Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Hearing aids



I got hearing aids so I could hear my granddaughters.  Before they lived here it didn’t bother me at all to tell a grandchild to speak slowly, speak clearly, speak up.    That’s what grandmothers do to grandchildren, for crying out loud.  Then everything changed, and little voices were here to stay.  I felt rude asking for repeats, so I did do some investigation.  Maybe they did need to speak up!  I asked Jan if she could hear them.  She could!

Laura’s ENT adventure tipped my scale.  Not only did her testing show improved hearing after those impacted tubes were removed, at every ENT appointment I read a sign on the counter that said Return Used Hearing Aid Batteries Here.  On inquiry I learned their audiologists prescribe hearing aids.  I signed on for the protocol.

My hearing was tested.  It was fine in the lower ranges and not fine in the upper registers and volumes.  Up where little girls talk.  And a couple of my friends.  And a trustee who talks down into a table full of papers.  And the television.  And speakers at meetings.  Often the person sitting next to me at meetings.  All those mumblers!

I still didn’t just jump in.  Pro’s and con’s remained.  Cost was a big con.  I had three choices.  The pink ear plug.  It cost, as my mother would have said, two and a half books of stamps.  I could not bear the thought of a pink ear plug.  I do know someone on whom I only saw a little tube into his hear.  I assumed he wore hearing aids, but, of course, never asked. I did ask the audiologist.

Hearing aids with the little tube come in two varieties.  They look alike, but have different abilities.  One set is adjusted based on the wearer’s description of sounds in the environment.  They cost three and a half books of stamps.  The other set is self adjusting.  They cost four and a half books of stamps.  A large pro was the thirty day right to return.  The audiologist told me a set lasts about five years.  I do hope they cost less in five years!

I parted with three and a half books of stamps and picked them up the first Monday of the month. I’ve been back to the audiologist twice for fine tuning and the gradual increase in volume to “normal.”  That, it turns out, is not something I would have liked on day one.  My brain has forgotten so many noises!  Later this week I have to stop by to be adjusted to ninety percent. 

I can hear grandchildren.  I can hear the trustee who talks to the table.  I tell Emily I can even hear WHAT she is texting.  HaHa, Grandma.  Did they cost too much?  Well, more than I can afford.  Worth it?  Yes.  I point out my new ears to friends who know they should hear better.  Just saying.  There’s no referral fee involved. I asked the audiologist.



31 comments:

  1. They are terrific things aren't they? The hubs has one in each ear. And no, they don't seem to get any cheaper when it's replacement time.

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  2. I find that people don't mind repeating something to a person with hearing aids but get a bit peeved at having to repeat things to someone without an obvious hearing difficulty.
    Jane x

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  3. Three and a half books of stamps? I love that.

    My m-in-law has run the list of aids and now has a cochlear implant. Hearing is essential, and you don't know what you are missing when it fails.

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  4. Oh that's GREAT!!!!! I'm so happy you can hear those little girls again and I'm sure they're happy about it, too!

    I do hope you actually wear them – my dear mother bought very expensive hearing aids recently and almost never wears them. Sigh.... Maybe she doesn't want to hear my "little girl voice?"

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    1. I love them. I love that no one can see them. I love that I don't have to work at hearing. The audiologist (she has a Dr. of Audiology hanging on her wall. That impressed me.) is such a pretty young girl who fools with the hearing aids on her computer to adjust them. The first time she said "I see you wear them 12 1/2 hours a day. Good for you!" I couldn't believe what her computer knew and what it can do. I love them. Whoops, I already said that.

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  5. I had my hearing checked a while back because I thought I had a problem; turns out I'm within normal range, but the old ears aren't picking up as many sounds as they used to.

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  7. The cost of the hearing aids and well, can I say it, ego, keep people from participating fully in life. My husband's hearing is not good and has been steadily getting worse for nearly 10 years. It drives me crazy and no matter what I say to him, he will not do anything about it. Tonight, I gave him a letter that I got from a hearing aid company and he looked at it, smiled and threw it away.

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  8. Congratulations on your new expensive electronic gadgets. Personally, I think the outrageous price of hearing aids is a national scandal. I really think there should be a government investigation into the industry! I'm glad you're getting good use out of them anyway.

