Hearing test

[1shot]

I just got scheduled for a hearing test with a clinical audiologist. Maybe I should say lack of hearing test! LOL
Regardless, those of you that have hearing issues, what advice can you offer as to what type of devices are out there for daily use? Pros/cons, price etc.
Thanks,

Lloyd

 

[wholman]

I couldn't hear you what did you say.

 

[ShootDots]

I have had hearing loss since I was a teenager. I got it from blasting music constantly and shotgun / rifle shooting without hearing protection. Several years ago I had my hearing checked and spoke extensively with the doctor. It was his opinion that hearing aides would only make "already muffled / distorted" sounds louder. He said that the "crispness" of sounds is lost in my hearing and amplifying those sounds would offer very little in the way of help. Personally, I think he was one of the most honest doctors I met. Have a good talk with a doctor, he may have some better technology answers by now.. I just gave up..

 

[wholman]

That is what I was told about 20 years ago.

 

[1shot]

I have had tinnitus for years from the same culprits you named Benjamin. However in the last couple of years, I find it more difficult to understand what people are saying unless I can see there mouth move then take what I hear and see and do the math so to speak.
I know it irritates the better half almost as much as it does me.

Lloyd

 

[ShootDots]

I have had tinnitus for years from the same culprits you named Benjamin. However in the last couple of years, I find it more difficult to understand what people are saying unless I can see there mouth move then take what I hear and see and do the math so to speak.
I know it irritates the better half almost as much as it does me.

Lloyd

I have been that way for years. I have to PEER right at their lips, especially in a room full of conversing people!

 

[1shot]

What a PITA that is!

 

[DOGCAPPER]

See a real doctor Audiologist is Gipsy for" hearing aid sales person".

 

[Shynloco]

1shot,
I have an audiologist whom I get to see often because of a significant hearing loss. My last check a couple of months ago shows I only have 45% of hearing left and I have irrepairable hearing loss, that according to specialists I've seen as well as my audiologist. Too many years of motorcycle riding and shooting "guns" without hearing protection in my youth. Now I wear DOUBLE hearing protection in the form of ear plugs first and then head/ear muff protection in an effort to save what I have left and still go shooting regularly. Of course my hearing aids don't go in until I've left the range. But I first noted a hearing loss when I was 50, the hearing aids went in when I was 53 and the prognosis is NOT encouraging for the future. SO SAVE AND PROTECT WHATCHA GOT LEFT. Of course there is a benefit to having a hearing loss...when I've heard enough of the BS, I merely pull out the hearing aid and smile. Silence is sometimes golden!

Alex

 

[bward6mm]

Been wearing hearing aids for about 12 years. Hearing loss is from a hereditary condition. Started out with" in the canal" type in my worst ear. in short, it sucked. Then tried the custom mould version for both ears. That worked out ok for a while but as my hearing got worse, they had to be replaced by the more visible outer ear tube type. There are 2 types- the thinner wire one and the thicker non-wire type. If your vain at all, your not going to be the least bit happy with the thicker tube type. But in my case, I've been told I have severe hearing loss and bigger tube style is my only alternative. My cost after insurance was $2800.
Gotta mention this -- immigrants with medicaid don't pay a dime for these aids.

My .02

 

[1shot]

Thanks Alex,
I have doubled up for years with good plugs and muffs.
My better half works for a group of Dr's in the major hospital in my area. She is the one that got me set up with the person I'm scheduled to see.

Dogcapper: The Dr's creds are: Aud; CCC/A;FAAA.
If you know what all that means, enlighten me, but I highly doubt they are a glorified hearing-aid salesman.

Lloyd

 

[Shynloco]

See a real doctor Audiologist is Gipsy for" hearing aid sales person".

Well lets be specific.......your are referring to a "OTOLARYNGOLOGIST" who specializes in Hearing Loss as well as other related gland illnesses and issues. These are the doctors who will perform surgery if your hearing can be revived. I've seen two of these fine doctors over the years and both have said sorry guy, ain't nothing we can do...extensive nerve damage and your mandrel bone is DOA. So Hearing Aids were the only option left and I searched out a good Audiologist I've been seeing now for 15 yrs ( a previous one before I moved to where I am) and she gives me annual Hearing tests, adjusts my EXPENSIVE Hearing Aids and monitors my decreasing hearing abilities. And Audiologists aren't all GYPSIES!

Alex

 

[dwcon]

CAN YOU TYPE A LITTLE LOUDER..LOL

 

[mongo chicago]

I have been shooting/hunting for 45 years. I believe that my tinnitus is caused by my wife. We have been married for 40 years. Read somewhere that hearing loss is not caused by loud noises, but continuous exposure to loud noises. Of course there are exceptions, like a mortar shell or grenade that is too close.

 

[357Mag]

1Shot -

Howdy !

Don't just use plugs on their own, or muffs all by themselves. Use both.
When you shoot, when you hammer, when you mow; and/ or w/ other big time " noise ".
Shooting around a high-intensity rifle equipped w/ a muzzle brake, for example.

The test:
IF you already have Tinitus or other serious hearing damage, cookie cutter hearing tests won't help you. You may already be a candidate for more advance/more sophisticated hearing testing.

I can be put in a booth for the standard-type hearing test, and not hear probably 30% of it.
The only valid testing that helps me best track whether my hearing is being further degraded are advanced tests that include things like testing my ability to discriminate free speech against background noise.
I'm pretty sure I'm not alone on that one.

"Active Noise Suppression" ( ANR ) headphones are really good, when used in the proper noise environment.

I've been fighting my own personal battle w/ auditory challenges for a long time now, and firmly believe in keeping whatcha' got.


