Has your hearing aid made much of a difference?

Joe222

Hey all,
I have mild-moderate hearing loss in both ears. I also suffer from tinnitus.
I'm going to have to get a hearing aid in the near future as my hearing is still declining and is showing no signs of slowing in its decline.
I'm wondering if people can give me info on what difference their aid made.
e.g. listening to the telly, in a crowded room, with background noise, being in a bar.
I'm aware that wearing them can be challenging, especially initially.

Thanks for replies

looksee

I would say they are exactly the same as glasses. They take a while to get used to (a good bit longer than glasses in fact). They have limitations - glasses get rained on, steamed up, you can see them if you think of it. In the same way the hearing aid has to be kept clean, the battery dies (and your woman's voice makes me jump every time).

BUT if you need glasses you wear them and the difference is worth it, just the same with a hearing aid. If your hearing is bad then a hearing aid brings the world back to life. (Also if my husband has a very annoying tv show on, I can switch off the aid and have blessed quiet while I read )

The aids have settings that will cope with different circumstances, though I find I just wear mine on the same setting now.

Lardy

I didn't know myself at all once I got mine! My quality of life improved 10fold. But as Looksee said, they do take some getting used to, and you do have to maintain them properly. You will have to make several visits to your Audiologist over the course of about 6 months to get them tweaked to how you need them to be. It is a slow process, but so worth it in the long run. I had to have a second set of moulds made because the first ones where not vented, and made my ears very wet. Now that i have the new moulds, i hardly even remember that i have them in. My hearing aids are also set to automatic, so i never have to touch them through out the day. It takes time, but the day will come when you don't even think about them and they become second nature.

Joe222

Thanks for replies.
I'd be hoping to get the moulded in the canal ones (ITC). Did you find them strange at first, as in were they like plugs in your ears. Or are the vented ones different? I know there are different types.
Thanks

looksee

Mine has a custom made end that fits in my ear - made from a mould taken from my ear. It has a vent which is very tiny and has to be kept clean. A fine tube leads up to the unit which sits over the top of the ear. Once you are used to it it is totally unnoticeable.

One person I know with long hair lost one possibly because it got caught in her hair. I was gardening and realised that I was in danger of twigs catching it as I rooted at the bottom of a bush.

A thick, close fitting hat can cause feedback - this is the single most irritating aspect of wearing a hearing aid I find. I had a blank program left so that I could switch it off rather than remove it if I am, say, walking on the beach and need warm head covering.

jamesjustjames

I got in-the-canal hearing aids 3 years ago when my hearing loss was mild/ moderate. It took several visits to the audiologist to try to fine-tune the volume and frequency adjustment.

I got them mainly because I was having a lot of trouble in work, with meetings etc. My experience was mixed. They have helped in 0ne-to-one conversations and at meetings where there is little background noise.

Where there is background noise, or the meetings are in rooms with no soft furnishings, they are of very limited use. I also find them of no benefit in watching TV.

My hearing has deteriorated a bit recently (my better ear has gone from mild to moderate loss) and I have had the hearing aid adjusted. Even in quiet rooms, I need them unless the other person speaks clearly and at reasonable volume.

In short, they have helped in limited circumstances, but they have not been a transforming force for me

Joe222

Thanks for replying James.
That's interesting info. I'm finding the TV v hard at the moment. The news is fine as it's v clear. However, when it goes into tv reports or interviews I'm struggling. I'm surprised that you're finding no benefit with the TV as I thought this would be something that would be helped. I find it v hard to hear anything now if there is background noise. Even an electric kettle boiling will prevent me from hearing properly.
Given how expensive aids are, I would be hoping for a lot better than that. I was hoping to basically have my hearing back with the odd difficultly here and there. I was also hoping that I would be able to hear properly in pub conversation again.
Any other info lads and ladies??

the_syco

Have had hearing aids since I was a child (hereditary hearing loss) in both ears. When I switched from analogue to digital hearing aids, the change was nice. There are settings that you can have, mine are
1) normal
2) normal + T-switch
3) T-switch
4) all sound

I usually just have it on "4) all sound" as "1) normal" tends to block too much sound. I find the digital ones to be very clear compared to the analogue ones. The make which I use is "Widex".

/edit
Like glasses, some people find them helpful, some don't.

looksee

Electric kettles seem to make an amazing amount of noise, and it deadens everything else out. I think a lot of this is relative. I still have some difficulty hearing in some circumstances, but on balance the improvement is huge and I wouldn't want to be without it.

Just my own understanding, but I would not be too definite about whether you want the 'in the ear' or the external aids. Take advice on it as I understand that your hearing loss dictates which you should have, you will get more improvement from external aids in some cases.

jamesjustjames

Joe
Don't let me put you off- you might find that they help you more than they do me.
The main problem for me is
- they pick up all background noise and
- sound which comes from a TV, radio or phone seems fuzzy.

They have helped me, but in limited circumstances

the_syco

jamesjustjames wrote: »

- they pick up all background noise

First off; ask your hearing aid specialist (where you got them, usually) to add the option to get rid of background noise. Although i rarely use the option, it is there and is sometimes useful for when talking in the pub with someone close to you.

jamesjustjames wrote: »

- sound which comes from a TV, radio or phone seems fuzzy.

