Well, I finally took the plunge and went to get a hearing aid. It is not covered by insurance over here. The exams, mold of the ears, etc. took 3 hours. I know more now about hearing aids that I ever wanted to know. I have enough hearing loss to warrant getting hearing aid(s). Whether I want to have one or both is up to me. They will make both and I am to pick them up on the 22nd and use them for 3 days at home, watching TV, talking to my wife, etc. Then they will call and see how I am getting along with them (or it). If there are no problems, I will need to pay by the 28th. Nothing down, no good faith, nothing. If I decide to buy both they will come to US$2622. If I decide on only one, it will be US$1448. Guaranteed for 2 years under normal use. Free consultation, etc. at any time at the shop. (They have been in business for a long time). The battery is expected to live for 10 days with 8 hours of use a day. Replacement battery - a package of 6 - costs US$10.00 I chose the "in the canal" type which do not show very much but are still easy to remove and put in. It seems pretty fair to me and I went ahead and ordered. They are Rionet hearing aids made in Japan. I could have ordered Simmons made in Germany, but a little too rich for my pocket book. LOL
I wasn't sure if I did not hear what people were saying or if I did not understand their accent; vocabulary, etc. But, when I was watching a program in English on Cable TV and could not catch what was being said, I figured it was time for some action. Looking forward to using them.
I doubt if anyone on the board has much experience with these (you are all a bunch of young whippersnappers) but if you do have any knowledge on use or care I would like to hear it.
Whippersnappers! Haven't heard that expression in
a long, long time!
Sorry, I don't have personal experience with hearing
aids - I have what's called Grandma ears - I hear lots
of things my great grandkids wouldn't expect me to!
All I know is hearing aids are very expensive and not covered by insurance. Although in the US if you work and have an HSA you can use that pre tax money to buy them. My father had EMI (electromagnetic interference) when using his cell phone wearing his hearing aids, the first pair he had.
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Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
It's like going from hearing a three piece band to a full Symphony Orchestra.
Once adjusted properly, you'll love them.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
G has hearing aids. He's had them for about 2 years. He loves them. He hears sounds that he's forgotten about. He had forgotten the sound of tires on a wet street. He didn't remember hearing the air come out of the vents. The first afternoon that he got them, we were sitting outside and he was freaking out. He said it sounded like Wild Kingdom. He heard the squirrels in the trees and the leaves rustling.
And he can turn them down (or take them out) when my sister visits. LOL!
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America guarantees equal opportunity, not equal outcome...
I will let you know how I like them once I get them. Sounds like I made the right decision (no pun intended). I am really looking forward to trying them out.
G has hearing aids. He's had them for about 2 years. He loves them. He hears sounds that he's forgotten about. He had forgotten the sound of tires on a wet street. He didn't remember hearing the air come out of the vents. The first afternoon that he got them, we were sitting outside and he was freaking out. He said it sounded like Wild Kingdom. He heard the squirrels in the trees and the leaves rustling. And he can turn them down (or take them out) when my sister visits. LOL!
This was me! I lost most of my hearing at 37 because of an autoimmune disease. It took about five months of hearing loss before doctors figured out what the problem was. After getting on the correct medication, I was feeling lots better, but my hearing did not return as hoped. So I got a hearing aid in my worst ear "to try." I could hear enough in the other ear to hear on the phone if the volume was loud so I thought I'd just try the one hearing aid. Ten years later, I still have the one hearing aid!!!
I went last month to a local hearing aid guy and spent $5500 on two hearing aids but ended up returning them. They just didn't work for me and I couldn't hear a thing. The guy acted like I was stupid because he KNEW I could hear. He thought I was having buyer's remorse due to the cost. I told him it could cost $10,000 as long as I could hear but I wasn't paying $5500 for something that I can't use. He also thought it was ridiculous that I only have one hearing aid rather than two. I could not convince him that IT WORKED FOR ME!!!! I'll be returning to my original hearing aid guy soon. I found him online and he's only about an hour away. He got it right the first time so I'm going back to him!
Honestly, I love being able to "turn off" loud noises. When I'm trying to sleep or concentrate on something turning off the sound can be a blessing. DH hears for me at night and if he's ever not home at night, I leave my hearing aid in in case the fire alarm goes off or the phone rings. I sleep like the dead once I turn off the sound.
I wish insurances would be required to cover hearing aids but I don't expect that to ever happen. It makes me sad because I wonder how many people can't hear because they can't afford hearing aids. My hearing was just GONE one day and it was a hard adjustment and I felt isolated from others. That hearing aid saved me.
I would think that insurance should cover a case like yours, Scooby. A disease that took away your hearing. Maybe that will happen one day. But for most people a hearing aid is just a cost of getting old(er) and kind of natural so I would not expect insurance ever to cover mine. But if a Doctor prescribed it.....
Anyway thank you for your experience; glad to read it.
My sister said she purchases her hearing aid at walmart. I am thinking "walmart? really? they sell those there?"
Yes.
Walmart has all sorts of specialty departments.
Ours even has a clinic now.
About the only thing you can't do at Walmart is have your pet groomed.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Got the hearing aids and wore them for 4 days. Decided to keep only the one for the right ear as wearing both of them gave me a headache... The people at the shop were not surprised to hear that; it seems it is rather common.
The aid helps with my hearing so I guess it was worth it. Not as dramatic as I thought it would be, but then my hearing wasn't so terribly bad, I guess, according to the hearing aid people. All in all, I am glad I went for it. Still getting used to putting it in correctly but I do not notice it is in after half an hour or so; get used to it, I suppose.
