My first hearing aids

[Clay Mosby 721]

Got fitted with my first ever hearing aids yesterday, and I have to tell ya, the jury is still out on these things. Good God In Heaven what have I done? Really glad I have 45 days to decide whether to keep them or not.

 

Looking for coping advice from folks that have been using these evil incarnate devices for some time. Do you get used to hearing all the noise you didn't know you weren't hearing? I got them yesterday morning, ran a couple of errands and headed home. First sign of something amiss was the wife opening a little cello bag of pnuts. It sounded like someone crumpling a wad of parchment paper right next to my ear. Then I was hearing every squeak, rattle, rub, rumble, not only of our truck, but I swear of every vehicle in the damn county. By the time we got home 10 min later I was so irritated and noise shy I wanted to scream. I checked the app the Dr loaded for me and discovered both ears volumne was turned up to 11!! Don't know how but when I turned em back to mid range things were  more tolerable.

 

In my case I have lost a lot of certain higher frequencies so clicks, pops and sharper noises were lost or muted. Now that I can hear them again, ugh. 

 

How long did it take you to get used to them? Right now it feels like quite a relief to take them out after a couple hours.

[Buffalo Creek Law Dog 321]

The first thing you need to do is lower the volume. Mine has a button that will soften nearby clattering noise also lowering or raising the volume.  You can control your settings from your cell phone, it will list the various environments that you will encounter, such as a restaurant, cinema, group conversation, party etc and just click on the one you want and it will adjust your hearing aides to whichever you choose.  With a little practice you will get them all tuned in.  Also, download the app to get the old radio shows.  You can listen to them through your hearing aids and no one knows you are doing it.  Also, you can take incoming calls on your hearing aids without holding it up to your ear.  You can also direct the speakers to the person you are talking to.  When in the vehicle I can direct the speakers to the left or right towards the person sitting next to me.  By the way, I got mine from Costco, half the price.  Also get your batteries from Costco as they are 80% cheaper than anywhere else.

 

Like most guys, I always thought wearing hearing aids was a sign of weakness etc.  Now I know I should have done it before.  best move I have made in a long time.

[Hillbilly Drifter 957]

Hang in there Clay. I got mine a year ago and after some initial getting used to them I cannot imagine being without them. Your audiologist should see you frequently in the first few months. Understanding how to best use them and having the frequencies tweaked by your audiologist will help you get through it. 

[Cactus Jack Calder 563]

+1 to what Law Dog & Drifter said.

 

 I am 2+ years in. Your Audiologist will help you make adjustments to suit your needs. Mine said your  brain will also learn to filter some of the noise (selective hearing). We learned that as youngsters and never knew it. Even though the aides are set to amplify in the frequency ranges you are deficient in, they cannot distinguish between noise you want to hear and other ambient noice in the same frequency range. Hence road noise is a pita. 
I have the type that hook over my ears with a tube feeding sound into my ear canal. Since the audio pickup is at the back of my ear the weird thing for me is hearing people close behind me better than those I am facing.

Good luck and keep on plugging.

 

CJ

[JD Lud 182]

May I add some different perspective?  The examples have zero to do with you personally, just some experience to share so please do not take it as me inferring.  My wife's father has not been able to hear well for a long time, and he has refused to get hearing aids until a few years back.  When he did get them, he didn't like them and stopped wearing early on, think he bought a very cheap set up.  Anyways, everyone around him including me continued to get frustrated with him....to the point of anger for his wife.  He would nod his head and smile along or laugh, not hearing anything of what you said if he couldn't read your lips.  Conversations in public were embarrassing to be around as he clearly didnt follow but would pretend to while everyone noticed he didn't have a clue, and driving opened up the real angry part for his wife for various reasons.  For the 2nd time, he did go try his hearing aids again about a month ago and once again was not staying with them....dont know how it ended yet.

