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smokemjoe
05-31-2013, 07:01 PM
I got hearing aids 3 days ago at 66, you know my wife don't scream me at no more, that sure is nice now, went for a walk and a bird chirped, scared the hell out of me, didn't know they done that. lady at store wiped out a paper bag and the noise was awfull, went out to eat and heard what the waiter said, money even made a cracking noise. I see the tv I don't have up so loud,, can hear my wife sneaking up behine me, I didn't know the dog barked so loud. . This is really something, Thanks for reading. Joe

wallenba
05-31-2013, 07:08 PM
TYPE BIGGER JOE... I CAN"T READ YOU! All kidding aside, all of us shooters are are little harder of hearing as a whole I think. With me, I have trouble with small print too. Good for you.

elkhuntfever
05-31-2013, 07:41 PM
Joe, for the others of us needing those things, can you give us the details? Brand etc.......
Won't be long for me.

Jim

smokemjoe
05-31-2013, 07:50 PM
These are made by oticon, my ins. helped me get them, I found a place called ecogold and the batterys are a lot cheaper for hearing aids also, with these I bet I can hear a squirrel 100 yds. away now.

462
05-31-2013, 08:17 PM
I have Air Force induced tinnitus and hearing loss, and have a set of remote controlled hearing aids from the V. A. They have eliminated almost all of my wife's mumbling, but the truck immediately developed creaks.

By the way, the V. A. supplies the batteries, domes, and wax guards at no cost via mail or phone order.

I urge all veterans with hearing loss and/or tinnitus to contact the V. A.

WILCO
05-31-2013, 08:21 PM
Glad to read of this Joe.

Blacksmith
05-31-2013, 08:21 PM
My doctor sent me to the Audiology Department of the local hospital. In his words they can recommend whatever brand has the best features for you. My first was an Oticon, I still use it as a back up, but after several years I moved up to a pair of Phonack's. Better than being deaf but still have troubles in some situations like with a lot of background noise.

It is a great object lesson when I teach new shooters. I show them my hearing aids and tell them if they don't want to wear them all the time like me they better wear hearing protection every time they shoot.

The plus side is being able to turn them off when you want quiet. Just remember to nod your head and rummer "Yes Dear" at the appropriate times.

Sweetpea
05-31-2013, 09:41 PM
People need to be aware that if your hearing is going bad, and you don't do anything about it, it will only continue to get worse.

If you go ahead and get hearing aids early, it can cause the hearing loss to slow down at least, and save more of what you have for later in life.

My MIL waited ten years longer than she should have, in the name of VANITY... Stupid IMHO...

Brandon

bear67
05-31-2013, 09:44 PM
I need one in the left ear bad--<20% left, close to 100% right. I think it is from shooting trap so long and operating loud equipment all my life. I tell all that will listen to wear ear and eye protection--just look at Papa Bear, deaf as a post.

I too need to look at models, but I have a problem. I can't stand anything in my ears, not even my finger. Had to be put to sleep one time to dig a june bug out of my ears. I am glad yours are working out and will have to bite the bullet one day. For now I just turn so my good side is toward the speaker.

Good example: A good friend is totally deaf in right ear and I am nearly so in left so when we go somewhere together in his truck, I have to drive in order for both of us to hear.

Jailer
05-31-2013, 09:48 PM
I'm 43 and I've had them for 13 years now. I hate em. I still have a lot of trouble in crowds or anywhere there is a lot of background noise.

I'm on my second set. The first were Audiovox analog CIC, the current are Phonak digital. The Audiovox were a lot better than the Phonaks I have now. I wish I would have went with something different as they are very expensive and I still find myself struggling at times with them.

smokemjoe, I remember my first day with my new ears. I was so overwhelmed with all the new sounds that I had been missing for so long I couldn't wear them for more than a few hours at a time. All these new sounds were like a distant memory coming back to me I hadn't heard them in so long.

smokemjoe
05-31-2013, 10:20 PM
Good to hear from youall, If it don't go bang why its no fun, I liked to listen to the bang for many years, then 10 years in diesel test for John Deere, to hear diesel engine run right you did it with your ears,Then one day the company came down hard to wear ear plugs. In that time also I shot muzzleloading slug guns and the charge was 200 grs. like to hear a few shots of that also,
So now I got aids. yea its hard to get adjust to, and I think, battling lung cancer is it worth putting the money into them. we will find out, Thanks and hope to hear more from yous, Joe
I am going to the Grand Old Opery and sit in the front row.

