Hearing aid

[Dave McReynolds]

I was tested about five years ago for a hearing aid by my ear doctor's audiologist. My ear doctor said I wasn't a good candidate for a hearing aid because the mid-frequency ranges I can still hear were still pretty good, but my high frequency range was shot, and couldn't be helped by a hearing aid. He let me sample one, and sure enough, I couldn't hear much improvement when it was in my ear. He said that later on if the mid-ranges began to fail, maybe a hearing aid would do me some good then.

 

I was recently tested again by a VA audiologist, who essentially said the same thing. BUT, she said that while I can never hear high frequencies, a hearing aid can hear them, and the newer hearing aids can transmit the sounds into my ear at lower frequencies that I can hear. I just got fitted for a hearing aid by the VA this morning and WOW, what a difference! I am reminded of when I was in the 6th grade and first wore glasses, and was amazed that the world could be so clear! This hearing aid is great! I'm hearing all kinds of things I didn't know were going on around me.

 

Just a note to any who may have received the same message I got from my ear doctor 5 years ago: there are now better things out there!

[markgoodrich]

Brand and model, please!!!!!

[yabadabapal]

Glad you have had such an improvement Dave. Curious as to how music sounds to you now with the hearing aid.

[Dave McReynolds]

The hearing aid is a Phonak Exelia Art M wireless VZ BTE.

 

Music sounds better than it did before. I'm sure that if you could hear music the way I hear it, with or without a hearing aid, you wouldn't be impressed. However, all things are relative, and any improvement is appreciated. What I'm hearing is a broader frequency range of the sounds being played, compressed down into the limited range I can hear. Which is better than only hearing part of the sounds being played. The volume turned 2 clicks down on my FM radio sounds about as loud as it does without the hearing aid with the volume turned 2 clicks up, but I'm also hearing a broader spectrum of the sound than I did before.

 

The biggest improvement, however, is in understanding what women like my wife are saying, who speak in soft, high-pitched voices. It is so nice to be able to understand my wife the first time she says something, rather than after her repeating it four times (another question is why, after all these years, she can't say it loud enough the first time, since she eventually has to say it loud enough if she wants me to hear it, but hopefully that has become a moot point now).

[Lets_Play_Two]

 

The biggest improvement, however, is in understanding what women like my wife are saying, who speak in soft, high-pitched voices.

 

You just killed one of man's best excuses!!!

[yabadabapal]

The hearing aid is a Phonak Exelia Art M wireless VZ BTE.

 

The biggest improvement, however, is in understanding what women like my wife are saying, who speak in soft, high-pitched voices. It is so nice to be able to understand my wife the first time she says something, rather than after her repeating it four times (another question is why, after all these years, she can't say it loud enough the first time, since she eventually has to say it loud enough if she wants me to hear it, but hopefully that has become a moot point now).

 

My friend is married and he has perfect hearing and he still doesn't understand what his wife is saying.

[Pilgrim]

Amen, Dave!

 

I got a set of Phonaks about 18 months ago that do what you describe (I forget the model.) As you say, it reopened the world.

 

One of the recognized syndromes associated with hearing loss is desocialization and I was deep into it when I got mine. One becomes tired of being embarrassed over not hearing and mis-hearing; the easy answer is to withdraw from social contacts whenever possible. People notice, especially those who don't understand hearing loss and its implication, and especially those who don't know you well and many of them draw unfortunate conclusions about your motives. Many just quit talking to you, period; the repetitions required to carry on a conversation are not worth the effort.

 

Those of us who have become accustomed over the years to being hard of hearing (it was over 25 for me) must learn to listen once more, and it's harder to do than you might think. Unconsciously, we quit listening because we didn't expect to hear anything. It's a mental process, not a physical one: "listening" as opposed to "hearing." For quite a while after I got my hearing aids I could hear Sherrie just fine once she got my attention, but getting it required loud words, like "HEY, YOU!" from the kitchen to the living room.

 

You (as a new user) should understand this, too: if you crank the volume up high, for instance, to overcome background noise, the hearing aid itself can be loud enough to be fatiguing, or at least that's my read on what I've noticed.

 

Congratulations on having had a door re-opened for you. Enjoy!

 

Pilgrim

 

Deaf Guy Joke: You know where you get hearing aids?

 

 

 

From unprotected telephone sex!