 

My entire point is that while it does not matter if it bothers me, it bothers his daughters and his wife to a great degree and his lack of willingness to address it bothers them just as much if not more.  They won't come right out and say anything to him other than kind suggestions, but they talk to each other or to me and complain about how bad it is etc...Im not sure how long my hearing will hold out, but it has made me realize when mine goes, im going to make sure I do it not for just me but for those around me.  

 

Just my perspective again from those around me.

[Still hand Bill 83]

One thing no one mentions, your brain loses the ability to hear some sounds if you go long enough without hearing them.   So go too long and hearing aids work poorly once you use them.  Better to get them early than wait.  
 

 

[Clay Mosby 721]

Thanksgivings guys, some good advice there. 

Couple of things, mine are rechargable, no batteries to fiddle with and drop in the carpet never to be seen again. 

Second, I have a follow-up with my audiologist in 10 days, plus I can call any time and talk to them during regular hours. I got these through my Kaiser medicare plan which gave me $700 off the regular price. They are over the ear with the thin wire, left right volumne control, Bluetooth connection all the whistles and bells. They have three microphones each, left/right and top/slightly back. When I put them back in gonna turn them down a bit more see if that is more comfortable to me. 

[Redleg Reilly, SASS #46372 68]

I've had mine for several years now and still having issues coping.  I have high frequency loss and got the hearing aids when I started losing voices.  I still can't get pat the small mechanical noises being so loud.  I have had them adjusted several times and always lower the volume but it gets to the point I think I am back where I started with voices.  Not sure what the answer is so if you figure it out, let us all know.

[Clay Mosby 721]

I had the hearing test because I found myself saying "what?" more often, had to keep turning up the TV, and telling the wife to talk louder. I have no problem wearing them, fashion is beyond the least of my worries! I checked out Costco , what I paid for 2 is about $250 more than they charge for one.

Funny story: after the audiologist put them in and ran through the calibration tests we were just talking and I told her I was still hearing a rythmic  click from the right. I thought it was coming from the tester. After a few minutes of checking the unit over and even unplugging it, we discovered I was hearing the wall clock from a out 6-7 feet away!span widgetsIpan widget

[Still hand Bill 83]

Unfortunately all a hearing aid does is amplify sound.  They can be tuned to match your loss, which should make it similar to what you had prior to the loss.  One of the problems is they really only concentrate on the 3-6k range which is normal voice.  You still don’t get back the harmonics at higher frequencies.  Another issue is they (audiologists) don’t always get the tuning right.   

 

there are three main styles of aids, RIC receiver in canal.   Those have the little box behind the ear and a speaker in the ear with a small silicone tip.  Good for lower loses.   Bte is the behind the ear has the speaker and electronics behind the ear and a tube to carry the sound into the ear.  These are for larger losses and tend to be cheaper, so common at the va.  The last is the ite or in the ear.  Similar to a shooters plug, all the electronics are in a shell that fits the ear.  A lot less common today.  
 

One thing that was more common with older hearing aids was a lag in amplification.  Sounds like stadium sound.   
 

 

[Warden Callaway 4,182]

Good timing.  I don't have a hearing problem but I have a family that can't talk clearly.   And they are after me to get hearing aids so they can low talk and mumble. 

 

I'm looking at some in eBay from $15-45.  Anyone have any experience with these Chinese hearing aids?  

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 740]

2 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

Good timing.  I don't have a hearing problem but I have a family that can't talk clearly.   And they are after me to get hearing aids so they can low talk and mumble. 

 

I'm looking at some in eBay from $15-45.  Anyone have any experience with these Chinese hearing aids?  

They hiss constantly and will annoy you worse than a poor-fitting pair of boots.

 

CM, give yourself a few days to adjust to hearing the high-frequency sounds that have been missing from your life.  I re-discovered that there were song birds in my back yard.  +10 on Costco batteries.  They cost one-fifth of what Walgreens charges.  Two hints: 1) Keep your ears clean.   Ear wax will stop hearing aids cold.  2) Don't accidentally shower while wearing hearing aids.  Your might be facing an expensive repair bill.

[Warden Callaway 4,182]

Another question.  My right ear is worse than my left.  Does anyone just wear one?  

[Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 648]

I'm on my second set. They're rechargeables. getting used to the ticking clock sounds familiar After recharge the auto reset to the fifth setting volume wise, i reduce it to the fourth. only complaint is some things sound too tinny. Also keeping your ears cleared of wax is good advice. with my allergies I tend to produce a lot of it. Have had to have several speakers replaced on my left one since I got them.

[Finagler 6853 Life 348]

I got mine at Costco also. Very satisfied. Took me less than an hour to get used to them. I didn't get the fancy ones you did. I didn't tell my family right away. I changed my will three times.  There are disgusting bodily functions I can hear now that I couldn't before.  Going to the toilet isn't as enjoyable as it used to be.  I used to think my farts were silent and didn't smell. I told the Doc that I can hear the farts. He said that was good. Now we have to work on your sense of smell.

Good luck.

[Cactus Jack Calder 563]

1 hour ago, Warden Callaway said:

Another question.  My right ear is worse than my left.  Does anyone just wear one?  

The Audiologist told me that if you just have one hearing aide you will probably have the same problem of imbalanced hearing only reversed. I am near stone deaf in my left ear. With two hearing aides I can still get directional hearing so I know which way to turn to see the source of sound.

A competent Audiologist should set up the aides to balance them for your loss by each side, not just blast you with equal sound amplification on both sides. That is one advantage of going to an Audiologist rather than a TV/Magazine commercials/add set.

Years ago I had a friend at work who contracted a severe infection in his ears. He lost hearing in his left ear completely and had some loss in his right ear. They fixed him up with a receiver/transmitter for his left ear. It looked just like the right side hearing aide. The receiver/transmitter would radio sound to his right ear hearing aide. This helped him not miss things that occurred on his left side, but he often would have to turn around in a circle to find out who was talking to him. 

CJ

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 740]

3 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

Another question.  My right ear is worse than my left.  Does anyone just wear one?  

I wear just one when I take the other in for repair.  (They are delicate electronics and sometimes the speakers or other parts fail.)  Mine are Bluetooth and communicate with each other.  This allows them to better reject noise and have some directionality.  I would always wear a pair because they function better that way.  They are not just simple amplifiers.  BTW, when I bough Costco hearing aids they never lasted more than three months.  My ears always destroyed the speakers.

[Noz 1,732]

A word of warning. If you are male, the first time you urinate standing into the stool you will think you just hit  a recording of Niagra Falls.

[Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life 707]

My family insists.  I prefer to only use them for shooting. When I first got them, I thought my home was full of flies and was falling down, my vehicles were coming apart and paper and cellophane, etc. were driving me nuts.

 

I still use them for shooting and for family visits. I really don't bother with them the rest of the time.

[Dustin Checotah 246]

I got mine this last November the day before my birthday. The audiologist said it will be like babies ears. Now I know why they cry all the time. I didn't realize all of the sounds that I wasn't hearing. Every step That I take on my wood floors creek and crack and the noise of my left knee popping would make you think something is really wrong. The small birds are louder but I like that. As was mentioned before a bag of chips or paper bags make quite a racket. 

I got mine through the VA and when I picked them up the audiologist tried to sync them with my cell phone blue tooth. That did not seem to work at the time and I told her it was an old moderately intelligent phone not a smart phone and I don't use it much. Just a few days later I am watching tv when I hear an odd ringing. It sounded like it was coming from in my head. I was looking around for what it was then it dawned on me that the phone was connected. It seems to be a once in a while connection so I turned it off. 

Still getting used to them and trying to convince my wife that I still cannot hear through walls.

[Warden Callaway 4,182]

3 hours ago, Noz said:

A word of warning. If you are male, the first time you urinate standing into the stool you will think you just hit  a recording of Niagra Falls.

 

Just don't look down.  Only up.  Like shooting outlaw! 

[Warden Callaway 4,182]

How well do hearing aids work in a place with lots of ambient noise?  One clump of our clan loves to get together at a restaurant and visit over lunch (that we end up paying for).  Some places are noisy,  others are really loud. 

