Hearing Aids

[DannyEssex]

I recently found out that I have permeant hearing loss in both ears and have had to purchase hearing aids. Came as a bit of a shock as I'm 34 and thought my hearing was fine (I argued everyone mumbled or spoke too softly)

Its now been 3 weeks and I still feel the things in my ears. I was told after a week or two, I wouldn't notice them. But I find them quite irritating still, although the clarity in my hearing is much better. Do any of you guys use hearing aids and how do you find them after a certain amount of time?

Also any recommendations for decent hearing protection in the shop?

 

[lurker]

Forget buying them!

The ones provided by NHS are far superior and you will get better support from well qualified people.

 

[lurker]

Re read your post.
Yeah after a time you will get used to them.

Being near twice your age ( but deaf since I was 20) I have lots of friends who now need aids.
Virtually everyone has had issues with bought ones and on my advice have turned to the good old NHS.

Your audio gram will show very clearly if you problem is noise related.
Good ear defenders (ear plugs are a very poor subsitute) plus minimise exposure.

 

[Bm101]

Danny, I use these 35dB ones after reading good opinions on here.
https://www.3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/company-u ... 499&rt=rud

Can buy them here:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B ... 756P&psc=1

First ones without a headband and I prefer this type now overall.

Cheers
Chris

 

[DannyEssex]

Re read your post.
Yeah after a time you will get used to them.

Being near twice your age ( but deaf since I was 20) I have lots of friends who now need aids.
Virtually everyone has had issues with bought ones and on my advice have turned to the good old NHS.

Your audio gram will show very clearly if you problem is noise related.
Good ear defenders (ear plugs are a very poor subsitute) plus minimise exposure.

I purchased them a few weeks ago via a private hearing specalist, so a bit too late now. Long story short, my local NHS doctor is worthless and in the past 5 years after numerous ear infections, he still belived there to be no problem.

 

[DannyEssex]

Danny, I use these 35dB ones after reading good opinions on here.
https://www.3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/company-u ... 499&rt=rud

Can buy them here:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B ... 756P&psc=1

First ones without a headband and I prefer this type now overall.

Cheers
Chris

Thank you, I will check these out (hammer)

 

[lurker]

For future reference: you can go straight to your local NHS trust's audiology department.

The problem with going to "shops" is their prime motivation is selling their own products. The industry is not regulated like say, opticians.

 

[lurker]

Danny, I use these 35dB ones after reading good opinions on here.
https://www.3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/company-u ... 499&rt=rud

Can buy them here:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B ... 756P&psc=1

First ones without a headband and I prefer this type now overall.

Cheers
Chris

Thank you, I will check these out (hammer)

As a Chartered Occupational Safety Professional (just to confirm my ability to comment on such matters) ; I would recommend those too.

 

[Jacob]

NHS excellent service. 100% free including service, adjustment, replacement, as and when. The same quality of kit supplied but perhaps without some of the luxury details you'd pay a lot of money for.

 

[Lons]

Things must have changed a bit.

My missus wears hearing aids, has done for about 5 years and we did a lot of research at the time and tried the NHS ones ( they only offered one though she needed both ears btw :roll: ). Looked very hard at just about everything available at the time and the NHS appliances were way behind the ones we got from Specsavers. Weren't cheap at £2k the pair ( half price offer which is a con as no way should they be £4k) but much better than the NHS and have been regularly adjusted and tweaked every 6 months.

Pleased to hear the NHS appears to have caught up though, will look again when they need changing.

 

[Bodgers]

For future reference: you can go straight to your local NHS trust's audiology department.

The problem with going to "shops" is their prime motivation is selling their own products. The industry is not regulated like say, opticians.

Couldn't agree more.

There are some many quacks out there with no real professional medical knowledge.

See a different NHS doctor.

You need proper medical advice.



Sent from my Redmi Note 5 using Tapatalk

 

[MusicMan]

I've had NHS ones since November. I have high frequency hearing loss (typical old age), which means I don't distinguish many consonants from each other, hence lose clarity in speech. The aids have made an enormous difference to conversation, hearing lectures, hearing others at meetings etc. "Cocktail parties" and noisy restaurants/pubs are still a problem but better than before. As for comfort, normally they are perfectly OK, but occasionally get itching.

Mine are the new Starkey Kinnect type, made for control by iPhone (or Android I think). This is very useful. You can adjust settings or switch them on/off from the phone or an Apple Watch. I find this useful, because the one thing they are crap at is listening to live music. Though the audiologists swear blind that they have switched off all frequency shifting, there is a frequency shift between notes heard directly (or through bone conduction when I am playing the clarinet) and those heard through the aids. About a quarter to half of a semitone, which is enough to drive me mad. So I switch them off for playing or listening to live music. I need to do this quickly if I am in, say, a rehearsal, so that I can hear what other players are saying when we are discussing. The Apple Watch does this very well. Fortunately I can hear the entire range of orchestral instruments (not all the overtones though) so I don't need them for playing. It's the high speech frequencies that are problematic.

There are some real advantages. In effect you are walking around with a pair of high quality Bluetooth earphones. Music heard only through the aids is fine, and calls to the iPhone go straight to your ears, which is great.