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  9. I am so glad you got them and can hear your kiddos. Btw down here Costco has the best price on hearing aid batteries. I get them for a friend:}

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  10. I think about getting my hearing tested. I can hear Ok (I think). I just have trouble with understanding what I am hearing. Especially the TV. It has to be loud or I am cupping my ear. Consequently, I don't watch TV too much. That and Marc's propensity to channel surf.

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    1. I forgot about that part. I couldn't sort out the words fast enough to comprehend the sentence. When I had, the conversation moved on. Especially fast paced comedies.

      I don't know a cure for channel surfing.

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  11. I hope you don't start hearing things out of the ordinary.

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  12. Neat that you took the initiative to do this; I know some people who scoff at the thought their hearing could be going. I'm sure it opened up a wonderful new door for you that had been closed for a bit; enjoy!

    betty

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  13. I'm the same as Ellen Abbott, I have trouble understanding what I'm hearing. I've had hearing loss all my life, as has my brother, it's genetic and I've been getting worse for the last fifteen years or so. I've been putting off getting hearing aids because of the cost. There are concessions for pensioners to get cheap hearing aids, but like you, I don't want those big plastic pink things in my ears. Last year, my brother got a hearing aid, one of the newest tiny models, and said the difference is amazing, but the cost was very huge.

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  14. As a soft spoken person I can relate to your granddaughters and bet they are thrilled not to have to speak loudly, clearly and slowly. It's all about ease of communication.

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  15. There are so many things available now to make our lives easier. Glad the new ears helped you. Too bad we can't fix some of the other annoying things in our life like that.

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  16. That has to have been one of my favorite posts of yours. :-)

    "It cost, as my mother would have said, two and a half books of stamps." LOVE that.

    Pearl

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  17. p.s. can you do me a favor? Every time I try to go to River's blog, my computer flashes a sign about Malware Ahead! Does anyone else get that? I've tried going there at least fives times in the last two weeks!!

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    1. http://safebrowsing.clients.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=http%3A%2F%2Fredsultana.com%2Ffavicon.ico&client=googlechrome&hl=en-US

      This Blogger link explains the redsultana.com they find on River's blog. I click through and read anyway. Not recommending that; I just do it.

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  18. Good to know they work well for you. It is amazing what small devices can do. Being so tiny I would guess they are insured. It would awful to accidentally lose one that dropped while inserting or removing them.

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  19. I wish my husband was open to getting a hearing aid. He is missing so much, and I get hoarse repeating myself.

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  20. Yae! That's so very excellent, Joanne! My husband kept telling me I wasn't hearing him and wanted my hearing tested. It was. Ummmm... Turned out my hearing is fine. So now he accuses me of having selective hearing. Hmmmm... Possible.

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  21. Hi Joanne. I signed up to follow. The spouse got hearing aids last year. They've been very helpful, except i can't tell when he's wearing them and don't know if i need to shout when talking to him. If they're in he'll annoyingly say "You don't need to shout." Grrrrrr!

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    1. Too funny. They all crowded around to see why I was laughing.

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  22. I have to ask her to turn up the tv now. And I can hear! Glad you can hear us so well, I will try to not laugh so loud!

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  23. Guess they could make these contraptions like earrings for us so they'd be a glamor piece like glasses sometime are. Am checking on one of these for my good ear. Glad to know you are as smart and wise as you look and sound! Good for you!

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  24. I'm showing your blog to my Husby. He can't hear anything! I practically have to bellow to tell him anything. Sigh.
    P.S. Love the picture. Maybe I should just get him a fancy ear horn . . .

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  25. So glad you took the big step! I try desperately to take care of my hearing, now, but worked in a loud factory when I was younger. Sure I'll be paying the price for that one day...

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  26. Good that you took care of it and can hear all those extra sounds now. I know someone who won't get a hearing aide, and instead turns up the tv extra loud, their phone, asks you to repeat everything. Hearing aids are barely noticeable these days. I don't know why, besides costs, a person wouldn't want to do it.

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  27. I'm glad they're working out so well for you, Joanne! A friend got the "four book of stamps" model, and he did have to get them replaced. They were still under warranty, so no more money out of his pocket to replace them, although he does seem to buy a lot of batteries.

    He resisted for a long time, but when he finally got them, he was glad he did.

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