I'd get this looked into. I vaguely remember this happening once to me, and I think it was to do with interference. What did the hearing aid specialist say about this, as it seems like it could be a wrong setting? Also, what happens when you try to listen to the TV with the T switch? I ask as my right hand hearing aid picks up the TV sound very clearly (although a bit louder than normal).

jamesjustjames

the_syco wrote: »

First off; ask your hearing aid specialist (where you got them, usually) to add the option to get rid of background noise. Although i rarely use the option, it is there and is sometimes useful for when talking in the pub with someone close to you.


I'd get this looked into. I vaguely remember this happening once to me, and I think it was to do with interference. What did the hearing aid specialist say about this, as it seems like it could be a wrong setting? Also, what happens when you try to listen to the TV with the T switch? I ask as my right hand hearing aid picks up the TV sound very clearly (although a bit louder than normal).

thanks.

I don't have a T switch- I was not really familiar with what was on offer when I got them. The ones which I bought were expensive enough and are supposed to screen out background noise.

I will be going to get them re-tuned in a couple of weeks, so I will be asking a few questions

Joe222

Did someone on here say they were teaching?
If so how do you find them in the class? Can you pick up the soft low voices at the back of the class?

looksee

Yes, I am teaching. Its difficult to say as some students speak so quietly (in class ) that you would be hard pressed to hear them even with perfect hearing. I do quite often find myself walking towards people who are talking to me, in order to hear what they are saying, even with the hearing aid. The only thing I can say is that, with it I can hear most of what is being said, without it I would hear very little.

snowman707

I am using mine about 4.5 months and still going through the tuning procress,

have had problems with irritation with one ear which needed a visit to my gp different domes seems to fit better but are not as efficient hearing wise

They have made some difference but not as much as I would have liked.. background noise and shops with radio/music playing are still sometimes difficult as is the tv for films and soaps etc, there is always one character I find difficult to decipher

to get the tuning exactly right is like balancing a ball on the point of an needle, I found peaking one setting often undone a different mode

looksee

Stay with it, its not just your aid, you are also training your brain. It will come right in the end.

uisce33

Very conflicting opinions here,I'm one step away from getting them.ideally I need two but I can only afford one as they were priced the other side of €1700 each for the cheaper ones.i did try on a set (more pricey ones)the day I had my hearing test done and was amazed and emotional to hear just how much I was missing and I'm now wondering was that because of the quite room I was in,I can honestly say I heard a Tap running,a sheet of paper being flexed and even the noise of the pen the tester was writing with,to me this is no less than what I'd expect for this high cost,now my fear is will me being able to only afford one be brutal.

the_syco

uisce33 wrote: »

ideally I need two but I can only afford one as they were priced the other side of €1700 each for the cheaper ones.

Mind saying what shop you're buying it from?

Also, ensure you're getting the grant, and know how to claim your tax back as well.

uisce33

the_syco wrote: »

Mind saying what shop you're buying it from?

Also, ensure you're getting the grant, and know how to claim your tax back as well.

I am getting the grant it's €500 per aid and it's hidden hearing that gave me that price the original aids I tested were €2100 each

the_syco

uisce33 wrote: »

I am getting the grant it's €500 per aid and it's hidden hearing that gave me that price the original aids I tested were €2100 each

Hidden Hearing aren't meant to be too bad. Are you getting ITE, RITE, or BTE? Have an ITE myself. T'was expensive as I needed an aid that had more than the standard four channels, due to a dip in the chart, but there was a sale on at the time in Bonovox (new store had opened somewhere, I think).

If you listen to music much, ensure you get a program that doesn't automatically adjust the music to the same level; was annoying until I found out it was the issue, and was able to get Bonovox to add the program. Hidden Hearing should be able to do the same.

Also, ensure you can get the "T" switch. They are invaluable in busy places such as train-stations, etc, and also some cinemas have a loop system in place to allow you to hear the sound better.

Finally, when you say "cheapest" do you mean that's the cheapest Hidden Hearing does, or the cheapest aid that will correct your hearing? Bonovox do sell cheaper aids, but they may not be available to you if your hearing is very bad, and/or you need more channels in the hearing aid due to you being unable to hear certain frequencies.

Best of luck

joanmul

If you haven't committed to Hidden Hearing maybe you should try Specsavers. A friend of mine and my sister both got theirs, 2 each, for a significantly less amount than HH were charging and are both delighted with them.

the_syco

joanmul wrote: »

If you haven't committed to Hidden Hearing maybe you should try Specsavers. A friend of mine and my sister both got theirs, 2 each, for a significantly less amount than HH were charging and are both delighted with them.

Haven't heard anything good about SpecSavers hearing aids, tbh.

uisce33

I'm not committed to hh yet I'm looking into all options simply because for me the price is so very high that said I don't think I will go the speck savers route simply because I'd rather go with a company who deal entirely with hearing like bonavox or deafhear.i have had hearing loss since early teenage years and I have been to four different hearing "experts" including the hospital and the worrying thing is all four groups gave me a different result/diagnosis. Now how worrying is that so much for a second opinion.confused don't even come close.