Hearing aids - how to choose?!?

[PeskyandIknowit]

Totally new to the world of hearing aids, I've been diagnosed with moderate mid range loss in both ears. I'm seeing an audiologist next week to look at hearing aids and he suggested having a look at their website first. There are so many different brands, never mind the different types!!
How do you choose? Has anyone any advice on type of device for mid range hearing loss? Behind the ear, in the ear, receiver in ear?! Help!

I was diagnosed with low frequency hearing loss 3 years ago. Probably stems from measles as a child as my hearing has always been imperfect.
I started by getting a free assessment at Boots. I was quite impressed with what they had to offer but went away to think about it.
I decided to try NHS first. Partly becuase I wanted to have a formal NHS assessment and try them out and partly because hearing aids can need constant maintenance and parts and faced with a lifetime of paying I thought I would try the free option first.
The wait wasn't too long and I get on fine with my aids. My hearing loss is low frequency so male voices are the main problem (I could barely hear softly spoken DS).
I'm glad I tried the NHS ones but may consider private eventually. My sister has severe hearing loss and has had to have new aids frequently.

Hi @Lollygaggle - I'm very intrigued by the drier you've linked to. I've never heard of needing to do this. My aids are BTE ones. No moulds. Just the tubes which don't seem to get wax in them much at all. How necessary is a drier? @TheSnailAndTheWaaaail would be great to have your take too (so helpful to have experts chipping in here!)

@bucketoflego

All private audiologists are fully registered and are bound by the same clinical guidelines as the NHS and if anything is of concern in your medical history or test results that hasn't previously been investigated by ENT you will be referred back to your GP for onward referral to ENT.

NHS provision varies hugely depending on where you are in the UK. I have several clients who are GPs and actively choose private over the NHS in our area.

You will likely be fine at Boots. They're top of the High Street providers according to Which, but like anywhere there will obviously be good people and not so good people like in any walk of life! Don't be afraid to shop around, nowhere will price match nowadays but you will get a feel for whether you trust your Audiologist or not, and that's the most important thing.

I have been happy with Specsavers and the wait was shorter than at the hospital, still nhs.
As an aside hearing aid wearers can get a disabled railcard which covers you and one companion.

Probably more necessary with a full ear mould as you can see moisture in tubes etc because it's very enclosed and little space to breathe.
Also if you exercise and sweat alot eg jogging it's surprising how much moisture builds up. At night, at least , if nothing else open up battery compartment to let it dry in sweaty weather.

@friskybivalves

If you've a BTE aid with mould and tube you won't generally need a dry box. Sometimes you might see a bubble of moisture in the bend of the tube and you can get little puffers to blow it dry. Generally not necessary though!

I have low frequency loss in one ear and no hearing at all in the other. This resulted from a virus in my 20s. Over the years I learned to cope but as my high frequencies dropped off with age, I started to struggle.

I first had aids from a private provider. They were sort of OK but not wonderful and I gave up wearing them.

Then I had NHS aids. They were pretty basic and I was not treated well by the audiologist, who I think had little experience of what is I believe an uncommon hearing loss and expected me to cope with an off the shelf solution.

Finally I went to a different private audiologist, who was recommended to me. She was brilliant. I am more than happy with the aids I have now.

So I think that the skill and experience of the audiologist in dealing with your particular type of hearing loss is the most important thing by far. It's also important to consider the time they will be able to give you as learning to use the aids to the full can be a lengthy process.

Thank you @TheSnailAndTheWaaaail I appreciate that. I chose Boots as it is very close to me and I considered ease and convenience of any future visits for maintenance and repair. We are very fortunate that our GP surgery is great, you always get an appointment either phone or in person so should I not get on with Boots I can always go that route.

@TheSnailAndTheWaaaail all your replies have been spot on. I've worn hearing aids since I was 5. Please can you recommend a place to buy kit to clean the hearing aids with? I have full ear moulds and they get pretty disgusting.

Specsavers sell kits and I've seen them in various chemists as well as Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hearing-Cleaning-Amplifier-Earphone-Accessories/dp/B0979GBQYZ/ref=asc_df_B0979GBQYZ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=606606914074&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=789483061393430023&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046499&hvtargid=pla-1731718468235&psc=1

We've also used a small ultrasonic cleaner , the same as for jewellery, which you dip moulds and tubes in which also gets things really clean.

If you have soft silicone moulds they will discolour no matter how well you clean them unfortunately. Just take them apart and clean in a mild soapy solution, I don't think there's much need to buy anything hearing aid specific.

If they get very discoloured I'd just get new ones made. I do it for NHS patients and just charge them the retail price (could be anything from 25-100 quid a pair depending on material). Or if you're NHS just ask for new ones at your next appointment.

Thank you @TheSnailAndTheWaaaail and @Lollygaggle

@TheSnailAndTheWaaaail Well I gave Boots a chance, I am unconvinced as to the assessment but then I question the method of the same sound at quieter levels, so play it loud, yes I can hear that, play it a bit softer, and a bit softer but then my brain is expecting it so am I actually hearing it or is it like when someone's house alarm has been going off for ages and you think you can still hear it when it has stopped? I don't know why he didn't mix them up. Basically he is saying my right ear and left ear are basically the same which I know is untrue from wearing headphones, people talking on my hearing loss side, even when I lie on one side compared to the other and what I can hear.

