Don't ever go deaf

[spasmo]

I had no idea that hearing aids were not covered by insurances. Sigh. I have nerve damage that I've had since I was a very young (or so I am told is what I have). I have just lived with it but it gets harder and harder when someone gets mad at me for asking them to repeat themselves.

Scutter has a lower voice and those are the ones I tend to have trouble hearing.

I've just been too vain to get a hearing aid. I know I need one but now at those prices, I really don't want one.. but a bluetooth would be pretty cool..

Do people tend to get more ear infections with hearing aids?

 

[Jay]

hornadylnl,

It might save you some money to check with the VA. Unless you wore ear plugs every time you pulled a trigger, you'll most likely get the hearing aids. If you're set on the bluetooth, the VA probably won't supply those........

Might be worth a phone call....

Best of luck with 'em

 

[hornadylnl]

I've never had an ear infection from my hearing aids. As far as vanity, these things are fashion statementes now. Here are the colors available for the one type I may be getting. Phonak Hearing Systems - Exélia Art - Styles - Exélia Art P
I've never been bothered about my hearing aids from a vanity stand point. The frustration from not being able to hear things is worse than worrying about how I look with them. I see more and more people with them all the time. My hearing is bad enough that I'm right on the edge of whether I can still use in the ear aids. If it gets worse, the in the ear type won't be powerful enough. The type i have now are the largest in the ear kind you can get so they are really noticeable.

While in public, especially when I'm listening to a speaker at church, conducting business, etc., I definitely wear them now. When I don't, I tell the other person that I don't hear very well. They'll speak up for the next few sentences or so and go right back to a normal tone. If I'm trying to listen to a speaker at church or wherever and there is a bunch of competing noise, I usually just turn my aids off and tune out. It gets really frustrating trying to hear someone over all the other noise. If people are rustling papers or whatever, I hear that over the speaker. I'm really hoping these new ones will help to cancel out that noise.

Spas, try looking for a hearing aid clinic around you. A lot of them will do free tests for you. A hearing test for real hearing loss is much more involved than putting on a set of headphones and listening for the beeps. They will do that but also put a thing on your skull and listen for the beeps again. That will tell you whether you have inner ear (nerve) loss or middle ear (the 3 little bones that hook to your ear drum and cochlea) loss. They most likely will also put head phones on you and have you repeat the words they tell you while looking at them and without being able to see them. They do this to see how much you are reading lips to compensate for hearing loss. I say screw the vanity of it.

I think that blue tooth may come in really handy. You know, like going to your kids elementary music program. Hook up your ipod and block it out.

 

[theweakerbrother]

I've never had an ear infection from my hearing aids. As far as vanity, these things are fashion statementes now. Here are the colors available for the one type I may be getting. Phonak Hearing Systems - Exélia Art - Styles - Exélia Art P.

I see that you will be going with the light pink?

 

[hornadylnl]

hornadylnl,

It might save you some money to check with the VA. Unless you wore ear plugs every time you pulled a trigger, you'll most likely get the hearing aids. If you're set on the bluetooth, the VA probably won't supply those........

Might be worth a phone call....

Best of luck with 'em

VA can blow it as far as I'm concerned. I hurt my back while in and my conveniently my medical records were lost shortly before I got out. I filed a claim with VA when I got out. I spent over 2 years waiting for the gubiment to try to "regenerate" my records. I finally sent a letter to Buyer, Lugar, and Bush demanding a decision on my claim. Within a couple weeks, I had a denial.

I hated taking the first set from the government but couldn't dole out the cash at the time. I was able to get them because I work in a factory but was going to take classes for a promotion. They changed the rules right before I got mine that if your job requires you to wear hearing protection, they won't buy them for you. They had to make a special exception for me as I was going to sit in class for 24 hours a week for 3 months. I'm in a situation where I can pay for these now. I hate paying $7k for something that most people take for granted but there are thousands of people out there spending their hard earned money for illnesses, etc that they have no control over.

 

[hornadylnl]

I see that you will be going with the light pink?

Actually cinnamon and taupe. Wth is taupe anyway? That was the color the 2 ladies recommended for me for my hair color, etc. Besides, the wimmenz know all about fashion and who am I to argue?

