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My first hearing aids


Clay Mosby

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I don't know at what point I'll need hearing aids. When I was young I could easily hear a mosquito buzzing around in the room at night, but now I can't even hear it unless it tries to land inside my ear. For the most part I can still hear everything around me, but at night the tinnitus drives me nuts. I wish I could say I damaged my hearing while fighting off commie bastards, but it was actually just spending too much time as a teen listening to rock music with headphones on.

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7 hours ago, Sixgun Sheridan said:

I don't know at what point I'll need hearing aids. When I was young I could easily hear a mosquito buzzing around in the room at night, but now I can't even hear it unless it tries to land inside my ear. For the most part I can still hear everything around me, but at night the tinnitus drives me nuts. I wish I could say I damaged my hearing while fighting off commie bastards, but it was actually just spending too much time as a teen listening to rock music with headphones on.

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I know the tinnitus rather well I have what seems like 5 or 6 different tones as well as pops snaps and whooshing. I acquired mine via Uncle Sam's Canoe club working between two 70,000 HP steam turbines those and two 8 Megawatt turbine generators in the engine room.

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I started with one hearing aid and over the years, transitioned to two, all being the behind the ear type with the tube going to the ear. I had an audiologist test my hearing and one ear is worse than the other. Like many, my hearing loss is mostly in the upper range. Some women's voices are hard to hear without them, an advantage some would say. My last two sets were adjustable via bluetooth and can be adjusted up or down. They do have noise reduction circuitry that does help. I typically adjust down 1 step in volume. Noisy environments are still an issue hearing conversations, such as loud restaurants if the person speaking is at the other end of the table. If background noise is at a minimum, I can hear remarkably well. Hearing aids do help in most situations and with an audiologist's expertise, you can have a more enjoyable life.

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Has anyone tried the hearing aids featured in the NRA catalogue?

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I'm starting to get used to them, though at times the "crackle-ly=ness' of sounds is a bit annoying.

There is one a bit distressing thing I've noticed. If I'm in an environment that has a lot of the high pitch crackle and hiss, I have to turn them down quickly or I find I get irritated very fast! Anyone ever notice this? Sure hope this passes.

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3 hours ago, Clay Mosby said:

I'm starting to get used to them, though at times the "crackle-ly=ness' of sounds is a bit annoying.

There is one a bit distressing thing I've noticed. If I'm in an environment that has a lot of the high pitch crackle and hiss, I have to turn them down quickly or I find I get irritated very fast! Anyone ever notice this? Sure hope this passes.

 

I have found that I receive a lot of that cracking sound when my wax guards get plugged up with wax. If you have these wax guards in yours might try installing new ones and see what happens. If that cracking stops that was the problem. I get wax really bad in my ears wearing them all day long and eventually those wax guards get plugged up. Anywhere from a few days to two weeks. Just something to check, may also be tuned up too loud.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok.  I had my hearing checked at Belltone this morning.   They didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.  I can hear low tones in my left ear within range for someone over 50.  High tones fall below normal.  Right ear,  low tones are below normal and high tones were really bad.  

 

She stuck a pair of their latest models in my ears and adjusted them by Bluetooth.  Can't say I heard conversations any better but did pick up a lot of of small sounds that I didn't notice before like paper crumpling and chair squeaking.  

 

Some $10,800!  Marked down to $7,800.   Quote good until end of February.  

 

We stopped at two other companies on way home to get some price comparisons.  Both offices were closed even though their office hours said they were open. 

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I'm the next best thing to deaf.  I can hear virtually nothing without hearing aids, and would describe myself as "low functioning" with them.  So, since they take me from deaf to functional, I should love them.  But I hate them.  For all of the reasons expressed above.  Over the last twenty years I'm about $25,000.00 out of pocket into hearing aids, with some of the cost covered by insurance.  So I'm not trying to low-ball the problem.  I get the best I can get, but when your natural hearing goes away, it is gone for good.  For severe hearing loss like mine, hearing aids are an artificial substitute that can get you by. I wish I had something more positive to add, but that is my experience.  Your mileage may (I hope) vary. 

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17 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

Ok.  I had my hearing checked at Belltone this morning.   They didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.  I can hear low tones in my left ear within range for someone over 50.  High tones fall below normal.  Right ear,  low tones are below normal and high tones were really bad.  

 

She stuck a pair of their latest models in my ears and adjusted them by Bluetooth.  Can't say I heard conversations any better but did pick up a lot of of small sounds that I didn't notice before like paper crumpling and chair squeaking.  

 

Some $10,800!  Marked down to $7,800.   Quote good until end of February.  

