Questions about Hearing Aids

thank for the reply im a really good driver only one ticket when i was about 22 was tried and late wanted to get home was doing 70-75 in 65 zone
but thats the only one if the aid helps i can pass my physicle then keep my job im 41 a little tender to go back and do pick and shouvel work in the hot sun in arizona the ac in the bus really makes you soft after a few years pass hard to go back in the sun :wink:

I believe it!

Will look forward to your update on how the hearing aids are working out for you.

yea i'll keep you posted im glad i found this place nice to have someone
to talk about your problems as far as the licence goes it's a fedral thing
you dont pass there physicle they take your bus driver licence away and only give you a regular licence to drive a car only i know a bus is bigger but i figure if you can drive a car why not a bus i guess they want you to be able to hear air leakes and stuff like that well i'll keep you in formed
about the aid and just want to say thanks to everybody here this is a nice place to share support and help with answers to our questions

Update: Turns out that my insurance will cover 90% of the cost for hearing aids...YAY!!! However...I have to wait until the first of the year. Their policy is that the hearing has to have stabilized for 6 months before they will pay. That's okay, I can wait.

First consultation: Both CIC and ITC would work for my loss. The tiniest CIC (nearly invisible) would have enough amplification, and I wouldn't have to worry about using them with cell phones at all. The next largest, the smallest ITC model, would be somewhat visible () but would allow two microphones (for better hearing in groups) and could also be programmed for music. However, it would have to use a telecoil, and many cell phones would not work with it. My first inclination is to go for the tiniest model and see if that is good enough, then try the second one if it isn't.

Any comments?

Hi there Eva,

90%!! That is SO great! Congrats!

You should be able to try out both before buying/ committing. Were you offered that option? If not, go ahead and ask for it.

This can all be in the context of not being able to buy until the first of the year -- you can try out a few kinds (not just types but brands) and then have the research phase done by the time you're ready to buy the one you'll be using.

In terms of trying, sure, go for the tiniest one first, see how it goes.

Glad things are moving along!

Another question. So far I've been dealing with the ENT and audiologists' office. But I know there are other options for buying hearing aids, and they are often lower cost.

I'd like to hear from some of you who have gone different routes. Is it best to buy them from the regular ENT, or have you been satisfied with other vendors?

Hmm.

The times I've bought a hearing aid it was covered by the Department of Rehab. (As a teenager, I needed it to learn skills to make me employable was how that worked.) So that was a specific system, I basically just chose the one that seemed to work best and let the system take over.

Hearing Loss Web probably has info about that.

Have you been testing?

That is what my husband did. He chose the smallest one, but then found that it did not have the flexibility of the next larger one, which had 3 different settings. He exchanged the smaller for the larger, and now is quite happy with them.

A girlfriend of mine has the tiniest kind. We were at a big gathering, and she found that she could not extract the voices out of the din. The aid with the three settings would have taken care of that problem.

Will go back next month for the audiogram that will be used to program the hearing aids. Meanwhile, I am doing my research like you told me to do! :wink:

I may very well end up doing the exact same thing, Phoenix.

Good girl! ;-)

I think this will be pretty exciting for you -- I don't want to get your hopes up too high, as it won't be an instant fix... at first it will seem too grating, too electronic, too distracting, too whatever... the "too"s are different for everyone. But I think that it won't be very long before you're really getting a benefit from it, and I think that part will be really nice for you.

Eva - can you post about the costs of various styles and such?

<listening>

littlek, the costs vary depending on what level of technology you want and what size you want. The smaller and more advanced they are, the more expensive they are. I priced the very smallest one with the very newest technology since my insurance will pick up most of the costs. It will be about $6,000 for the two hearing aids, which includes batteries for the life of the hearing aid and all checkups and/or repairs. I could save only about $300 by going with the next larger size. This was through my doctor's office. I'm still looking around.

Yes, soz, I've read that the first few weeks with aids can be very annoying, and it's important that you go back regularly to make sure they're fitted properly. I'm not really looking forward to it, but I expect that if it helps me to hear better as they say, it will be worth the initial adjustment. When this first happened, I know it took several weeks for my brain to adjust. I heard constant static, which was maddening. Hope it's not as hard to manage as that!

How much of the $6k does your insurance cover? And does it cover hearing aids in general, or this one because it was due to an accident?

I am lucky to have good coverage. It will pick up 90% of the cost. It covers hearing aids in general. But this is not always standard...everyone should check their own policy.

I was thrilled to find out they would cover it! Especially because from what I have learned, the average lifespan of hearing aids is only 5 years, so this is going to be an expensive proposition long-term.

News....

The ENT's office received payment from my insurance company, and they covered the entire cost except for a $30 co-pay!!! This is WILD! The audiologist said this almost never happens! Must've been my lucky day!!!

So....I went in Monday for impressions. Strange process, very weird feeling. They told me they should have the hearing aids ready in 10 days to 2 weeks.

It's getting close.....I'm starting to wonder what it will feel like having something stuck in my ears all day long. Is it really irritating?

Ooooh, that's fantastic news, Eva!!!!!!!!! Wow!

Yeah, I remember the impressions. <involuntary shiver> Did they at least warm up the goop?

It definitely takes some getting used to, having something in your ear all day. It probably won't sound that great at first either, your brain has to adjust. I'd expect that for the first hmm say month or so you're gonna be kind of annoyed with the stupid things. (Plural? One or two?) They'll be irritating and won't be as helpful as you might have hoped. Everything will sound like it's underwater or coming through a bad radio.

But then... things will start to adjust. You won't notice them in your ears as much. Your brain will become better attuned. You'll realize that your shoulders aren't so tight, that you're not trying so hard all the time. You'll realize that you're able to UNDERSTAND in a way you haven't in a long, long time.

That's my prediction, anyway. So glad things have gone smoothly for you in this arena! Keep us posted!

I am doing this vicariously through you, Eva; and soz, thanks for the rundown on how one feels at the beginning.
I hope to do this myself one of these days.

No, soz, they didn't warm up the goop. Very weird, having cold, slimy goop stuffed in both ears. Yes, both ears.

Funny description...things already sound like I'm underwater or hearing through a bad radio! (NOT looking forward to more "adjustments"...this whole past year has been one adjustment after another. <BIG SIGH>)

Even though I ordered the smallest possible CICs, if I'm not hearing in groups well enough with them, I'll have to go to a larger size. Someone recommended the behind-the-ear types because they only have a tiny clear plastic tube that goes into the ear and it doesn't feel so stuffy. And my longish hair would always cover the part behind the ear anyway. So I suppose I'll just have to wait and see.