 

[Turtle]

My dad is deaf. He uses a chocular implant to hear. Its around 70,000$. And envolved a micro chip being implanted in his brain. Whats your hearing worth to you?

 

[jennybird]

...especially since Spasmo needs the TV on to fall asleep.

Me too! Jakal hates it.

He uses a chocolate implant...

Fixed it for you... and I want one! Seriously though. An implant in his brain? Wow.

 

[spasmo]

We went to the Marion County Fair on Friday after driving back from Seymour. There was a teenage girl there wearing one. I don't see them very often but just thought it was interesting to have seen it this past weekend and then to hear about it again so soon. I'm sure they are more common than I think. I probably just don't notice it. I think I only noticed it on the girl because it was a group of kids so I was paying attention to the surrounding area.

I would love to hear better than I do now. I've had this hearing loss since I was a little kid who decided to put beads (not beans) in my ear.

 

[Indybeer]

After 30+ years around aircraft engines, my hearing is shot....I should look into getting something, but I kinda like it....It's easy to tune out what I don't want to hear

 

[Benny]

I had no idea that hearing aids were not covered by insurances. Sigh. I have nerve damage that I've had since I was a very young (or so I am told is what I have). I have just lived with it but it gets harder and harder when someone gets mad at me for asking them to repeat themselves.

Scutter has a lower voice and those are the ones I tend to have trouble hearing.

I've just been too vain to get a hearing aid. I know I need one but now at those prices, I really don't want one.. but a bluetooth would be pretty cool..

Do people tend to get more ear infections with hearing aids?

If you used it in a public place, you'd just end up looking like a crazy person that talks to themselves.

 

[slacker]

The first time I ever shot a mosin I did not have hearing protection. I was pretty sure I would never hear again after that....

But lucky I can still hear reasonably well today (at 23 years old). After that I started always keeing muffs and plugs in my jeep.

 

[Soundslikejosh]

<snip>

Do people tend to get more ear infections with hearing aids?

Not necessarily. If you never had ear infections before (except as a child), you shouldn't have problems with hearing aids. If you are an adult that has recurring, chronic ear infection, then the style of hearing aid you wear is a more important decision. Most of these problems can be solved with a good audiologist and some ingenuity.

hornadylnl,

It might save you some money to check with the VA. Unless you wore ear plugs every time you pulled a trigger, you'll most likely get the hearing aids. If you're set on the bluetooth, the VA probably won't supply those........

Might be worth a phone call....

Best of luck with 'em

Each VA facility works differently. The VA in Pennsylvania deals with almost exclusively top-of-the-line hearing aids. Others will have mid-level technology that may or may not have bluetooth solutions.

<snip>

Spas, try looking for a hearing aid clinic around you. A lot of them will do free tests for you. A hearing test for real hearing loss is much more involved than putting on a set of headphones and listening for the beeps. They will do that but also put a thing on your skull and listen for the beeps again. That will tell you whether you have inner ear (nerve) loss or middle ear (the 3 little bones that hook to your ear drum and cochlea) loss. They most likely will also put head phones on you and have you repeat the words they tell you while looking at them and without being able to see them. They do this to see how much you are reading lips to compensate for hearing loss. I say screw the vanity of it.

Many hearing aid dealerships offer free hearing tests because they are not certified audiologists and consequently are not able to bill for the tests. People think they are getting a great deal when in fact the person is less educated, and in some cases less qualified to do the job. I don't mean to sound negative, many hearing aid dealers are great at their job, but there are some that aren't. Formal education isn't the only way to know something. Having said that, would you want your brain surgeon to be board certified? What about your hearing doctor? Just be aware that in this case, free isn't all it is cracked up to be. Typically dealers have much higher prices than audiologists because they offer all those "free" tests that they cannot get paid for, so they build it into the cost of the hearing aid. Also, they cannot perform more advanced hearing and balance tests which pay a high rate.

I agree that a thorough test should include word testing, and also testing with background noise (since that is much more realistic for our everyday lives).

Best of luck to you.

 

[tmfinney]

I'm covered. I know sign language