GaryN
05-31-2013, 11:22 PM
So now I got aids.

Umm, you better watch how you use that statement.

gmsharps
05-31-2013, 11:57 PM
I lost most of my hearing when I was a young pup in Vietnam. To close to the muzzle of a M60 during a fight one night. I didn't get hearing aids for a lot of years. It was causing family issues when I could not hear what was going on several rooms away. I finally went to the VA and received a great set of hearing aids. Problem was one side was not adjusted properly and it gave me severe issues if I wore them more than an hour per month. I put it off for several more years and finally was able to get back to the VA and in 2 minutes they had them adjusted properly and wow the difference. I always wondered how animals communicated with each other and they are just to noisey now days. It's nice at times to be able to hear what is goin on and sometimes just turn them off not to hear the bable. Make sure you watch the little doors that the batteries fit in cause they will break really easy.

gmsharps

ryan28
06-01-2013, 12:38 AM
I have a pair of Oticons myself, and they work good in most situations. Sometimes though, I don't like having them in, like a noisy restaurant, for example, or outside on a windy day, too loud for me.
Even though they help, I don't think I hear more than 50% of most tv shows, especially the poorly done documentaries that have background music as loud as the dialogue, but then most of what's on tv isn't work listening to anyway!
And the only person I know that always looks at me and speaks clearly and loud enough is the girl that works at the hearing clinic! No one else can remember.

cheese1566
06-01-2013, 07:09 AM
Good to hear!
No pun intended, ha!

I had to get aids ten years ago at age 30. I recall every little noise was heard and bugged the heck out of me for weeks until I got use to them and toned out the background noise. Still using the same pair since I take them out when I get home from work. Bugs the heck out of the girlfreind. I wear them for tv movies at home so I can hear the voices and talk, work, and family events. I take them out for shop work.Darn expensive too back then...good thing Miracle Ear had a two for one promo,,,but still $3000 out of pocket for young new cop- and the sales guy said I would get 5-6 years lifespan.
Makes a world of difference when you dont realize your hearing is gone and going away slowly. Mine is hereditery and a natural deterioration...thanks grandpa and dad! (Just kidding...I really thank them for my slow hair loss!)

41 mag fan
06-01-2013, 09:36 AM
Same with me, my hearings going slowly, my mother is 98% deaf. But it is amazing though, when my ears aren't ringing what everything sounds like in the world. Which is the tinittis sp? , I have also.
I think what's really going to bug me the most if i do totally lose my hearing, is not being able to hear the birds sing.
I know if I think much on it, it saddens me as my mother hasn't been able to hear the birds sing for 30+ yrs now.

Ben T
06-11-2013, 02:58 PM
How about the first time you flushed the pot? Boy that got my attention.

uscra112
06-11-2013, 05:38 PM
Just outta morbid curiosity, what do those Oticons cost? Not having insurance, I have to get by on what I can afford, and $4000 an ear is a factor of ten beyond what I can afford.

10x
06-11-2013, 06:42 PM
Older fellow I knew got hearing aids. He did not tell his family about his new investment. Apparently he changed his will five times in the first three days he had them....

Combat Diver
06-11-2013, 07:02 PM
I was first diagnosed with a hearing loss at the young age of 23. (Thanks Uncle Sam). Waited 10 yrs and went to Walter Reed to get fitted for my left ear. There they said people seemed to wait an average of 10 yrs before getting hearing aids, go figure. I still use that Starky hearing aid (in the canal) today and its been going strong since 98' now.


CD

firefly1957
06-11-2013, 07:16 PM
I have a hearing aid and hate the thing wear it only when i need to like going to church .

Wis. Tom
06-11-2013, 07:17 PM
My wife made me go get my hearing checked as I couldn't hear her. The Doc said I need them but I never got them( thought I was too young, pride, etc.) but after reading this, I think I will try them.