He then proceeds to do a great impression of Joey in Friends where they realise Rachel has made a beef trifle, with the rub your tummy and say mmm. He says get people to articulate their words and put your back to the noisy room after I explained when I go out to dinner every month with friends I struggle to hear them and rely on lip reading half the time. He said I gave you the full hearing test as we had time, you mean like the appointment I booked and you were late to? How long is that supposed to last because it felt very brief unlike when I had a medical for a job where they confirmed the hearing loss.

He said my hearing loss is in the mild category and hearing aids wouldn't help. I am now thinking of paying for a private assessment but I have come away once again dismissed by the medical profession. Feel like I have been gaslit.

Does your gp do hearing tests? With all of us that's been the gateway to audiology .

This has always proved to be a good first test https://rnid.org.uk/information-and-support/take-online-hearing-check/

@bucketoflego

Oh I'm so sorry you were dismissed like that, that absolutely isn't on. As I said, you'll find good and bad in every profession and it sounds like you were unlucky in that regard.

It's perfectly possible to have a very mild hearing loss by clinical standards but still notice a degree of difficulty in social situations. You could have an element of Auditory Processing Disorder on top of the hearing loss which will make you feel like your hearing is worse than it turns out on a hearing test. Sometimes hearing aids help this by adding in an element of artificial processing of noise to help you, but often with mild losses it's a case of trying hearing aids to see if they make a difference or not for you. Some people get great benefit and others don't.

But personally I don't feel it's up to me as a clinician to make that decision for my client who is obviously struggling and looking for help.

In terms of the method of testing. That is Pure Tone Audiometry and the only way to test your threshold of hearing. The method is set out by the British Academy of Audiology and we have to follow detailed guidance on the exact way to perform it. It will seem like you can predict it but that's not actually the case, so don't worry!

@Lollygaggle I did that one and quite frankly it scared me as I couldn't hear some of the numbers. It said I probably had hearing loss which is why I booked an appointment, plus my Dh and my sons have to repeat stuff for me.

@TheSnailAndTheWaaaail thank you for that. I have just looked at private testing locally and they do the tone test but also speech in quiet and speech in noise alongside a whole host of other tests like ear drum pressure tests and threshold Equalising Noise Tests to identify cochlea dead regions. He didn't mention anything about APD which I have just looked up and will look more into that. I will keep looking into it but it is hard when you are dismissed by a professional who wasn't that professional in terms of keeping me waiting. I thought he was talking to a customer, I now think he was just chatting to his colleague. There was no reception to report to etc. He then asked me if I had an appointment. So he didn't even know if there were people scheduled in when surely this is something you check when you come in to work each day. I hope Boots asks for my feedback.

I do know that Boots can do speech in noise testing as well but only as part of a Full Hearing Assessment which is a long appointment. Cochlear dead regions would show up as you not responding at all to certain tones at up to 120dB which wouldn't be the case if your hearing loss was mild overall. Absolutely do go for an assessment and see what they say. I hope you feel listened to as that's very important. Ideally you should have a demo of some hearing aids in the assessment to see if you notice the difference or not. I always encourage people to shop around until they feel comfortable with the Audiologist, as it's a long term professional relationship you're entering in to and you absolutely have to feel you can trust them!

Also as an aside, In my work I frequently have to ask people if they have an appointment as we have fully booked clinics and still get lots of folks turning up hoping to be seen without an appointment. In my case it doesn't mean I don't know who I'm expecting.

Tympanometry (the pressure test) will show the compliance of your eardrum and checks for things like glue ear (fluid behind the eardrum). It takes 10 seconds but actually Bone Conduction audiometry (which should be done immediately after the headphones/inserts) will also tell the audiologist if you have a problem with your eardrum or middle ear.

I've just been through this process. I've got about 40% hearing loss which is mainly linked to clarity. I.e. I can hear everything, it just lacks clarity.

I had 2 tests. One at spec savers and then a proper long one at Hidden Hearing. I've gone for the behind ear ones with a tiny clear tube going into my ear. You can hardly see them, most people don't even know. Honesty changed my life. I cried when I heard for the first time properly. Improved my interactions so much.

I've got the same ones as you, they are really good. If it makes you feel better , I'm 46 and was in denial for a while ! Mine get slipping out also but got the bud size sorted and they are great. I am finding them a bit hot to wear in the summer so taking them out a bit more when they're not needed so much.

I went to an independent audiologist and have a no obligation free trial of some receiver in ear aids. The difference is amazing!!
I am getting aches where the wire goes over the ear though, I don't think the fit is quite right with my glasses or maybe I'll get used to it.
But I had a conversation with my husband around a doorway and didn't miss a word 🤯
Seeing the audiologist again in a couple of weeks to feedback and decide what to do next

Definitely worth getting them adjusted. My buds weren't quite fitting correctly and now do.

Ha I'm the same, people can now talk to the back of my head !

I'm so glad you've had a positive experience so far. It is amazing when you realise what you have been missing! But yes - if the bit on top is digging in then do ask if they can be jiggled around a bit. Or you might be able to put a tiny bit of moleskin padding in between where your glasses go?