Before getting them I had a long discussion with a friend who is a senior audiologist. She said the NHS ones are just as good as the private ones, but the private audiologists may take more trouble in setting them up. Her advice was to be demanding and insist that your issues are understood. As mentioned, all the consultations are covered by the NHS, and I've been back three times to get adjustments made.

The only reason I can see for private is if you want aids that are concealed entirely inside your ears (which wouldn't have suited my kind of deafness anyway, as this would occlude low frequencies, which I hear well). Or ones with rechargeable batteries. But battery supply is free anyway.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[SammyQ]

I've had hearing problems for years. Couldn't distinguish individual speakers in crowded room conversations etc. Enbarrassing when you're a teacher :shock: My local NHS turned me down twice in the last decade as " you are too good " So, sorry Lurker, MY NHS was rubbish!
Boots hearing care ones now for 3 years and although they are frequency programmable, still not perfect, but better than before. My tinnitus doesn't help, but so far, so good and aftercare has been superb. Wish I'd managed ones like Musicman's above though...kewl...
Sam, no longer needing hand signals...

 

[Alexam]

I have had hearing aids for many years in both ears. I started with NHS aids, but was disappointed that they were so very bulky and noticeable, not concealed in the ear. Eventually I went private and had the small inside ones, which I liked, but as my hearing worstened, I eventually bought a set of Phonak aids, which, although behind the ear, then have a tiny wire to a loudspeaker in the ear. Not as noticeable as the NHS ones, but an improvement. My hearing has continued to reduce, but now that NHS have smaller version behind the ear, I an looking to renew my old NHS ones again with specsavers. Private are costly, I paid almost £2k for the Q50 Audeo aids and don't really want to spend that again, so NHS will have another try. Just make sure you keep your aids tuned to what you feel is best. You may well need several changes made, but having paid, then all the changes should be completely free, so 'tweak' them as required. I have had 5 years of several 'tweaks' and my private man is very good indeed.

 

[Jacob]

Changes and adjustment free with NHS too. Took some time and several visits to get them right. They ask for an £80 contribution if you lose one, which I did once. Mine are Phonak Nathos, not out of sight but who cares? not me. In fact it's handy to be able to whip them off easily, when machining etc.

 

[Yojevol]

I've been with NHS aids for many years, originally Siemens and more laterly Phonak. The new ones are a great improvement. My big problem has been interaction of the overear aids with my specs. It's very easy to flick an aid off and not notice it. To overcome this I now tether my aids to the glasses. The only problem with that is that I need a second pair of specs available for battery changing, etc.
I recently experimented with some very expensive in-the-ear aids from Boots, hoping to overcome the lost aid problem. However they presented a whole new set of problems not least was their tendency to fall out without any notice. It seems that my ear canals are too short to house them securely. They've now been returned to Boots. I cannot praise Boots highly enough for their services throughout the exercise.
So it's back to the NHS Phonaks and bits of flesh coloured cotton thread and free batteries of course.
Brian

 

[HappyHacker]

I have worn hearing aids for many years due to noise induced hearing loss, I went on a clay pigeon shooting course and was not offered ear defenders and did not think to ask. That one day completely stuffed my high frequency hearing which has now been compounded by age related hearing loss.

Originally I had one of the old NHS analog aids and then two private digital aids which cost about £2000 about 12 years ago. I wore them while working in an office environment and they helped with conversations. When I started working as an electrician I stopped wearing them as I was in more need of ear protection than aids to hearing. Since then I rarely wear them as if I am out in company they amplify the background noise sand I cannot discriminate what people are saying any better than when not wearing them. Last year I, being boring out fart, I went on a cruise with a lot of other boring old farts , and most of the people I met who had hearing aids did not wear them when in the dining rooms or bars due to the amplification of background noise making hearing conversations very difficult.

I have read that the new NHS aids are better and I may be tempted to give them a try but I find that at times being deaf has a number of benefits Pardon

 

[MusicMan]

For those with old NHS ones, I believe you are entitled to a reassessment every three years, with new hearing aids if necessary. They have certainly improved greatly since my wife got hers about five years ago and she will be going again soon.

.

 

[Jacob]

For those with old NHS ones, I believe you are entitled to a reassessment every three years, with new hearing aids if necessary. They have certainly improved greatly since my wife got hers about five years ago and she will be going again soon.

.

3 years, or sooner if you feel the need. I've had mine changed several times.

 

[Trevanion]

I definitely think I struggle hearing people talking if there is a little background noise such as a radio or something. I find I can hear most things with very good clarity that some can't hear, In my work is a good example as I can very often hear when something very minute has changed in a machine or if something isn't right a long time before anyone else will hear it or see something happen. It's quite often passed off as "Don't be daft, there isn't a noise" and then in a week something needs fixing or something like that. But I do struggle with conversations and find myself saying "Pardon?" a few times, especially at distance. Definitely not an old age thing (I hope not at 22! :lol: ) but it's definitely some weird phenomenon. as Danny said in the beginning, you begin to wonder if everyone is just mumbling and soft-spoken.

I also wear those 3M Peltor Optime III's all the time, I've even double stuffed them with extra foam to make them more noise and pressure reducing.