[Smoken D 1,533]

57 minutes ago, Warden Callaway said:

How well do hearing aids work in a place with lots of ambient noise?  One clump of our clan loves to get together at a restaurant and visit over lunch (that we end up paying for).  Some places are noisy,  others are really loud. 

 

Just to answer this question, as for me I hear the conversation 40 feet away better than the one with the people I am sitting with. The one big bummer with hearing aids. The little thing is trying to amplify the noise coming far away thinking that is what I want to hear, and it ain't. Around large crowds or echoing hallways they can be bad. Now for my 2 cents worth

 

Been wearing aids daily for the past 26 years. Overall the best thing that has ever happen. To hear birds in the morning on a beautiful day, all kinds of noises I had not heard in over 20 years with my hearing loss. I never realized I had loss since having it for so long until the wife mentioned all the outside birds chirping away, I couldn't hear them. Had to pay for my first pair and back then $2,400 was a bunch of money.

And yes you will suddenly hear most everything, especially with the car. But the bugs will never leave the inside of your head. Fortunately for me I am now under the V.A. care and get new pair every 5 years. Loss was due to what we call a bad day at the office with an M-60 machine gun. 

It's a love hate relationship, but you have to make the choice to hear or not to hear, as the famous saying goes. When you first receive your pair it may take a bit of time to get them adjusted and tuned in just for you. I also now have a pair that is blue tooth and just love them. V.A. got me the hookup to the T.V. where it is piped straight the the hearing aids, and in stereo. Now I can hear most every word being said in a show and don't have to lip read and guess what was said, or just watch the movie without sound guessing what is going on and being said. Also the blue tooth thing is tied into my phone and only I can hear what is being said to me, plus great for having while driving. You wear this small com-pilot around your neck which is the receiver. Being tied to your phone means if you have music in your phone it will play directly to your hearing aids. I use this mostly when I work out at the fitness center and while on long drives by myself.

Overall, it's a new world every day for me. I wear mine from the time I get up, till I go to bed. Just don't forget to take them out when showering. You'll get use to them and may forget. Mine are in the ear type.

Hope you get them adjusted and best of luck with them. Like I said, they enter you into a whole new world and I sure do enjoy it, no matter any down side to them.

[Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life 707]

An ontos got me!!!  

[Warden Callaway 4,182]

I can hear; 

A clock ticking 

A mouse gnawing in a dresser drawer 50 feet away with door close 

The refrigerator kicking in and out

The damper on the wood stove clicking as it regulates the draft. 

Acorns falling and hitting the ground in the yard

On and on.

 

When outside under calm conditions I can hear;

A squirrel bark on a ridge a quarter mile away

Hawks screaming 

A buck snort

A faw bleat call

Birds,  yes I  can hear birds 

I can hear kids playing in a yard a full half mile away almost well enough to make out what they are yelling 

I can hear gravel popping on the road a half mile away and the Davids' noisy assed truck going out and coming back in.

The school bus making pickup and dropoff all around the neighborhood.

The train that is at least 10 miles away 

Highway truck traffic 5 miles up the valley 

Airplane traffic of all kinds (except drones)

Helicopters drive me nuts. Can hear them coming for a half an hour before and after they fly over.

Chainsaws, lawn mowers, 4 wheeler,  farm equipment up to a mile away.

 

What I can't hear;

 

The done beeper on the microwave 

People (mostly women) talking with other ambient noise around like in the PU cab or a public building that are noisy. 

 

Funny,  the receptionist/office manager at my dentist's office,  I have no problems hearing evey word she says.  Then one of the assistants setting next to her, I can't understand anything she says. When I'm in the chair, I tell the young lady that I can't hear well and she'll have to talk to me like I'm her grandpa. 

 

 

 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 5,260]

22 hours ago, Clay Mosby said:

Got fitted with my first ever hearing aids yesterday, and I have to tell ya, the jury is still out on these things. Good God In Heaven what have I done? Really glad I have 45 days to decide whether to keep them or not.

