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For those who suffer from hearing loss and use aids, have you ever wished you’d started younger to hear things you might have been missing but didn’t know at the time?

 

I’m 55 with chronic tinnitus and high frequency loss. I know I miss some things, but don’t believe it’s sufficient to adversely affect my life and relationships yet. But then last Friday I had my VA evaluation and the audiologist said that I simply don’t know how much I’ve been missing. 
 

She also put forth the idea that it is best to start hearing aids younger rather than waiting. She said that hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear. When they stop working, the auditory nerve starts deteriorating due to lack of nerve signals. If you start hearing aids too late, the auditory nerve will be atrophied and not able to transmit signals produced by the hearing aids. 
 

As always, the Saloon’s thoughts are much appreciated. 

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I HAVE to use hearing aids.   I have a service connected hearing loss.  Without the aids, I basically 

hear nothing... period.   I can't even hear the water running when I'm in the shower.

 

The aids help immensely.   And although the aids help me here noises/sounds, etc..... I still

hear a high percentage of words garbled.  

 

They are relatively comfortable to wear and they can set them up to help with the frequencies 

you need the most help.

 

When I got mine a few years back, the sound of my own voice sounded strange.

 

..........Widder

 

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I got mine 2 1/2 yrs ago.  I can hear birds chirping that I hadn't heard for years,  The TV volume went from 15 down to 9, I can go walking and listen to those old radio shows through the hearing aids via my cell phone. The app is only approx $10. per year for thousands of radio shows.  Numerous westerns such as Gunsmoke with William Conrad as Matt Dillon and John Dehner as Paladin in H.G.W.T.  Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy with William Boyd and Andy Clyde and many many more. 

 

Before I got them, I found cutting grass (3 acres) on my lawn tractor was boring as Hell, but, with my over the ear, ear defenders I listen to them and it is clear as anything over the tractor noise and I now actually look forward to cutting the grass.  Costco is the best place to get them, excellent quality and after purchase service and, only about half the cost of anywhere else.

 

When you get them you will be spending a lot of time kicking your azz for not doing it sooner.

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I forgot to mention that with hearing aids you don't have to hold your cell phone up to your ear as the sound goes straight thru to your hearing aids and you can actually set the phone on your desk or table and talk without holding it, as long as it is within a foot or so from your mouth. 

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Yep, had no idea I had hearing loss. Around 94 in the spring with the window open my wife was saying how beautiful all the singing birds sounded. I said what birds. She asked if I couldn't hear them and of course I said no. Got the hearing test, and yep needed hearing aids real bad. Long story short when told that my loss had to come from some type of explosion I knew exactly when and a few other details. Called bad day at the office with an M-60 machine gun. I remember blowing my ears out, looking at the guy next to me who was barking something and all I saw was lips moving. Took a few hours before hearing again. When I was discharged the guy taking my hearing test told me that I had significant hearing loss. Thus became service connected along with the tinnitus. Went over 20 years after I got out of the Army.

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1 minute ago, Buffalo Creek Law Dog said:

I forgot to mention that with hearing aids you don't have to hold the phone up to your ear as the sound goes straight thru to your hearing aids and you can actually set the phone on your desk or table and talk without holding it, as long as it is within a foot or so from your mouth. 

 

I have a bluetooth contraption around my neck that ties in with my cell phone. The call goes directly to my hearing aids and wonderful that I can actually hear a phone call. the thing, com-pilot, is a speaker that hears my voice going to the phone. I just leave the phone in my pocket, answer on the com-pilot. It's also bluetooth to my TV allowing sound go directly to the hearing aids. Wonderful and free from VA.

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Been wearing hearing aids for six years.  Wish I had had them back in 1984 when  friend told me I was going deaf.

 

The first five years I had them (about four different kinds) they were a PITA, but the VA got me some just over a year ago that are tiny, very comfortable (so comfortable I often forget they are in and wake up in the middle of the night with one in my eye or nose or some other strange place), rechargeable, and nearly invisible.  They are made by Phonak and I recommend them highly.

