Well, I've had MD for several years, maybe 16 or 17. My left ear has lost most hearing over the years. Unfortunately, the hearing in my good (right) ear suddenly went down by about 50% just in one day! The next day it was gone 100%! I couldn't even hear my own voice. Happily, that only lasted for a couple of hours and it went back up to about 75% of where it was before. So, I immediately went on Amazon and ordered a set of Jabra Enhance Plus, ITE = In The Ear hearing aids. They worked so so, but were very uncomfortable. So, I went to a HearUSA location. I had a free hearing test which was extremely thorough, I was impressed. They found the hearing in my left ear was very bad. There were two word recognition tests and I got 16% on one and 0% on the other, in that ear and about 80% in my good ear, which was having a good day that day. They recommended a Widex Moment set which is BTE, behind the ear and RIC, receiver in the canal. They gave me a set to try for 7 days. They also do a lot of tuning before sending you out the door, which you don't get with buying OTC. These are pricey though - i.e. $6,000. They were ok but they agreed with me that the bad ear one actually made things worse so I wore the good ear one for a few days. I was not too impressed. I was disappointed that I still couldn't hear people if they were sitting on my left. Also the sounds weren't very natural and I could hear myself chewing etc. Anyway, there is another brand, Signia that has a CROS ability. This means the aid in my bad ear just takes the sounds it hears and sends it to the aid in my right ear. They didn't have a loaner set so I had to buy them and they ordered them. They came in 2 days and I got them today. They are much better! Better sound and it seems I can hear stuff on my left. We went out for pizza tonight and I could hear my wife sitting across the table from me in a very noisy restaurant! These definitely have potential. I have 60 days to try them and can take them back for a refund if I want. Unfortunately, the Signia brand has a model - Styletto, that has a slimmer body that sits behind or on the ear. But the HearUSA guy ordered a "fatter" one. Both the aids I've tried so far irritate my ear on the top. I wear glasses and there is not a lot of room up there. So, this is just day one and I will continue to test them out. IF hte technology works well, my guess is I will return them and get the same thing only in the slimmer model. They all have apps that work best with iPhone to adjust certain settings, such as volume. We have not set up the app yet as my agent wants me to try them without messing around with settings etc. If you are essentially deaf in one ear, these should be something for you to check out. Even if you are just with reduced hearing, they are worth a look. I will update this thread as the testing proceeds.
I have tried them all- regular, cross, bi cross. Audiologists aids are way overpriced, it's shameful for what they charge and make on aids. They have been raping the consumer for decades. I have one from Costco (no need for two- almost deaf in bad ear), it cost $ 1,000, the best I tried, pairs to phone. It's a Phillips. Costco has a very liberal trial and warranty period.
What brand did you get Yellowboy? I know several people who got theirs at Costco and are happy with them. Costco is a great company. I'm on day 2 with my Signia and am really surprised at how much better they are than the Widex, for me.
Everyone is different, but there is only so much you can improve hearing with this #$%@ disease. Audiologists will sell you anything to up their commission, but most don't really know what we deal with. I got tired of dealing with their "used car" pressure tactics.
I'm four years into the Signia CROS hearing aids, the connection to the phone is great for talking/ringing on the cellphone. I don't usually change the settings but in an noisy environment(bowling night) I sometimes pull out the aid in the dead ear(labyrinthectomy) because the background noise is too much. I also wear reading glasses and that can cause some clicking sounds from movement around the ear.
Ha! Good to know. My hearing in my good ear fluctuates so much Today it is really bad so the Signia has it's work cut out for it. Yesterday was much better. Without the Hearing aids, I don't think I would hear anything today.
I’ve had my hearing aids for a year now.Went thru my Insurance United Healthcare .They have there own brand that is manufactured by a leading brand.Same Warranty has the high dollar ones at half the price.Very Satisfied
My ent Dr has been wanting me to get hearing aids. But, my amazing neurologist (yes! A great one! I didn’t know there was such a thing!!) said it would help my brain/memory. So, thank you for all the input. My health insurance will help. Does Costco accept health insurance? Thanks to all who are sharing ) … I know nothing about hearing aids and I’ll be embarrassed wearing them.
I wouldn't worry about being embarrassed. The ones I am wearing right now are almost invisible. The body sits on top of my ear and the speaker is buried deep in my ear canal. I am still finding them a bit uncomfortable to wear, the top of my ears gets sore, where the main body sits. My hair is long and shaggy (senior hippy), and covers the top of my ears. It's probably more embarrassing making people repeat themselves or nodding as if you understood and haven't a clue.
Mine was the same way.After doing a little research crazy how much your hearing plays in balance,brain function,etc.
LOL - good idea! I actually had a dream last night about that. In my dream I was washing my hearing aids in the sink with soap and water when I all of a sudden remembered that was a no no. Then I was frantically drying them off in a towel
You get used to them. Now it’s more noticeable when I don’t have them on as opposed to when I do! Lol.