costco, just passing a good experience on.

 

[leVieux]

I’ve been using hearing aids for a long time. The pair I have now are about a year old, I got them at Costco. I can’t say enough good things about service, pricing and testing at Costco. Without a doubt the best I have had. I have no ties to Costco, just passing a good experience on.

I just can’t do COSTCO b/c the main owner is a really big democrat donor, sorta like Progressive Insurance, Pepsico/Frito-Lay, f-b, etc.

 

[striker55]

I purchased OTC hearing aids for $99 https://audienhearing.com/products/...nkSeTfHmOgxIGusUZrYRFj1RNCeStYQxoCVroQAvD_BwE
Charging now, will report back in a day or so. My brother has them and he said they helped him.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Please do.

 

[BigRed]

<>

I’d bet that many here have experienced some degree of hearing impairment.

Between zilions of rounds fired, hunting / military, and sitting b/t unmuffled airplane engines, at age 80 my hearing is “in decline”.

Most will face the question of “What, if anything, should I do?”. This brings up the related question of “hearing aids”.

Our “Ear Doctors”, both real ENT Surgeons and their Quack imitators/pretenders, really push “hearing aids”. They are as bad as used car salesmen, and twice as persistent. There is great profit in hearing aid selling. Politicians have even got our V.A. on-board, with all sorts of supplemental payments for us “Veterans”.

I thought some on here may benefit from my recent experiences in this area. Yes, I’ve been having periodic detailed “hearing tests”, with their squiggly line reports. Because of my field of work, I actually understand the “techno-gibberish”; but what exactly does it mean in terms of helping us during our “decining years” ?

First, pushers of the aids often liken them to eyeglasses, which is deceptive. One can easily remove, don, or change eyeglasses for the situation at hand. Not so with the aids, which ride within the outer ear canal, requiring experience & effort to remove. Plus, glasses don’t make those embarrassing squealing sounds in Church.

They are not uncomfortable or terribly noticeable. As if I were concerned about the outward appearance. I have been repeatedly offered “fittings” of aids, most recenty by my really great young Ear Doc, once a student where I taught.

Recalling that I have several Physician Friends, and other Friends, with recent experience as the patient, wearing new hearing aids, they were “polled”..

Three of those Docs said that the aids are “more trouble than worth”; while a fourth Doc was still undecided. Another Non-MD Buddy told of paying north of $7K for his pair, only to soon learn that his Nephew’s $299 WalMart devices actually worked better for him, a lot better.

Considering life situations: If your probem is compaints re LOUD radio or TV, consider place a bluetooth speaker at your chair. If your problem is hearing the sermons @ Church, the aids will help, as there is no background noise there.

If it is understanding conversation in a loud area or crowd, good luck. If you have difficulty with private conversation, try asking the person to speak slowly, more loudly, and to be “clear”. If a super hot chick, just stand closer, you now have a real reason & excuse.

One gigantic problem with today;s technology seems to be cancellation or diminution of “background noise”. My $!K+ pilot headsets work great, but they are quite large, unlike the aids. The “Walkers Game Ear” & other hunting headsets work relatively well, as they both physically obstruct outside noise, plus cancel noises electronically.

But, it seems that the micro circuitry needed fo fit into one’s ear still has great difficulty in this area.

MY bottom line: If hearing is causing you significant problems, get a pair of the $99 to $299 devices, just to see how you tolerate the concept of wearing hearing aids. That may help you avoid a $7,000 mistake.

Good Luck; remember that “Old Age is NOT for Sissies !”

leVieux

<>

I'm sorry.
Could you say that again?

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I purchased OTC hearing aids for $99 https://audienhearing.com/products/...nkSeTfHmOgxIGusUZrYRFj1RNCeStYQxoCVroQAvD_BwE
Charging now, will report back in a day or so. My brother has them and he said they helped him.

Anything to report?

 

[leVieux]

Anything to report?

<>

I’ve had those for about a year.

they work best at church where only one person speaks & all others are quiet. Als fr late night TV watching.

Any significant background noise defeats them.

<>

 

[benenglish]

<>

I’ve had those for about a year.

they work best at church where only one person speaks & all others are quiet. Als fr late night TV watching.

Any significant background noise defeats them.

<>

I assume that's why the OTC hearing aids at my local CVS are laid out in a side-by-side display. As the prices go up, the biggest differences highlighted by the signs are that the more expensive units work better with their phone apps and better handle background noise.

I was personally surprised and saddened by the fact that it appears getting the most out of hearing aids requires installing and using another dadgum app on your phone.

 

[Vaquero]

I assume that's why the OTC hearing aids at my local CVS are laid out in a side-by-side display. As the prices go up, the biggest differences highlighted by the signs are that the more expensive units work better with their phone apps and better handle background noise.

I was personally surprised and saddened by the fact that it appears getting the most out of hearing aids requires installing and using another dadgum app on your phone.

With that much environment control, the buttons and knobs would be bigger than the hearing aids.
This is one area where an app really shines.

 

[General Zod]

<>

I’d bet that many here have experienced some degree of hearing impairment.

Between zilions of rounds fired, hunting / military, and sitting b/t unmuffled airplane engines, at age 80 my hearing is “in decline”.

Most will face the question of “What, if anything, should I do?”. This brings up the related question of “hearing aids”.

Our “Ear Doctors”, both real ENT Surgeons and their Quack imitators/pretenders, really push “hearing aids”. They are as bad as used car salesmen, and twice as persistent. There is great profit in hearing aid selling. Politicians have even got our V.A. on-board, with all sorts of supplemental payments for us “Veterans”.

I thought some on here may benefit from my recent experiences in this area. Yes, I’ve been having periodic detailed “hearing tests”, with their squiggly line reports. Because of my field of work, I actually understand the “techno-gibberish”; but what exactly does it mean in terms of helping us during our “decining years” ?

First, pushers of the aids often liken them to eyeglasses, which is deceptive. One can easily remove, don, or change eyeglasses for the situation at hand. Not so with the aids, which ride within the outer ear canal, requiring experience & effort to remove. Plus, glasses don’t make those embarrassing squealing sounds in Church.

They are not uncomfortable or terribly noticeable. As if I were concerned about the outward appearance. I have been repeatedly offered “fittings” of aids, most recenty by my really great young Ear Doc, once a student where I taught.

Recalling that I have several Physician Friends, and other Friends, with recent experience as the patient, wearing new hearing aids, they were “polled”..

Three of those Docs said that the aids are “more trouble than worth”; while a fourth Doc was still undecided. Another Non-MD Buddy told of paying north of $7K for his pair, only to soon learn that his Nephew’s $299 WalMart devices actually worked better for him, a lot better.

Considering life situations: If your probem is compaints re LOUD radio or TV, consider place a bluetooth speaker at your chair. If your problem is hearing the sermons @ Church, the aids will help, as there is no background noise there.

If it is understanding conversation in a loud area or crowd, good luck. If you have difficulty with private conversation, try asking the person to speak slowly, more loudly, and to be “clear”. If a super hot chick, just stand closer, you now have a real reason & excuse.

One gigantic problem with today;s technology seems to be cancellation or diminution of “background noise”. My $!K+ pilot headsets work great, but they are quite large, unlike the aids. The “Walkers Game Ear” & other hunting headsets work relatively well, as they both physically obstruct outside noise, plus cancel noises electronically.

But, it seems that the micro circuitry needed fo fit into one’s ear still has great difficulty in this area.

MY bottom line: If hearing is causing you significant problems, get a pair of the $99 to $299 devices, just to see how you tolerate the concept of wearing hearing aids. That may help you avoid a $7,000 mistake.