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I'm on my second set. My loss was industrial,  helped get a pipe fitter up to a 150 PSI airline that broke. He had muffs, I didn't. My hearing was muffled for weeks after that. Eventually cleared up( so I thought). Have tinnitus and the missing Spectrum is in the range of my wife's voice( go figure). Shooting when younger with no protection and being in marching band with trombones and drum line behind me probably didn't help either. This set is rechargeable, no batteries! And is serviced free when the in ear part gets clogged and won't clear out with the brush/pick supplied. Have had at least three sets of those replaced since I got these. They shut down automatically if clogged. Mine are behind the ear, little tougher with glasses and a real pain when having to use masks.:blush:

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2 hours ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said:

For those who suffer from hearing loss and use aids, have you ever wished you’d started younger to hear things you might have been missing but didn’t know at the time?

 

I’m 55 with chronic tinnitus and high frequency loss. I know I miss some things, but don’t believe it’s sufficient to adversely affect my life and relationships yet. But then last Friday I had my VA evaluation and the audiologist said that I simply don’t know how much I’ve been missing. 
 

She also put forth the idea that it is best to start hearing aids younger rather than waiting. She said that hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear. When they stop working, the auditory nerve starts deteriorating due to lack of nerve signals. If you start hearing aids too late, the auditory nerve will be atrophied and not able to transmit signals produced by the hearing aids. 
 

As always, the Saloon’s thoughts are much appreciated. 

Having worked at one of the largest ear mold labs in the country, I have been told the same thing by the staff audiologists.   Sooner you get hearing aids if needed the better.  Hearing aids simply work by amplifying the sounds you can’t hear.   If you go too long without hearing those sounds the brain looses the ability to hear those sounds and you never get it back.   Unfortunately most wait far too long and it limits the effectiveness of hearing aids. 
 

she is correct the losses from noise exposure are caused by damage to the silia.   They look like little trees and exposure to loud noise, ie sound energy knocks them down like trees in a blow down.    Once broken off they don’t work anymore.   Luckily the cochlea is a spiral with small silia at the opening for high frequencies and larger ones deeper for low frequencies.  So what happens is the small ones get damaged and the large ones deeper survive. The brain can retune itself to get the high frequencies from the larger silia deeper in the ear, but they are not as sensitive.  Problem is that when you age the brain slowly looses function and it becomes hard to hear speech in a crowd or even hear high frequencies at all.    By early use of hearing aids you help keep the brain processing those high frequencies and it should help you hear better longer with aids. 

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In our game, I think gunshots have more to do with it.

While I don't have the ringing in my ears, I do have loss in the higher frequencies 

I know in my case, my time as an RO/instructor on a civilian indoor range, together with exposure at the military ranges has a lot to do with it.

 

Can't be old age, I'm sure. (I'm only 77 years young!)

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Gunshots have a lot to do with it.  Also there is a biological component.  People do not respond the same to sound pressure levels.  For one person a spl of 135db might cause a loss and for another a spl of 145 might not cause a loss.   What this means is when exposed to the same noise, some will loose hearing others won’t.    The best thing to do is to limit your noise exposure.   Save the hearing you have because it won’t grow back. 

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I've had them for a year and a half.  In balance,  they truly suck.  They raise the high end until all that comes through is crap I don't need or care to hear.  I can't hear Sawmill Mary any better for the noise that drowns her out.  She still gets frustrated with me and we avoid talking. 

 

Sometimes some sounds are truly painful - in a cafe filled with people,  dishes rattling,  women cackling,  kids being loud. I have to pull them out. 

 

They are programmable through an APP.  But right now, the APP won't connect to the aids so I can't make adjustments.  Even before when I could make adjustments,  the new settings wouldn't keep.  Next thing I realize is they are back to the settings programmed by the audiologist.  

 

Right now I'm hearing a static hiss in my right ear from the AC fan. 

 

I can stream sound from my tablet.   When it works the sound is great.  But they often don't link without some intervention.  Then sometimes it's skippes out.  

