Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

My Hearing test results - hearing aid advice

32 replies

CallSignCharlie · 21/09/2019 22:30

I took a hearing test yesterday at a high street opticians . The results were quite poor - not entirely sure how to interpret the graph , but there was a big dip in the middle and it was way below the normal hearing line
They’ve advised me to make a gp appointment . But I guess I’ll be looking at some kind of hearing aid in the near future . Does anyone have any advice .Are in ear ones comfortable ? Do all hearing aids distort the noise ? I see that some are Bluetooth compatible, which look great but are £££ . Anyone tried those?
Just feeling a bit bewildered by choice and sad that I need them

OP posts:

Smashie11 · 21/09/2019 23:29

I finally admitted defeat and got my first hearing aids at the grand age of 42. My first hearing aids were Nhs ones and they were ok but not great. They were ok for in the house and watching the tv but as soon as I was out and about they were useless. It got to the point where I didn’t wear them out which kind of defeated getting them in the first place.

I went to a well known high street chemist and got a full hearing check. I have trouble hearing a lot of the tones as I have tinnitus so the ringing in my ears cancels out a lot. I did pay big bucks for the hearing aids I have now but oh my god they are so worth it!

They are behind the ear Bluetooth ones. I can link them to my phone by an app and adjust the volume accordingly. I can also Bluetooth my phone to them and hear calls through the hearing aids and leave my phone in my pocket. This is brilliant in noisy places where before I could not have taken a phone call.

I wear mine from the moment I get up until I go to bed. They are so comfortable I often find myself getting into bed with them still in and then have to get back up to put them in their docking station. If you can afford the Bluetooth ones I would definitely recommend them

EternallyGrapefruit · 21/09/2019 23:36

I'm in my early 30s. I use behind the ear NHS ones. I recommend starting with those and then deciding after a few weeks whether you want to upgrade.

Don't be sad! When we need glasses we just choose a nice pair - try to think of it in the same way!

I decorate mine

Original poster

CallSignCharlie · 21/09/2019 23:38

Thank you that’s just what I needed to hear . I’m 46, so like you feel I’m a bit on the early side to be getting them . I struggle to hear TV dramas and I’m often asking colleagues and friends to repeat themselves .

I love the idea of having them connected to my phone so I will definitely investigate that . I was going to try and get an nhs referral from my gp but it sounds like I might end up buying private anyway
Thanks again for your post

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General health

Original poster

CallSignCharlie · 21/09/2019 23:40

Thanks grapefruit - I missed your post while typing mine .
That might be good advice to start with NHS and see how I go .
And I’ll treat them just like my glasses

OP posts:

happinessischocolate · 21/09/2019 23:42

I'd go to the doctors and get a referral to the audiology dept. They can then tell you what hearing loss you have, for example I cannot hear high pitched sounds at all, no matter how much you amplify them and my hearing on other sounds varies. Hearing aids are programmed to amplify each sound depending on the hearing loss of the user. The nhs aids have improved massively in the passed couple of years, when they first went digital there were barely useable outside of the house and I went back to using analog for a couple of years. They seemed to have sorted the problems out now.

If you can afford private ones then great, but it's always handy to have nhs ones as a back up

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 21/09/2019 23:50

I have hearing aids, bought privately at an eyewatering cost. Oticon On OTEs. I got my life back.

Please be aware that most if not all aids will only work with Apple products. The Bluetooth Low Energy protocol is a proprietary system, and while Android are catching up, they're not there yet.

EternallyGrapefruit · 21/09/2019 23:55

I really hope it's a positive experience for you. It feels very strange having sound back at first, but stick with it.

When I was first referred to audio, I had my HAs fitted and 'tuned' ready to take home a fortnight later.

definitelyshouldknowbetter · 22/09/2019 00:03

This is interesting, I have severe loss in one ear that seems to have deteriorated over time. I had an nhs aid and couldn’t get on with it at all so I don’t use it, I cope ok but my husband does get very frustrated with me as I can only walk on one side of him otherwise I can’t hear and if I’m asleep on my good ear with my bad side out IYSWIM then I never hear the kids if they wake up.

Those of you that paid privately, did you find a big difference between NHS ones? And roughly how much were they?

CakeInMyFace · 22/09/2019 08:14

Hi I am 42 and have had them since I was just 31. It was hard to accept at first and I found myself embarrassed if people noticed them but now I am totally fine with it and I see lots of people who wear them too!

I have always had NHS ones - for those who have private ones, can I ask the approximate cost and where you went? My NHS ones are pretty good, but I am having trouble hearing using a work telephone (just started a new job) and need them at full volume- which means background noise is awful and I have a headache by the end of the day.

It is daunting at first because when you first wear them you can hear things you didnt even realise you were missing. For me it was birds chirping! Mine are tinnitus problems so lots I couldn't hear before. Like another poster I wear mine morning till night and wouldn't ever be without them...I feel quite vulnerable without them in now! Xx

notapizzaeater · 22/09/2019 08:42

I have tinnitus and am about to book a hearing test - an you get little ones that go in the ear ? I like to have my hair in a ponytail so dint really want the over the ear ones

Original poster

CallSignCharlie · 22/09/2019 09:14

I like the idea of in ear ones as well . I’m feeling very self conscious about the idea of wearing them . But I also like the idea of Bluetooth and they all seem to be behind the ear with a bud that sits in the ear

I’m making a doctors appointment tomorrow to get the ball rolling

I would love to know where others have got theirs from. Are Boots / Specsavers the best places to go ?

