Hearing loss anyone have positive hearing aid stories

[bobdylannumber1]

Im.51 and had hearing issues a while now maybe 5 years. Eventually last November I went to have a hearing test the audiologist was surprised i was so bad at my age suggested it may be medical issue. I had an ENT appointment before christnas a CT Scan which showed nothing sinister. Which was great but doesn't help.my situatiom. After the ct scan he said come.back ill.look at you again so.qemt back another hearing test and another look he saidnum.at hearing aid levels.i said can tou do nothing he said cime back in.a.year well keep an eye on you im quiet upset that hearing aids ate my only option. I won't get aids yet as I don't want to cant afford and I think im doing OK ish. My family speak loud amd I've told my friends in work abiut the situation. Does anyone have positive stories of hearing aids .

I went out for a curry last night. Sat at a table in the middle of the restaurant. I had to lip read so much. The background noise was unbearable.
just others talking really stopped me hearing clearly. 😩

I have asked in the past for music to be turned down. Once I discovered I was seated by the sound system. I gradually reduced, then , ahh.. eliminated its noise.

From Which .....
There's a myth that the NHS produces its own, inferior hearing aids. The NHS doesn’t produce its own hearing aids, but holds a special contract with the top manufacturers in the industry - the same manufacturers who also sell privately. Hearing aids on the NHS are free and digital as standard.

In other words, going private is a con. As I said upthread - I was seen within 2 weeks and walked out of that first appointment wearing my hearing aids.

My aids (Siemens) have a small button on the top and I can alter them to take account of the circumstances I am in and the ambient noise. Everything is and was completely free. I was given aids that aesthetically were best for me - I have very dark hair, so was given darker aids.

The have transformed my life - the birdsong has been a joy. And when I am in a classical concert I can choose to have them on normal, or quieter or indeed simply turn them off and enjoy the gentle blur.

I did not do the business of gradually putting them in - I just bunged them in and left them in all day every day. To start with I was amazed at the clattering in the cutlery drawer! - but it only took a few days to get used to it.

I echo everyone else's stories! My DH resisted getting them for several years, but thank goodness he did!

I know exactly when the battery in his (NHS) hearing aid is dying because he gets irritable, shouts at us to speak up, finds it difficult if more than one of us talks at the same time at the dinner table, and comes to mad conclusions about whatever we're chatting about. When they're working again, he goes back to his calmer, more relaxed, happier social self.

Hearing aids are a total marriage-saver. And he can hear the birds singing again 🙂Please get them if you can, earlier rather than later.

I have been to the audiologist today. I am going to have two new hearing aids with all the latest technology, including Bluetooth for my phone. I get them on June 15th. I am really looking forward to them and consider myself very blessed as they would cost thousands of pounds privately and in many other countries but I get them free on the NHS.

*In other words, going privately is a con
*
Sorry, this isn't accurate at all, I can assure you! Yes NHS departments offer hearing aids by the "leading manufacturers" but this in no way means it's the latest version of technology available to the market!

Bluetooth hearing aids have been around commonly for about 5 or 6 years now. So even though some NHS departments will offer these, they are often 2-3 generations behind what is actually available privately. They are not the exact same thing. Plus, NHS provision is extremely dependent on the area you're in, don't think for a second that everyone in the UK has access to top of the range hearing aids by being referred by their GP.

Where I am, it would be at least a year to be seen initially, then another 5 months to be fitted with a single hearing aid. Private provision has an important place in society and personally I've been able to help many people who have been severely let down by the NHS or told they aren't bad enough for hearing aids so won't be given them despite clearly struggling.

Not me but my other half has 30-40% hearing loss in both ears and has two hearing aids, he got them when he was 30 (NHS). It's been amazing.

Even the advice from the audiologist was great when they were adjusting his settings, things like when in a restaurant or pub, try sitting with your back to a wall because of the way the sound reverberates round the room.

He did find the combo of glasses, hearing aids and masks a bit much for his ears and often they get quite dry and sore round the top. Does anyone else get this/have a magic solution?

im going to agree to aids on my next ent appt. Have been putting it off a bit but these replies convinced me!

Thank you for all the replies , I.had a sample little amplifer thing about a week ago i from the company I had the hearing test with it was dreadful and the plastic thing got stuck im.my ear canal and i had to fish it out with tweezers. its getting very difficult and hard to hear so today I spoke to another hearing centre they were lovely and im havjng a hearing test next week. I know it will.improve my quality of life thanks again

My NHS hearing aids are neither digital not Bluetooth. I had not had a check up for four years and when I finally got to see the audiologist and asked if more technologically advanced sis were available he told me a flat no. He did say some ‘smart’ aids were rumoured to be coming but no one knew when, probably not until next year at the earliest. Rather disappointing, but it least my current kit does help me!