 

I never connected the phone function.  I never talk on the phone.  I never answer the phone. 

 

I have to do maintenance on them every so often or I find that I'm not hearing anything. 

 

Got to watch for ear infection.  

 

So $3,000 Bluetooth ear buds that don't work that well.

 

 

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It's far more important to prevent hearing loss than dealing with it later. Motorcycles, guns, rock music and industrial noise did their best to ruin my hearing and it's showing up years later, just like the audiologists said. I got mine tested at a steel shop after most of the damage was done. My upper range is not so hot and I have issues in crowded/noisy environments with or without hearing aids. I do have an expensive pair that does filter out some noise, but it is tough to discriminate individual sounds that are going off simultaneously.

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Had many of these same issues with my first set of aids.  Never could get the sound of voices where I could hear but was overwhelmed by other noises.  This current set is over the ear with the speakers in the ear.  Vast improvement.   The app on the phone has allowed me to modify the settings and come up with one that reduces noise buts increases voice.  Uses bluetooth to hook onto the phone for calls and the TV for sound.  They are Phonak from the VA.

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16 minutes ago, Redleg Reilly, SASS #46372 said:

Had many of these same issues with my first set of aids.  Never could get the sound of voices where I could hear but was overwhelmed by other noises.  This current set is over the ear with the speakers in the ear.  Vast improvement.   The app on the phone has allowed me to modify the settings and come up with one that reduces noise buts increases voice.  Uses bluetooth to hook onto the phone for calls and the TV for sound.  They are Phonak from the VA.

 

Mine are Phonak rechargeable.  P30 I think.

 

My settings on Samsung phone and tablet says the left and right aid are paired.   But the APP will only connect to the right one sometimes.   So I can't make custom adjustments.  

 

Additional problems not listed earlier.   Wind over say 5 mph is greatly amplified.   I have trouble telling where a voice is coming from.  

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6 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

I've had them for a year and a half.  In balance,  they truly suck.  They raise the high end until all that comes through is crap I don't need or care to hear.  I can't hear Sawmill Mary any better for the noise that drowns her out.  She still gets frustrated with me and we avoid talking. 

 

Sometimes some sounds are truly painful - in a cafe filled with people,  dishes rattling,  women cackling,  kids being loud. I have to pull them out. 

 

They are programmable through an APP.  But right now, the APP won't connect to the aids so I can't make adjustments.  Even before when I could make adjustments,  the new settings wouldn't keep.  Next thing I realize is they are back to the settings programmed by the audiologist.  

 

Right now I'm hearing a static hiss in my right ear from the AC fan. 

 

I can stream sound from my tablet.   When it works the sound is great.  But they often don't link without some intervention.  Then sometimes it's skippes out.  

 

I never connected the phone function.  I never talk on the phone.  I never answer the phone. 

 

I have to do maintenance on them every so often or I find that I'm not hearing anything. 

 

Got to watch for ear infection.  

 

So $3,000 Bluetooth ear buds that don't work that well.

 

 

 

$3000?  I paid $450 at Costco, mind you, Health care paid for most of the original price.

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If you’re hearing loss is anything like mine I think that you will be amazed at how much your missing and possibly misunderstanding, when we can’t hear our brains tend to fill in what we don’t hear with what we think fits . You’re also going to get allot of different opinions on tinnitus but I always felt they helped me with tinnitus. My Dr has told me you’re brain needs the stimulus. I’ve graduated to cochlear implants now and they seem to have the same effect 

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2 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

 

Mine are Phonak rechargeable.  P30 I think.

 

My settings on Samsung phone and tablet says the left and right aid are paired.   But the APP will only connect to the right one sometimes.   So I can't make custom adjustments.  

 

Additional problems not listed earlier.   Wind over say 5 mph is greatly amplified.   I have trouble telling where a voice is coming from.  

I never hooked mine up the cell phone because I truly HATE cell phones.  I can adjust the volume individually and the a lady at the VA adjust my frequency input.  I like them the way they are.

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Aside from "normal" hearing losses due to age, mine came from a LOT of bigbore rifle shooting I did while in the Air Force.  No, it had nothing to do with duty.  It was just that I had a lot of access to a range area off-base during my off-duty times.  Hearing protection?  Oh, yes. I had those Lee Sonic Ear Valves.  These were a blast valve thingy that was supposed to close when the sound wave hit them.  Problem was, they didn't work!  What about muffs? Only had the over-the-head type and it was too hot to wear with my cowboy hat.  Didn't find out until years later the damage being done to my left ear.  (Right-handed rifle shooter gets more blast in the left ear.  Right ear is behind the gun.)  About six years ago, I had a hearing test and was issued a pair of Phonak P312's.  The left aid transmits the signal to the right aid, which helps the right ear as well.  I have an appointment a week from today at the VA for a new pair.  The old pair will serve as a backup.  I was told by the audiologist to wear them 10 hours a day to stimulate the auditory nerves.  Well, I can't do that.  The dang things start to itch after four or five hours.  I only wear them if I need to be sure I'm hearing when people are talking, watching TV with my wife so she doesn't have to have the volume up to painful levels...for her.  Hope the new ones fit okay, as your ears change.  They took a new impression when the new ones were ordered.  I have custom-fitted plugs for shooting, and wear muffs and plugs on the firing line.  Only problem now is I have a temporary partial bridge on my upper right teeth, but need to have a busted tooth extracted behind it before I can get a permanent bridge.  Not sure I'd dare shoot my shotgun with the temporary installed.  Don't know if CAS matches are being held until later in the year anyway!  :(

Stay well and safe, Pards!

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I got mine a couple years ago at Costco.  I didn't opt for the blue tooth units as it required an additional visit.  I wanted one and done.  These have been good for me.  I don't adjust them much.  I have noticed that if there is a lot of background noise that I don't hear conversations well.  Overall, I'm glad I did it.

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2 minutes ago, Finagler 6853 Life said:

I got mine a couple years ago at Costco.  I didn't opt for the blue tooth units as it required an additional visit.  I wanted one and done.  These have been good for me.  I don't adjust them much.  I have noticed that if there is a lot of background noise that I don't hear conversations well.  Overall, I'm glad I did it.

The best way to deal with background noise is to mic the person you are talking to.   Some hearing aids have external mics that can be linked to the aids and given to the person you are speaking with.   Not an ideal solution, but it does work.  
the reason this is an issue is crowd noise is fairly uniform in volume and the way “we” filter it is by using our brains.  The brain can see who you are speaking with and by using visual cues can do a good job of filtering out what they are saying.  Unfortunately as we age the brains ability to do this diminishes and the ability to hear the high frequencies in speech which we use to determine which word was said, gets worse. 

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56 minutes ago, Still hand Bill said:

The brain can see who you are speaking with and by using visual cues can do a good job of filtering out what they are saying.

 

And the mask and plexiglas shields make it impossible for me to understand what they are saying.  All I hear is, "Muff,muff,muff,muff"..

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20 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

One of my friends said that hearing aid salesmen are sometimes very aggressive.

 

I got a deal for a free screening at Belltone.  Sawmill Mary pushed me into making an appointment.  Got tested.  Yeap, need aids bad.  $12,000.  NO! HELL NO!.  Have you anything cheaper?   Well, today only, $8,000 something.  No. Do you have anything cheaper? Sawmill Mary was mad and disappointed.  

 

Did some research and thought Phonak was a good choice.  Went over to the audiologist that handles that brand. Asked bluntly right off prices and models.  We went in his office and talked.  Basically $1-5,000. Ok. We proceed on. 

 

When I could program them, I would cut back the high end and raise the middle a little.  For the last couple of months,  that APP is not connecting so I'm stuck with default programming. 

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1 hour ago, Warden Callaway said:

 

I got a deal for a free screening at Belltone.  Sawmill Mary pushed me into making an appointment.  Got tested.  Yeap, need aids bad.  $12,000.  NO! HELL NO!.  Have you anything cheaper?   Well, today only, $8,000 something.  No. Do you have anything cheaper? Sawmill Mary was mad and disappointed.  

 

Did some research and thought Phonak was a good choice.  Went over to the audiologist that handles that brand. Asked bluntly right off prices and models.  We went in his office and talked.  Basically $1-5,000. Ok. We proceed on. 

 

When I could program them, I would cut back the high end and raise the middle a little.  For the last couple of months,  that APP is not connecting so I'm stuck with default programming. 

Can’t you go back and see the audiologist that fit you ? When I wore them Costco and later the audiologist at my Dr were both very helpful. Having them adjusted properly makes all the difference in the world 

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They make a big difference, what you half to look at is there are tons of different hearing aids out there, some have all the bells and whistles some are plain Jane, behind the ear, in the ear, hidden in the ear, the higher the price the more features you get, they have some where you can adjust the units to different listening scenarios, some hook up with your phone, or your tv. I have a basic pair that my govt insurance paid for, no bells and no whistles, but they do allow me to hear sounds that I was missing and speech that was garbled is clear, (my comments in meetings aren’t as off the wall now), I looked at Miracle Ear and they showed me the Gm Denali of hearing aids with the pricing that went with it, ended up going elsewhere and got a basic pair for what the govt would buy, 3 months later got an offer from Miracle Ear for the bells and whistles model for cheaper. Are they a pain? Sometimes yes, high winds, operating a boat, working on the water, some shop equip with high freq noises are painfull, but being able to hear my grand kids, the birds, the evening chorus of frogs makes it very much worth it.

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11 hours ago, Buckshot Bob said:

Can’t you go back and see the audiologist that fit you ? When I wore them Costco and later the audiologist at my Dr were both very helpful. Having them adjusted properly makes all the difference in the world 

 

Yes,  and I have.  After a couple of weeks,  I had him adjust the high end down some.  And he's replaced one that quit working.  I'm really over due for another test. But shortly after getting the aids, this planed-demic hit.  Columbia, being a liberal city pretty much shut down. Only now coming out of restrictions.    I've met him on the parking lot a couple of times for service.   Not long ago he mailed me more wax filters.   Several times when I've had problems,  we have exchanged text messages to help me get going again. 

 

One reason I bought through him is that I have 4 years of warranty and his services.  

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One of the major problems with the hearing healthcare industry is how they get paid.  Traditionally the audiologist makes money from selling hearing aids. Since it’s a one time or only once in a while purchase, they are not incentivized to provide good service.   So they tend to just put a user into what takes the least effort and don’t do a lot of tweaking of the gains to make them perfect.  Some are so lazy that they don’t even really spend any time programming the units.   Hearing aids cost a lot and have a good margin as that’s where the audiologist makes money.   The little speakers in them are quite expensive and only a few companies in the world make them.  Last time I was in the industry it was only 3 companies and there were only 2 big players.  
 

now Costco has upset that model as they offer hearing aids at a lot cheaper price.  Good for the consumer.  Not so great for audiologists.  Hopefully it will slowly change the industry to provide better service to keep customers.  There is room for audiologists to provide better service to keep customers.    There are lots of different options for ear molds and unfortunately now they are pushing RIC’s with silicone tips as they can send a patient home that day without a wait.   Might not be the best fit for some ear shapes or losses. 

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Fortunate to have mine through V.A. Get new ones every 5 years and no charge to me. Love the hook up through the cell phone to the hearing aids. Have lots of music on the phone and on trips listen to music the entire trip. If phone rings it overrides the music. When conversation over music continues right where it left off. The system is also hooked up with the TV, so now I can hear every word in the conversation on the tube. Whole nother world for me to hear again.

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Other than the mask bit, the only other problem I have about mine is during hot weather I sweat profusely from my head( thanks Dad). It gets to a point that it runs down the speaker wires into my ears. Bugs the crap out of me. So, at some point during hot spells they stay in the charger and I go Au naturel so to speak.:rolleyes::blink::lol::blush:

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