With regards,
357Mag

 

[nmkid]

My dear old Uncle Sam took "care" of my hearing many years ago in a faraway country. So, now I get free hearing aids at the V.A. but, I still have a very hard time with low sounds. Was told there is nothing they can do about that and it just gets a little worse every year. Oh well. Protect your hearing!!

 

[Texas10]

Besides the protracted hearing test where you sit in the soundproof booth and push the button when you hear a sound, my doctor had my wife read a list of words to me which I would then attempt to repeat. Words with S's and T's dropped completely off my radar, and helped her to understand why I was always asking her to repeat herself, much to her aggravation.

I got the over the ear type hearing aid with the thin wire. It's pretty much invisible. The advancement in technology is amazing now, just between my last set three years ago and now. My current set will blue tooth to my I-phone, and learn to adjust frequencies based upon outside noise levels. My insurance (Obama care) covered them 100% , but of course I had to meet a deductible first, and I got them through the regional medical clinic my doctor is based instead of one of those franchises you see in the malls. They were WAY cheaper through my doctor, but still pretty pricey at $6500 with a 3 year unconditional warranty.

Yea, no..... I don't wear them to the range.

 

[Dave Berg]

Over three years ago I went to an ear nose throat MD. One of his associates gave me a hearing test and the results were severe to profound hearing loss. The Dr went into a hearing aid sales pitch but would never answer my "How much money" question. I took the results (aka audiogram) and started looking around. Medicare paid for the exam and they are required to give you the results.

I visited several other "sellers" with the same result. They all wanted to start the project but not one of them would quote a price or even a range. The only outfit that would give me an almost reasonable answer regarding price was at Sam's Club where the woman said a minimum of $4,500 and another thousand or more by the time the fitting, etc. was finished. This was for an off-brand and their only claim to fame was "Made in America".

I did what seemed like the logical thing (to me) and bought hearing aids on Ebay. Not the $129 kind but Siemens top of the line with all the bells and whistles. Rechargable batteries and charger (waste of money unless you don't have the dexterity to replace the 25 cent batteries once a week), remote that hangs around your neck (only worth while if you want to switch sound sources like to a cell phone), and a transmitter that plugs into a TV (wireless headphones work much better but stay away from bluetooth models). The seller on Ebay was great. Emailed my audiogram and they programmed them to match my sound loss. Had the whole package in less than a week. Total price was $3,500 with a three year warranty.

I thought the next logical step would be to go to a local shop and have them make the fitted "in the ear" pieces. I told the guy what I had done and got the lecture about "Would you buy a pacemaker on Ebay?". He asked what I had paid and I told him. He said I should send "it" back and he could match the price. He sort of folded when I told him it was for a pair and all the extras and he admitted his price would be more than twice that. It was still a worthwhile trip as one of his comments was they had sent me a size 2 RIC and it should be a size 3 (receiver in canal which is not accurate, it's just the speaker). I called the Ebay seller when I got home and they sent size 3's priority mail, no charge and I returned the size 2's.

The custom earmolds turned into a DIY project. The Ebay seller advised I could either (A) - go to another audiologist and order custom ear plugs for sound deadening (they are very unlikely to be willing to make earmolds for hearing aids you bought somewhere else) or (B) by a $10 kit and make them myself. I went with the kit which was simple enough, sent it to the Ebay seller and for $85 they sent me custom earmolds for my Siemens that snap together. Quite frankly they don't work noticeably better than the domes that the seller shipped to start with so I don't use the customs.

After three years they still work very well. They don't restore your hearing to "normal". The speakers are very tiny and can only handle higher frequencies so what I hear sounds "tinny". Also the microphones are on the top of the piece that fits behind your ear so they point up which distorts the sound in places with cathedral ceilings (like my house). But it is an amazing improvement. I can understand what my wife says when I chose to (she can't tell if they're on or off). I can hear the phone and doorbell ring. I can hear the lane departure warning, blind spot and cross traffic detection in the car. With my iPhone speaker turned on I can have a normal telephone conversation but if I get put on hold the background music sucks. Everyday conversation is once again almost normal. If there's something on TV that I want to hear I use Sennheiser "on ear" wireless headphones that don't have the low frequency issues that hearing aids do.

Just my personal opinion but I believe the hearing aid business may be the biggest non-government rip-off in the country. I visited every "seller" within twenty miles of home and not a single one would quote even a price range but every one explained that they don't really restore your hearing to what it was. Maybe there are some honest and forthright types out there but not around me. I know guys that have spent well over $8,000 and still have nothing good to say about them. Then there are those that lose one or both. I know guys that only wear one at a time as it reduces the chances of losing one - can't hear, must have lost a hearing aid. The Ebay seller even included a loss provision in the price - replacement for a couple hundred if you lose one.

I did it my way and will do it somewhat differently if these ever need replacing. A couple steps down from the top of the line would work just as well. The extra stuff has proven unnecessary. The Ebay seller is still in business - 100% positive with over 25,000 feed-backs.

I'm not suggesting this approach is appropriate for everyone. I only did it because I knew I was about to be ripped off and I hate that.

 

[centerlineseal]

Got mine @ Costco for $2,800 a pair several years ago, with intensive testing done by their staff beforehand and systematic cleaning and one rebuild since. Couldn't be happier. Best thing I ever did for myself was getting off the fence and getting it done.

 

[Willie]

My dear old Uncle Sam took "care" of my hearing many years ago in a faraway country. So, now I get free hearing aids at the V.A. but, I still have a very hard time with low sounds. Was told there is nothing they can do about that and it just gets a little worse every year. Oh well. Protect your hearing!!

Same here! It's not the same hearing that I hoped could be replaced, but it beats no hearing at all. I got lucky, the VA doctor knew his stuff and my hearing aids are top quality. My biggest problem is they must be adjusted to different environments, to be comfortable.