OP posts:

jackparlabane · 22/09/2019 09:33

I've had hearing aids for 30 years now. The quality of the earmould (if there is one) and the programming is much more important than the make of aid, so you're better off using the NHS but bear in mind you may need to go back a couple times if it turns out the aid is uncomfortable or certain noises trigger feedback screeching.

Tiny in the ear aids aren't great and are only for people who are embarrassed to have aids and won't be persuaded to have anything bigger. Trust me, people really do not notice typical behind the ear aids and if they do, usually assume they are earphones...

If you have a standard 'age related' loss, ie there's a slope and the high frequencies are what is lost, then the service at Boots /Specsavers should be adequate as its what they do every day. In some areas they only do that (sometimes only for over 60s). If however you have a more unusual hearing loss like mostly middle frequencies (cookie-bite loss) then I'd go to a hospital audiology unit - they may send you anyway.
You should be able to choose the colour of aid and earmould (some aids now come open-fit, which means just a tube going into your ear canal), but often staff don't offer as too many embarrassed elderly want beige (personally, I'd go for black as it looks like tech and the silver is only paint and wears off), so ask.

You'll probably have an appt to decide what sort of aid would suit and then one to set it up, and then a review after you've used it for a few weeks. Some switch automatically between programs, most now don't have off switches so you have to open the battery a bit. Apparently people who have had aids for decades demand much more control over their tech and are pains in the arse for audiologists!

The quality of amplification is so much better than 20 years ago. Definitely get aids if recommended as if you stop hearing noises for too long, your brain will forget how to decode them - big problem with above mentioned embarrassed elderly who refuse aids for years then finally get them and they aren't much help....

jackparlabane · 22/09/2019 09:36

Just to clarify - the NHS contract out parts of their hearing aid services to Boots/Specsavers in various areas, usually the more standard needs. Some of the same Boots/Specsavers may also sell aids privately. Don't get those. Its the time taken to set up the aid that makes much more difference, especially when going from no aid to having them.

happinessischocolate · 22/09/2019 10:33

My NHS ones are pretty good, but I am having trouble hearing using a work telephone (just started a new job) and need them at full volume- which means background noise is awful and I have a headache by the end of the day.

You'll probably need to change the phone rather than the hearing aid.

In my last job I couldn't hear on the phone so they got me one one of those old people phones with the massive numbers and volume control, but in my new job my hearing aid on the tswitch is compatible with their standard switchboard phone and I can also increase the handset volume.

Squirrelblanket · 22/09/2019 10:55

My husband has had hearing aids for the last ten years. The NHS ones worked very well but they are quite ugly, so he's always bought them privately.

He's tried both the in-ear and over-ear options and prefers the over-ear ones. They are much more comfortable, less prone to developing problems and issues (and easier to repair if they do) and these days they are pretty discreet looking.

He's tried both Specsavers and Boots and we've found that the service from Boots is way superior to Specsavers.

TroysMammy · 22/09/2019 10:59

If you have a hearing aid you can get a disabled adult rail card. £20 for the year and you get 1/3 off train travel. If you are travelling at the same time with another adult they are classed as your carer and also get 1/3 off train travel.

EternallyGrapefruit · 22/09/2019 11:43

TroysMammy

I didn't know this?! My DC also wears them - any other advice?

jackparlabane · 22/09/2019 11:51

You can also get a CEA card for a companion to go to the cinema, £10 a year, but can't be used with children or family tickets or long list of exclusions so I gave up on it.

I don't watch TV without subtitles any more as its too exhausting - I stopped getting depressed after that decision, too.

jackparlabane · 22/09/2019 11:53

If looking for an amplified phone or to see what kit exists, go to Connevans website. They are really helpful and will answer emails!

Phillipa12 · 22/09/2019 12:03

Sounds like a cookie bite hearing loss if it dips in the middle. Agree with everything jack says, my ds1 has a cookie bite hearing loss picked up at birth, his aids are green, they do some fabulous colours, my theory was that aids on adults go unnoticed as people tend to just assume age related loss like when you eventually have to give in and buy reading glasses, everyone did a double take when they saw ds wearing his aids so we gave them something to stare at, he gets tonnes of compliments.

MrsCasares · 22/09/2019 13:18

I have cookie bite hearing loss. Went to boots audiology who where great. I think I may have the same aids as smashie. Rechargeable, bluetooth.

They have changed my life.

TroysMammy · 22/09/2019 13:27

EternallyGrapefruit you just need consultants letter showing hearing aids provided and it can all be done online as an attachment. I think you can then get admission to certain attractions cheaper when purchasing a ticket.

I rarely use mine as working in a GP surgery it's too noisy. Especially when children use the bead and metal puzzle toy!

When I first used it the picture on the tv didn't match the dialogue I was hearing. I found out it was my then deaf elderly neighbour had his tv on the opposite wall on full blast. It was his tv I heard not mine .

peridito · 22/09/2019 14:18

Just to say close friend has recently got NHS ones . They are behind the ear ,barely noticeable .

She is thrilled .She had some NHS ones 7 yrs ago and says these are completely different in sound quality .So if you've had NHS ones in the past and been disappointed might be worth trying again .

BenWillbondsPants · 22/09/2019 15:04

I've been wearing hearing aids for almost 30 years.

The NHS ones have improved dramatically over the years. My FIL spend about £3K on aids a couple of years ago and never wears them because the annoy him.

yellowsun · 22/09/2019 16:56

Just got back from specsavers who have recommend I should be getting some for my right ear at least (and possibly my left). He recommended the ones that sit outside of the ear. Not sure I’m ready for it although I knew what they were going to say (I’m 38).

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread