Hearing aids

[Rshard]

Does anyone wear them? Have always suffered from ear infections and been struggling with my hearing for a while, mainly when there's background noise so have had my hearing tested. I work in an open plan office so quite difficult there.

Was a little surprised to learn that I've got conductive and sensorineural(sp) hearing loss in both ears. And that I would benefit from hearing aids! I've been referred to the hospital and am just waiting for an appointment.

Just wondering how people get on with them, what sort they have etc.

Thanks in advance

Hello! I've worm them since 2007. I've got Otosclerosis. It was hard at first getting used to them, I'll be honest. Intially I had in-the-ear 'hidden' digital aids but my hearing has got worse and I've got nhs digital behind the ear ones now. I still struggle in some situations, like larger groups or large high ceilinged rooms but my hearing loss is now classed as severe so I couldn't manage without them.

Sorry I meant to add that one of the things I struggled with at first was that sound through the hearing aids didn't seem 'natural' to me, almost slight robotic! But I'm completely used to it now and it does seen natural to me now!

Worn them for 30 years - they do sound odd at first and take some getting used to. The important thing is to wear them all the time so you do get used to them. Also most NHS aids are digital, so there are a number of esttings that can be made. To begin with, listen to the audiologist, but over time they can be adjusted to suit you better.
Make notes of when they are good and when not so good, so settings can be adjusted to help.
When you have them, let us know what they are and we can advise more.

On another point, i have otosclorosis as well and recently had a stapendectomy which has improved my hearing tremendously, although I still need aids. If you have only just noticed an issue, then this may make for a number more hearing aid free years, so talk to your ENT surgeon.

Thanks so much for your replies! Really good advice, especially about making notes of when they are good or not.

Interesting that you mentioned high ceilinged rooms, as well as being open plan, my office has a high vaulted ceiling. DD swims a lot and I find swimming pools very difficult!!

The audiologist I saw said i will notice a big difference when I get them because my hearing has been declining over a period of time I won't have realised quite how bad it's got!

Thanks again

I have worn them for 12 years and they are fantastic, I couldn't cope without them now! They do take some getting used to but it's definitely worth it.

If your ear infections get worse when you have them it might be worth asking if you can try the hypoallergenic ear moulds. I have these and although they a bugger to get to sit comfortably in your ears (the audiologist will adjust them for you) I rarely get ear infections now, so totally worth it :)

Good luck with it, it can be quite an overwhelming feeling suddenly getting your hearing back... in a good way though! :)

Just a note that what is available on the NHS is way worse than what you get if you pay yourself (even though the NHS do offer digital). About £5000 for a pair of really good ones.

Of course it is a huge amount of money .... but worth it in my case.

bumps That's not true according to my audiologist

The quality of NHS hearing aids actually varies depending on which Foundation Trust your hospital is part of. Some just use different brands than others. I've had Siemens ones in the past which were good for all the different settings you can have but aesthetically they weren't amazing. I now have Danalogic ones and although they don't have some of the fancy settings that the Siemens ones have they are much better looking. They're smaller and you can choose from a range of colours to match your skin/hair. I chose dark brown to match my hair as it's long and covers my ears anyway so I find the dark brown less conspicuous.

I have sensorineural deafness too and have worn hearing aids for about 25 years, I'd be list without them.

Hearing aids will never make you 'not deaf' and do take a lot of getting used to but it's important that you persevere.

NHS digital ones are excellent nowadays, I've been very impressed with mine. As the years have gone on and my hearing has deteriorated I've had to invest in expensive ones but it might not be necessary for you.

Access to Work helped to pay for my NHS digital ones once the NHS confirmed they couldn't supply them.
Just something to bear in mind for the future.

I've had to wear hearing aids for around 8 years. It was originally thought that I had noise damage caused by listening to loud music as a teenager, but they now think it is linked to Hashimoto's Disease, which was only diagnosed 4 years ago. I have been asked, very seriously, if I was ever in a war zone, as the damage to one ear is particularly bad.

The first ones I had were awful, the sort where the ear is blocked by a specially-moulded piece and the sound fed in. I never ever got used to them - the sound was all wrong, the noise in "noisy" places was dreadful, and I couldn't differentiate between the person in front of me talking and someone on the other side of the room, and I couldn't use a phone without removing them. A relative has these (was all he could get on the NHS) and also struggles, but refuses to accept that there are better options available.

I have had digital, behind-the-ear hearing aids for around 6 years now, and can honestly say that I do not even remember that I am wearing them. I can't feel them on or in my ears.

When I originally had my hearing tested, I was told that the wait for anything on the NHS was "years", so I went to a private high street hearing centre. I paid £1500 for the pair, I get free hearing checks and replacement parts if needed. Mine are now 6 years old and positively antique compared to the newer versions, but are working well. Newer versions of what I have now cost a similar amount - you can pay more if you want more "features" (like being able to wear them swimming or in the shower apparently!)

I know a couple of people who wear hearing aids, and they are so self-conscious about them, but mine really don't worry me. I hadn't realised how bad my hearing was, I was just very happy that I could actually hear properly again. I used to work with small children, and they called them my "magic ears" as I told them that I could hear everything they did, even if they were in another room (worked wonders for their behaviour).