Okay so a year ago I had a hearing test that showed I was moderate to mild loss three months before I had a really bad vertigo attack. Had to go to bed with hubbys help. Yesterday at Costco I had my hearing checked the lady used three beeps instead of one beep I know I didn't hear the first one on some of them but I did catch the last. I have scared ear drums. She said well you don't need aids I can't sell them to you. I was in tears. I miss a lot and I mean a lot of what goes on around me. I pulled out my hearing test from sams and she asked me a few questions. I also pulled out the one from 2006 as well that showed flat 20 lines. I know my hearing fluctuates a lot. I explained that to her. She shook her head and said I am going to call another audio. She came back and said okay after talking to him we will sell them to you but I don't think you need them. She fitted me and I walked around while hubby got his checked. When he found me he told me she asked him if I had trouble hearing. Of course hubby said yes because he sometimes has to be in my face for me to hear him. So I am a tad upset at this lady. Now that I have thought about it am confused. sound travels and builds so yes I would hear three beeps better then one. Also the sound is put right into my ear with no distractions or anything. She also did compound words and I got 4 out of 10 wrong and could only hear half of most of the words yet she has I got 100% on my paper. I know got them wrong because she did the same words on my good ear as my bad. Anyway does anyone have anything to add to this similar experience or thoughts? I have only had 3 hearing tests so far so new to this as well.
Oh, what an awful experience. Sorry to hear you went through that. Given my experience that sounds odd. I have had 4 hearing tests during the time with MM (or whatever it is). The first I was told I had normal hearing in both ears, but I could see that my bad ear was low in the normal range, and I knew that wasn't always the case, so I knew that was not good. The next year I had moderate hearing loss. A month later I felt my hearing was better and got tested again and it was mild to moderate. That told me that I have a good sense of my own hearing. This year I was told it was moderate to severe, which scared the heck out of me, but when I took a good look it wasn't that much worse than the worse when last year, and the day I was tested was not a great hearing day. About speech recognition. My speech recognition took a big dive this year. My speech therapist aunt showed me something called the hearing banana which is the range where we hear different sounds (you can Google it). That made me see that I had trouble with hearing words because I'd just barely cross some thresholds. I also could tell that I wasn't hearing the words, like you were. That doesn't fit my experience that you got 100%. Was 100% for the two ears together? If she measured them separately it seems like it would be different. I've been tested the 3 beeps and the 1 beep ways and they seemed pretty consistent. How was it walking around with the hearing aids? Could you go back to Sam's and be tested again there?
I have tested out hearing aids before wore them for two months. I cried when I had to give them back because we didn't have the funds at the time. I heard everyone and everything! I didn't have to ask my sons what they said except when they mumble. When I wore them at Costco again for about 45min I did have to turn them up from her setting. I heard everything again no problem I relaxed I wasn't struggling to hear my husband. Again when I took them off it was like someone put their hands over my ears again. Only think I can figure is that it was a good hearing day and I had regained some loss from the vertigo attack. I do go pick my aids up on the 4th and I look forward to it.
How wonderful that they helped so much, and that you are going to have some to keep. So nice to know that options is out there.
Do you have the same loss in both ears and if so do they fluctuate together? At my worst i had mild-moderate (50 dcb at worst) in my hydrops ear. ( The other ear is deaf. ) i suffered a lot of distortion in the hearing ear. I could not make them understand or perhaps it just wasnt relevant to the dr, that yes, i heard the beep, but the pitch didnt sound like the same pitch to me as to other people. Also i did better if they pulsed the sound as along with my jet engine tinnitus, i had occasional beeps of my own popping up. In addicition at that time it was the femal audiologist that said the words and i could understand women much better than men. So my audiogram didnt look all that bad to the dr. He told me i didnt need a hearing aid. I practically begged him to let me try and he did but because of my distortion, it only amplified the distortion, it didnt help so i didnt get one. My point is, that the audiogram only tells so much. I think we only know if an aid will help by trying one. For me no, for you yes.
June that sounds so much like me!! I wasn't sure I heard a beep and then when I knew I did it was the second or third one. It was a mechanical voice and I find those easier to hear. My left ear is my better according to everyone else my right ear is my hydrops. I hear equally bad fluctuations from both. I personally think I went bilateral just after the echo and vng test because I now have tinnitus in both ears and pressure off the scale at times painful in my left ear. I am overly sensitive to noise in my left more so then my right hearing aids help with that don't ask me why I don't know. I am sorry it won't help you June.
Thanks karen. I did get help though not with the hearing aid. Antivirals and allergy treatment brought my hearing to the normal range a few years ago. When that happened, all the crazy tinnitus, distortion, beeps, clanging and other stuff went away too. I hope you find that kind of relief as well.
Vestibular rehab. Did not prescribe me with any meds to help the fullness or the dizzy spells and no alternatives to the rehab I can't afford. It wasn't until I feel down the steps that I got meclizine from my family Doctor. I have become pretty good with walking and being active but I still need my stick some days.
And they charged me 200 dollars for a hearing test that wasn't even as indepth as the one I have had at Costco and sams that where free. Bella the Audios at Costco and sams are authorized audiologist. The One at sams had been doing it for over 20 years.
I think I would be looking for a new ENT doc if I were you. My ENT was very thorough and the audiology test was too. The audiology test took 30 minutes and the nystagmus test took an hour. It's unfortunate your insurance won't pay for an audiology test for you.
that was after insurance paid... I have been to three ENT's so far. One of them the best in the city. I just don't know where to go now.
When they did your hearing test at Costco, did they "mask" your good ear? Typically they do my hearing test and then once they test through, they go back and mask my good ear (static sound) which prevents the good ear from picking up the sound and allowing you to "hear" it with your other ear. If they didn't mask it, most likely that is why the results were not as expected. You could go to another Costco - every audiologist is different. My original ENT/audiologist told me that I could not use regular hearing aid for my left ear and would need a CROS (way more expensive). First Costco audiologist said she didn't agree and I could try a regular aid. Second Costco audiologist (different state since I moved) agreed. Originally I was fit and purchased through Costco - my aid was around $1250 all inclusive there. I didn't like their followup in terms of the adjustments and their aid felt "heavy" on my ear. My new ENT has an audiologist in the office. Tested one through her and it is fantastic. It is the "entry level" Oticon and cost was same as Costco. She offers free lifetime batteries and she had me come in 3-4 times in the first few months to make the minor adjustments. Of course the aid can't reconfigure itself during my "bad ear" days but it makes a huge difference the rest of the time. I would check a different Costco; order thru Sam's instead; or check around for other audiologists in your area that offer free hearing tests. Don't give up.
I use a cros since i am deaf in one ear and now have good hearing in the other. Costco in pittsburgh told me they did not sell cros aids.
Well I have to order through Costco they sell Resound aids for 1800 a pair. We can't afford them any where else. I was thinking about buying them then going to another Costco for follow up or something of that sort. She only masked for part of the time didn't mask my good ear only my bad. I have had better audios but I am sort of locked in buying from them due to money.