DS (23) has severe hearing loss in one ear and moderate loss in the other. No obvious reason for it and awaiting an MRI scan.
In the meantime, hearing aids have made a huge difference. They're NHS over the ear ones but very small. Controlled through an app. He's in Wales if that makes any difference to the type you're able to get.

Im getting the hearing test tomorrow will definitely get aids i looked up the in canal ones like they sell 3k with prsi grant ( Ireland) but they are on the Internet fir aboit €600 what is that all about would they be fake or what has anyone gotten aids online

I don't understand it either when I see someone say about online ones

Don't buy anything online.

For starters, it's not as easy as just picking from a line up which hearing aids you would like, there are many reasons why some may be more suitable than others for your particular ear shape, lifestyle and hearing needs. Many aids can look exactly the same on the outside but perform in vastly different ways.

This is why it's best to see an audiologist who is qualified to assess your needs and make recommendations based on all those factors so you can make an informed choice.

If you buy online I guarantee you won't end up with something satisfactory, and you won't be able to find an audiologist willing to take on your care if and when you have issues. Where I work charges £500 per aid per year for taking on aftercare in this situation.

Thanks yes understand they can't be same as you've said

Update, went to the audiologist lovely person gave me hearing test with headphones and then 2 other ones with a band, she said the same thing as the 1st audiologist said that my middle ear is not working amd it indicates a blockage, she was surprised that the ENT DR only did 1 hearing test,.
I already had a scan no indication of anything, I wasn't impressed by the ENT DR last year, he was very abrupt no bedside manner said ill arrange a scan, had that and chased him for a week to get results. He eventually called me said nothing sinister showed up and come back to see him. He gave me a hearing test looked in my ears and said come back in 12 months. I paid him €200 first time and €80 second time. I am going to.get another ENT DR in the next few weeks.whatndo.you all think of that.

I am not surprised, unfortunately. Apparently, the thinking is that surgeons/consultants have the highest rate of undiagnosed autism among professionals. They are only interested in the part of the body they specialise in and forget about the human being who owns it. My new ENT specialist (top consultant) greeted me by mumbling to his computer. I asked him to face me as l could not hear him otherwise - of all departments wouldn’t you have thought the ENT specialist would have known to face the patient? I have to have a procedure on my right ear under local anaesthetic performed by him on Tuesday and I am not looking forward to it, which is ridiculous when I consider that all the major operations l have had on my left ear. I have to say that the bedside manner of my previous consultants was severely lacking too, although they performed miracles on my ear. By contrast, my audiologist has been truly lovely.
I think you have been treated very badly and hope that a different consultant will get to the bottom of your problems. With any luck, if it is a conductive hearing loss caused by some sort of blockage in your middle ear, it will be treatable and hopefully you will not n hearing aids after all. Please let us know how you get on.

*need

I was 33 when I got NHS hearing aids and they were a full ear mould which I found painful. I got private hearing aids 18 months ago and am much more comfortable, the model I have is more powerful as lost more hearing in the intervening years

The NHS ones helped but the private ones have really made the difference for me

Thank you violin your reply is most helpful, I am on the case I have a contact in a hospital im just trying to find the best ENT.. I will update.

All the replies I've gotten here are most helpful good liok with your op on Tuesday Violin

Thank you.

My take on this is it’s like autocorrect on your phone if you have a dodgy touchscreen and it’s not typing your words correctly; it just supplies words according to a frequency-of-use algorithm.

Knowing words have been spoken without them making any sense sends you insane with frustration. I have been known to parrot back what I do hear, which bewilders DH at times but curiously doesn’t make him more sympathetic

UPDATE:. I dragged my feet for a long time with this, a few weeks ago I went to.a PRIVATE ENT consultant. He basically said he could do.nothing for me my little bones in my ears had rusted and an operation could make me worse. So last week I.had am appointment with an audiologist ( I'd been a year ago also so hearing the same no worse which is good no reason fir the hearing loss genetic maybe ) so im getting in ear hearing aids.widex 330 ,anyone have these just under 3 thousand. I'm looking forward but also dreading any tips on getting used to them I know it will take perseverance