.....................

.............................

 

In my case I have lost a lot of certain higher frequencies so clicks, pops and sharper noises were lost or muted. Now that I can hear them again, ugh. 

 

How long did it take you to get used to them? Right now it feels like quite a relief to take them out after a couple hours.

 

Speaking from personal experience, are you sure those clicks, pops and other sharp noises aren't coming from YOU?

Anyway, persevere Pard. It'll get better.

[G W Wade 914]

Just about 3 1/2 yrs into first hearing aids.  The only thing I really like is they bluetooth to my phone!      GW

[Warden Callaway 4,182]

One more thing,  change in altitude (air pressure) often causes my ears to open up.  As little as a couple hundred feet in a short distance will open then up.  Then pop.  WAAAAAA! Everything is yelling at me!  I can't stand it.  Normally within minutes they start to close again. In the mountains,  they may stay open for hours but eventually return to normal. 

 

Our youngest son is a nurse and a couple of times a week he uses a squirt bottle device to pull earwax out of clients' ears.  Says the results are very impressive. When he was down a couple of weeks back we bought an Elephant ear wax kit and he worked me over.  Nothing.  No wax from either ear.  No improvement in my hearing. 

[Buffalo Creek Law Dog 321]

16 hours ago, Noz said:

A word of warning. If you are male, the first time you urinate standing into the stool you will think you just hit  a recording of Niagra Falls.

I was thinking the same thing, the first thing I noticed was that I didn't know I peed so loud. 

[Buffalo Creek Law Dog 321]

Our house backs onto a treed creek valley and one of the first things I noticed outside was, where did all the birds come from?  I was hearing birds that I never heard before.  

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life 850]

Everything Smokin D said is spot on. I have VA supplied ones and I couldn't go without them. I have had hearing aids for 7 or so years. My Audiologist set my up (they have 4 settings) for loud background noise (crowded noisy places), music, wind and normal. They are great at each setting.

Wear them so you can get used to them.

[Duffield, SASS #23454 856]

14 hours ago, Dustin Checotah said:

 

Still getting used to them and trying to convince my wife that I still cannot hear through walls.

Your last sentence says more than the rest of your post.

The worst thing about hearing aids is that others expect you to hear like superman.  My wife stands in the kitchen talking into the cabinet, I am in the living room with the TV turned up loud so that she can hear it in the kitchen and she gets mad because I can't hear her.  I have had the same reaction from others, not just her.

 

Conversations in restaurants are difficult.  Try to sit with your back to a corner, it helps a lot.  I enjoy hearing all the small sounds, and learned to tune them out when I do not want to listen to them.  There is definitely a learning curve with hearing aids, but you will end up being glad you have them.

 

Fiddle with the volume until you get it set where you are comfortable.

 

Duffield

[Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 648]

Mud Marine, Those 106 recoiless will get you every time!. Mine was caused by a 150 PSI broken air line that I drove a cherry picker under with a mill wright to shut it off. he had protection, I didn't.

[Matthew Duncan 1,099]

Take one end of a piece of string ad tie it to a button.  Put the other end of the string in your shirt pocket.  Put the button in your ear.  Folks will think you are wearing a hearing aid and will speak louder which you can now hear!

[Cactus Jack Calder 563]

On 1/26/2020 at 5:27 PM, Matthew Duncan said:

Take one end of a piece of string ad tie it to a button.  Put the other end of the string in your shirt pocket.  Put the button in your ear.  Folks will think you are wearing a hearing aid and will speak louder which you can now hear!

My Grandmother (Dad’s Mom) had that type of hearing aide when I was young (60+ years ago). With out it she couldn’t hear a vacuum running if it was bumping into her feet.

She didn’t like a lot of noise so she would turn off the hearing aide when no one was talking to her. If you wanted to talk with her you had to tap her on the shoulder and wave your hand at her. She would hold up her index finger (just a minute) and then turn on her receiver box in her shirt pocket. Once you were done talking she would quickly turn it off again.