 

 

[Dave McReynolds]

Those of us who have become accustomed over the years to being hard of hearing (it was over 25 for me) must learn to listen once more, and it's harder to do than you might think. Unconsciously, we quit listening because we didn't expect to hear anything. It's a mental process, not a physical one: "listening" as opposed to "hearing." For quite a while after I got my hearing aids I could hear Sherrie just fine once she got my attention, but getting it required loud words, like "HEY, YOU!" from the kitchen to the living room.

 

 

Yes, I got the first taste of that yesterday at the office. My bookkeeper had gotten into the habit over the years of mainly keeping the conversation to business things that were important enough to pronounce clearly and loudly. When she saw how enthusiastic I was about the hearing aids, it must have triggered a need to pour forth with the last 2-3 years of chit-chat that I've missed out on. After several hours of this off and on, in and around business, I was getting tired of hearing it. It's easy enough at work to say that we have to get back to work now.

 

However, I recognize the need of many people (notice I didn't say "women") to fill any empty time with conversation, so particularly at home, I will have to learn to be more attentive rather than just drifting around with my thoughts as I have become accustomed to do.

[elkroeger]

Aw jeez, I was trying to hang on to my youth by riding a motorcycle, now we're learning about hearing aids! I guess I should just accept it.

 

Come to think of it, I have been admiring my neighbor's Lincoln Continental...

 

So I have a question - my old man has a pair, and they squeak like the devil. It's a high pitched feedback type noise. I've never heard anyone else's do that. what's going on? He swears that there's nothing wrong, but then he's always been difficult.

[markgoodrich]

Aw jeez, I was trying to hang on to my youth by riding a motorcycle, now we're learning about hearing aids! I guess I should just accept it.

 

Come to think of it, I have been admiring my neighbor's Lincoln Continental...

 

So I have a question - my old man has a pair, and they squeak like the devil. It's a high pitched feedback type noise. I've never heard anyone else's do that. what's going on? He swears that there's nothing wrong, but then he's always been difficult.

 

My mother-in-law's aids do that all the time. It's a signal, on hers, that she needs to change the batteries.

[Pilgrim]

 

Come to think of it, I have been admiring my neighbor's Lincoln Continental...

 

So I have a question - my old man has a pair, and they squeak like the devil. It's a high pitched feedback type noise. I've never heard anyone else's do that. what's going on? He swears that there's nothing wrong, but then he's always been difficult.

 

Lincolns for older folks... which brings up a real demographic issue - Buicks. Buick acknowledges that its buyers are the over-55 crowd. True, and they are being optimistic; it's mostly the over 65-crowd. I hadn't realized how true that is until I started paying attention and discovered that it is hard to find a Buick driven by anyone without gray hair. The exceptions typically are driving an older model from Honest Harolds Used Cars.

 

It was a worrisome thing when I began thinking that many of their models actually look pretty good. And that Lucerne looks better to me than any BMW.

 

As to the squealing hearing aids - don't worry about it; he can't hear it. I can't either.

 

Really, it is feedback that typically occurs when one or both are placed in a confined space (a hand closed around it will do) that routes sound from the speaker back to the mic. The behind-the-ear types, with their little hose that lets the earpiece move around when they are out of the ear are particularly prone to it.

 

I suppose it could be a battery signal, too, but mine signals with intermittent chirps. Early on, I walked around the house looking for the robin that apparently had gained entry. Then they went dead and I quit hearing it.

 

Pilgrim

[yabadabapal]

Do you guys think that riding a motorcycle over a given length of time causes hearing loss to some degree. If we took a certain number of people who ride and an equal number who dont ride, over a 10 year period, would we see a higher percentage of hearing loss for riders compared to non riders. Just curious.

 

[elkroeger]

Do you guys think that riding a motorcycle over a given length of time causes hearing loss to some degree. If we took a certain number of people who ride and an equal number who dont ride, over a 10 year period, would we see a higher percentage of hearing loss for riders compared to non riders. Just curious.

 

HUH? Speak up! :-)

 

You'd better believe it. I've tested my own bike at 4K rpm, just sitting on the centerstand, and it was up around 90dbs. Add some wind noise and it's all over. (The sound meter was held up around where my head is when riding...)