C.F.Plinker
06-11-2013, 09:25 PM
By the time you think you need them all the people around you will know you need them. My hearing loss is moderate in the left ear and profound in the right. I went with the behind the ear (BTE) model because it would give me the amplification I needed at the expense of picking up more background noise especially from the rear. One good thing about them as compared with the in the ear models is that the earmold is separate from the aid itself. This comes in handy when you need a new aid because you don't have to pay for the new earmold every time. With me each aid lasted 2-3 years before it gave up and quit working. While the new aids were over $1200 each Siemens had a program where they would repair or replace the bad aid for about $200. Thanks to Fedex, I was only without the aid for 6-8 days. The replacement aids have a year warranty rather than the 2 years that a new aid has. But, as with all things digital, time marches on and my original aids can no longer be fixed. I have had to replace one of them with a new aid, and if the other fails out of warranty, I wil get it replaced also.
With the BTE aids, the tube gets hard and shrinks. This makes it difficult to get in and pulls the earmold out so the aid doesn't work quite as well. Most of the time there was no charge to replace the tube but, by the time I got down to the office and waited for them to replace it, it took just over an hour. They use a preformed tube and cut it to size. I found that I could buy 1/8 inch tubing at the hardware store, heat it to bend it, and make my own for less than a dime. I also found that Costco batteries cost about a quarter as compared with the drug store batteries at over a dollar. When you use 2 pair a month it can add up.

Shop around for your aids. Most hearing aid stores and audiologists will give a free hearing test. Take them up on their offer and see what features they want your aids to have. More features means more expensive so don't buy features you don't need. If you can get a test via VA or Medicare do so and see what they think you need. Also check Costco, Sam's, and WalMart to see if the one near you does hearing aids. Shop around and go with the provider you are most comfortable with even if it costs a little more. You will be seeing them on a regular basis for years to come because the aids will need to be looked at or repaired occassionaly.

Wayne Smith
06-11-2013, 09:56 PM
I have Air Force induced tinnitus and hearing loss, and have a set of remote controlled hearing aids from the V. A. They have eliminated almost all of my wife's mumbling, but the truck immediately developed creaks.

By the way, the V. A. supplies the batteries, domes, and wax guards at no cost via mail or phone order.

I urge all veterans with hearing loss and/or tinnitus to contact the V. A.

After reading this I gotta ask; Who keeps the remote control, you or your wife??

462
06-11-2013, 10:42 PM
Actually, Wayne, the remote stays hidden in my bathroom. I don't what her to know that the amplification level can be increased. As it is, she can always tell when I'm not wearing the aids.

Down South
06-12-2013, 07:45 AM
When I first got hearing aids about 4-5 years ago, I went deer hunting the first day that I had them. I was sitting in a lean to stand behind my house and I heard crickets chirping. I thought to myself, wow those crickets sure are loud and I don't remember hearing them sitting here last week. I pulled my hearing aids out and dead silence. Just before dark, the crickets really got loud. I thought to myself, I bet I can hear them now without these hearing aids. Pulled the hearing aids back out and dead silence again.
The day I got them, the guy that was programming them crumpled up a piece of paper in front of me. I was almost startled. He said, that's what paper really sounds like when it's crumpled up.

Mine are remote controlled too. They are controlled by key tones from a cell phone.

dakotashooter2
06-12-2013, 11:28 AM
I've thought about them.................but I'm not sure I WANT to hear all the damn noise that is out there.....................

popper
06-12-2013, 02:07 PM
Wish my wife would get them before she causes me to need them. She gets angry when I use those orange thingys.

MtGun44
06-12-2013, 02:12 PM
For those that can't afford the expensive hearing aids, I have seen them advertised on dinodirect on
the web for unbelievably cheap, like $30. Chinese people go deaf, too, so maybe they are something
that is better than no hearing aid if you can't afford a $3000 unit.

I have no idea how good or bad they might be but for the low price, if I was in that situation, I'd
try it. I am NOT recommending them, just pointing out an option. I have bought some flashlights
from these guys and they were exactly as advertised, shipped directly from China. Might be
crummy, but maybe they work, don't know but they sure are cheap.

http://www.dinodirect.com/se-hearing%2520aid/

Bill

jcwit
06-12-2013, 02:35 PM
Had a buddy who lost his hearing aids and bought a pair of the cheap ones advertised on TV till he got his replacements. He said they worked well and as advertised, not as good as the prescription ones but they were much better than nothing and got him by.