 

We stopped at two other companies on way home to get some price comparisons.  Both offices were closed even though their office hours said they were open. 

I went through the hearing dept at Kaiser. I got the Phonak Model Audeo M30-R rechargeables for about $1750/pair after a $700 deduction for medicare coverage. $10,800 for a pair is mind-boggling. Who can afford that?

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2 hours ago, Clay Mosby said:

I went through the hearing dept at Kaiser. I got the Phonak Model Audeo M30-R rechargeables for about $1750/pair after a $700 deduction for medicare coverage. $10,800 for a pair is mind-boggling. Who can afford that?

 

We're going to shop around.   There is an office in Columbia that looks like it caries the Phonak brand. 

 

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Got Tennitis Sat while shooting a ASI match.Forgot to put ear plugs in.

You mite try Eargo's.The commertial sounds good.

                                                                                                  Largo

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1 minute ago, Warden Callaway said:

We talked a good bit with outfit that matkets Phonak.  A much better feeling and prices than Beltone.  We have an appointment Wednesday morning to do test.  He will program a set and let me try them for a week at no charge. 

good move

 

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On 1/25/2020 at 9:17 AM, 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.

 

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.

I got my first ones about three years ago and hated them.....and the next ones.....and the next ones.  Didn't make anything clearer, just louder.  Got new ones mid-January and they are rechargeable,  Smaller, less intrusive, much better except for one leeeetle bity issue:  the left one quit after about ten days and is in the shop as we speak.

 

Sure hope they get back soon because they really are a lot better.

 

The first ones were made by Oticon, this last pair are Phonak brand.

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On 1/25/2020 at 10:07 AM, Buffalo Creek Law Dog said:

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.

That's cool for people who have magic cell phones.  Mine was and old flip phone until last Tuesday when I got an iPhone 9 /9s

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A word of advice - don't tell family that yo have them for a while.

 

I had a great aunt who kept it secret for 6 months.  I asked her why she didn't tell them

and she said "Are you kidding - I've already had to change my will 3 times!".

 

SC

 

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On 1/25/2020 at 12:57 PM, Still hand Bill said:

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.   
 

 

Hurray VA!!!

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On 1/30/2020 at 4:22 AM, Clay Mosby said:

I'm starting to get used to them, though at times the "crackle-ly=ness' of sounds is a bit annoying.

There is one a bit distressing thing I've noticed. If I'm in an environment that has a lot of the high pitch crackle and hiss, I have to turn them down quickly or I find I get irritated very fast! Anyone ever notice this? Sure hope this passes.

Yes, I have and yes it will, at least for most folks.

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The first things I heard like to drove me nuts: the legs of my Levis swishing against each other as I walked, that damned annoying turn signal beeper, TV programs.  (I had no clue how much audio there is in the average TV program.  Best is my little dog trying to purr like my friend's cat.  That's the most peaceful relaxing sound I know of.

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My Phonaks are paired to my iPhone. Calls are so nice now. Just push a button on my right hearing aid and talk. leave phone in my pocket. Plus there is an app for the phone that allows you to adjust them for different situations like tv or restaurants, etc.

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16 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

Anyone "pairing" their hearing aids to Bluetooth devices like smartphones,  tablets or TV?   Is it worth doing? 

 

The Phonak models I plan to look at tomorrow should have that capability. 

YES!

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Well,  that's a half a day of my life wasted. 

 

Thought I was going to see an ENT doctor.  No.. just the first step of many.  We had six pages of paperwork already filled out.  My medical history back to my grandparents and aunts and uncles.  Get there and a half hour wait while they did whatever they do back behind the sliding glass window.  Finally,  some lady comes gets me and weighs me in and takes me back to a room and takes my blood pressure.  (Did surprisingly well considering I was mad as hell.)

 

A bit later a nurse practitioner comes in and checks all my vital sighs stoping short of a prostate exam. Then she proceeded to tell me that I needed to go to regional hospital out patient clinic and get blood drawn and submitted for testing. Once the results come back, I was to schedule another appointment with her to review the results.   Then she said I needed yet another hearing exam by audiologist.  I'd have to find one on my own as there were none with their outfit. Then come back again and schedule a mammogram (well, that's not right but same difference).  That's where I said to myself,  "B.S.!", and stopped listening.   I asked why we have to go through all this?  Obama Care was the excuse.

 

She was shoving me out the door when I asked her to explain it to Mary.  We brought Mary back and the nurse practitioner went over the same stuff.  Ok,  we're out of there.  Get to the truck and we have a very short discussion between us.  Hell no, we ain't going through all that B.S..  

 

We have an appointment on Friday to get the hearing aids. 

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