 

http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/loudness.html

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Do you guys think that riding a motorcycle over a given length of time causes hearing loss to some degree. If we took a certain number of people who ride and an equal number who dont ride, over a 10 year period, would we see a higher percentage of hearing loss for riders compared to non riders. Just curious.

 

I think riding a motorcycle without hearing protection over the long term is pretty much guaranteed to cause hearing loss.

 

I think proper hearing protection can eliminate (completely or almost completely) hearing loss related to noise exposure.

 

I've ridden 145,000 miles in the past 11 years. I wear earplugs when I ride, when I mow the lawn, when I use power tools, and sometimes just if I'm gonna do a lot of hammering on something.

 

Every year at work I get a hearing test. So far I still have perfect hearing.

[philbytx]

Well,

Being a child of the 60's and all, I'm suffering the consequences !

All those years of wearing a "pi@@pot" helmet on the bike and listening to live (and loud!) rock and roll (plus singing in a band for a few years) left me with permanent tinnitus. This I've had for years. However, last year I developed pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear and diagnosed with substantial hearing loss in my right ear and my left ear is getting worse. I've worn ear plugs on the bike for years now. However, on the specialists advice, I do wear sound protectors when using the lawn mower, blower, trimmer and even vacuum cleaner.

 

Although, being an optimist and all, the deafness does have its (very few!) advantages at times !

 

[Rocer]

Phil - do you ever get relief from the tinnitus ring? I realize you said it's permanent but does it subside at times or with other hearing demands does it fall into the background and not so noticeable? Do you have any techniques to deal with it?

 

As for hearing aid squealing we once had a guy on our crew whose hearing aids would be set off into a high pitched squeal by our power tools in the next room. We could hear the squeal but he couldn't as it was in a frequency that he was apparently deaf too. We would have to tell him to turn his aid down so that we didn't have to listen to it. Even tho he couldn't hear the squeal I can't help but believe that it would cause further damage to his hearing at lower frequencies. Perhaps the technology has improved since then.

[Paul Mihalka]

Does anybody have experience with the lower priced non-custom hearing aids?

[philbytx]

No. The regular tinnitus, I can get zero relief and have learned to live with it. You actually learn to focus "through" it and at times I hardly notice it, especially when my mind is elsewhere. The pulsatile tinnitus is a real PITA and very noticeable when it is quiet. It also changes volume on me and sometimes I also get squeaking in my ear with it when I breath through my nose.

 

Spent thousands on specialists, CAT/MRI and just about every other scan/test on the planet. No bone, tissue or vascular abnormalities. It is a combination of my Meniere's and, so they say, pressure in the inner ear. I am on diuretics (what a bloody pain THEY are!) and a low sodium diet. Specialist said IF IT WORKS, the diuretic/diet combo could take a year to take effect. But no guarantees.

[Jerry Johnston]

Paul the cheapies I've tried were junk. However the amplifier I purchased fro RS I use more than the hearing aid that I've pair dearly for. The Radio Shack amp has a 3 band equalizer, is smaller than a pack cigarettes and requires headphones but it's perfect for the bike and watching tv. Sells for about $30 and the batteries last for a year. The bonified hearing aids I have (now 5 or 6yrs old)need a new battery every time I use them and I seem to hear everything but what I wish to hear.

[MotorinLA]

So I have a question - my old man has a pair, and they squeak like the devil. It's a high pitched feedback type noise. I've never heard anyone else's do that. what's going on? He swears that there's nothing wrong, but then he's always been difficult.

 

My grandmother has been wearing hearing aids for as long as I can remember (she's 92 years old now and almost deaf) and her hearing aids would always squeak off and on when we would visit her. Her doctor told her it was due to an improper fit of the ear-plug portion of the hearing aid. If the seal is not right, the amplified sound will create feedback (the amplified sound is going back into the microphone). Usually she could correct it by adjusting the fit and adjusting the volume.

[Redbrick]

Paul the cheapies I've tried were junk. However the amplifier I purchased fro RS I use more than the hearing aid that I've pair dearly for. The Radio Shack amp has a 3 band equalizer, is smaller than a pack cigarettes and requires headphones but it's perfect for the bike and watching tv. Sells for about $30 and the batteries last for a year. The bonified hearing aids I have (now 5 or 6yrs old)need a new battery every time I use them and I seem to hear everything but what I wish to hear.

 

Jerry......Do you have a model number or some ID info please?