As MtGunn44, I'm not recommending them just relating someone elses experience.

Myself, I've had both in the ear and behind the ear types. I MUCH prefer the behind the ear style. The hearing is much closer to normal hearing.

EMC45
06-12-2013, 02:46 PM
I have service connected hearing loss and tinnitus. Too much heavy equipment ops and live fire, flightline etc (95-01 USN, 05-11 USAFR) My hearing is still pretty good according to the VA, but I have loss that is noticeable they say. They did mention hearing aids to me as well though. My problem is if I am talking to someone and the wife is also talking to someone nearby it gets to aggravate me. Maybe it's just my wife talking that aggravates me...(just kidding!) Background noise is the killer for me. More of an annoyance than anything really. My wife asks me all the time "are you listening to me?" I remind her I have "mild hearing loss".............

jcwit
06-12-2013, 05:18 PM
My problem is if I am talking to someone and the wife is also talking to someone nearby it gets to aggravate me. Maybe it's just my wife talking that aggravates me...(just kidding!) Background noise is the killer for me. More of an annoyance than anything really.

This is the very reason I like the behind the ear aids I've switched to. I can even carry on a conversation with a passenger in my car with the windows down, also the background noise at a restaurant doesn't bother me like it did with the in the ear aids.

BTW, if you qualify for aids thru the VA, you should be able to get new ones every 5 years.

firefly1957
06-12-2013, 10:00 PM
I remember a previous conversation about hearing aids and how the best deal on them was at Harbor Freight it took a while to find but here it is the reviews are not bad either . http://www.harborfreight.com/ultra-ear-sound-amplifier-66577.html

jcwit
06-12-2013, 11:05 PM
Those from H/F are NOT hearing aids, they are noise amplifier's. They do work somewhat in a pinch as I stated in a post above, but they are nowhere near what a quality set of aids are/do.

Would one be satisified with reading glasses when they needed perscription glasses?

Dutchman
06-13-2013, 03:00 AM
I just recently learned that the company I retired from has a hearing aide benefit for retirees. $3,000/ear every 3 years. I've been retired since 1996 and never knew this benefit existed. My hearing in my right ear is very bad. Diesel engines, compressors, loud music, motorcycles.. I've always worn ear protection when shooting but there have been some few times a round got off without ear protection and man o man are guns ever loud!

Living alone and having bad ears is really no problem. But now I live in my daughter's household with 3 grandkids and I'm always saying "huh".

Dutch

smokemjoe
06-13-2013, 10:54 PM
I just got batteys from a place called eco gold, mail order from Ill. very good and about 1/2 price of store, look it up on the web ecogold. hope this helps some, sure like my new aids. Joe

2HighSpeed
06-13-2013, 11:00 PM
My 13 year old has a Oticon as well. The thing is amazing. Hes 80% deaf in his left ear but has perfect hearing in his right. Sensorioneural hearing loss. His is tiny, The gadget goes behind his ear and there is a ultra thin clear tube that goes in his ear with a dome on the end that transmits the sound. By far the best hearing aid he has ever had. He just got this one last week. I cant even notice he is wearing it unless I look for it!

waksupi
06-13-2013, 11:58 PM
If you buy batteries at a place like Walmart, never get them at the jewelry counter. Find the battery area, and save a few bucks, for the exact same battery. Same thing happens in grocery stores. They will have beans and rice in a couple locations, one always quite a bit cheaper. I don't know why, but that is how a lot of businesses are.

Down South
06-14-2013, 10:59 AM
Flebay is another good source for batteries in quanity. Just make sure that the seller lists the expiration date.

Adk Mike
06-14-2013, 08:09 PM
I' ve had them for 25 years. I'm 57. Life changing if you need em get them.

deep creek
06-14-2013, 09:22 PM
I got a little to close to an nva grenade and lots of gun fire.I get my hearing aids from the va and they are phonaks I really like them.I have a phone with blue thooth and wear a com pilot which feeds my phone calls to my hearing aids.As far as back ground noise it helps if you focus on who your talking to.You will start reading lips to if you focus and not realize it.Alot of the problems with hearing aids depends on how much you want to hear,me i have no choice.If you really want to hear youll put up with t5he small stuff.