Good Luck; remember that “Old Age is NOT for Sissies !”

leVieux

<>

Peddling bad/outdated information yet again. "First do no harm", eh? Everything in bold in the above quote is bullshit. My wife's hearing aids - which were completely covered by her insurance, do everything you claim hearing aids won't do. They also help with her tinnitus. Back in the 80s, sure, everything you said was mostly true. But that was 40 years ago, and technology has improved.

Unfortunately, hearing aids don't remove tinnitus.

"Remove", no. But my wife's hearing aids greatly reduce its effects for her. How long has it been since you've talked to you doctor about a pair? Decent ones do help.

 

[striker55]

Anything to report?

They do enhance sound, something as simple as putting a pair of glasses on the table, the sqeek of a chair. I do like them for watching TV. I'm thinking the more expensive might be better but so far I'm liking the inexpensive help. The instructions say to use them for 1-2 hours per day for a week, then 3-4 hours week two. The instructions say your ears have to adjust. 45 day return policy isn't bad. Main use for me is TV, too many times I have to replay something to hear it or turn on captions. For $99 I'm going to give it a fair shot, along with my new prescription glasses I'm good for what another year? Next is cataract surgery to clear up blurry vision.

 

[leVieux]

I assume that's why the OTC hearing aids at my local CVS are laid out in a side-by-side display. As the prices go up, the biggest differences highlighted by the signs are that the more expensive units work better with their phone apps and better handle background noise.

I was personally surprised and saddened by the fact that it appears getting the most out of hearing aids requires installing and using another dadgum app on your phone.

<>

Yes, of course that is their claim. But, that has always been their claim.

The differences have not been clinically significant.

Also, as the technology does improve, the older units are still sold, as the newer ones are always more expensive.

But the claims of the vendors have always proved either exaggerated or false.

And, there is ZERO legitimate reason for the technology to cost anywhere near the prices they charge.

While I am reluctant to call all of this a SCAM, it surely looks like a SCAM to this Old Physician !

Meanwhile, the larger non-“Medical” units like the Walker’s Game Ear of the Aviation Headsets like Bose Pilot “noise-cancelling” headsets actually do work; but are much, much larger.

As best as I can tell, the price/cost difference b/t a $99 unit and a $7,000 unit is not worth the money, and has never been.

”Stay-tuned”; these things should progress rapidly, as the underserved World market is massive and begging a cost-effective solution.

Recall when large screen color TV’s cost 3 or 4 months’ pay ?

leVieux

<>

 

[benenglish]

With that much environment control, the buttons and knobs would be bigger than the hearing aids.
This is one area where an app really shines.

That had not occurred to me. TYVM.

 

[leVieux]

That had not occurred to me. TYVM.

<>

But, wouldn’t the “app” be non-private ?

Just asking, as the “app’s” don’t seem to be from a “Medical” source ?

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[Wudidiz]

The VA fitted me with the $5k Opticons for both my hearing loss and tinnitus. The tinnitus is mostly in my left ear and sounds like an F-4 taxiing for takeoff. The hearing aids do help with the perceived volume and actually tone down the jet engine in my left ear. The lower volume is not significant, but at least it helps a bit. The Army didn't give us any hearing protection and I got an earful in 66-67.

 

[Vaquero]

<>

But, wouldn’t the “app” be non-private ?

Just asking, as the “app’s” don’t seem to be from a “Medical” source ?

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My app is from the hearing aid manufacturer.
It only works through Bluetooth.
That's private enough for me.

 

[General Zod]

As best as I can tell, the price/cost difference b/t a $99 unit and a $7,000 unit is not worth the money, and has never been.

Yet another reason to never, ever trust your opinion (or should I do that in all caps like you tend to?) on anything health-related. You are spreading false information with a frankly pathetic level of arrogance attached. If anyone here takes you seriously on this, you will have successfully prevented them from improving their quality of life. Does this make you feel proud of yourself?