Deafies Unite. I SAID DEAFIES UNITE!

HALF PAST THREE!

Pardon?

I thought Unite were doing a good job, why would I want to defy them?

But seriously, my Dad has an in ear one with Bluetooth so he can connect devices/TV directly to it and he swears by it.

Is it worth spending multiple £k’s with the certainty of improved performance?

I'm very deaf in my left ear with hissing tinnitus. I tried some reasonably expensive hearing aids a while back, and they made no discernible (to me) difference. I still had tinnitus -just louder and the wind noise was terrifically bad, much worse than without the aids in and the sound was very metallic. I'm told that you get used to them over time, I couldn't wait to rip them out of ears after wearing them for 8 hours a day. That they doubled up as blue-tooth headphones was about the only benefit, and they cost over £5K.

1 Go to an audiologist... Preferably on the NHS.
2 Expect to pay about £3000 or more every 3-5yrs if going private.
Try Specsavers seriously, Which recommends them.
4 I am 61 and have mild to moderate hearing loss in one ear and can't afford to private plus I'm too vain to wear an obvious hearing aid. So I have explained that to family and friends. It means I can't hear them in certain environments such as noisy pubs so we either don't go or they/I put up with me not hearing them. Doesn't solve all the issues but generally works

Having my ears syringed on Thursday 🥳

Same here, fairly sudden onset moderate deafness in one ear. Was prescribed an NHS aid, primarily to use the white noise function as it made my tinnitus much worse.  Persevered with it for maybe 12 months, but I just couldn't get in with it.  Made voices sound weird,  the wind noise was awful, wearing hats was a pain etc etc. I tend to lip read a bit now (mostly in loud environments), or just ignore people 🙂

I did the ignoring people before but then again, I'm a bit anti social like that...

I'm just curious as to whether all aids are much of a muchness for their core function and the differences are bells, whistles and additional profit from the vanity of having top of the range.

I just wish people would stop mumbling!

Yeh I have tinitus 24/7 and different loses in each ear. One I've lost high pitched stuff, the other I can't hear rain on the roof. I really struggle in busy/noisy places and struggle to tell where a noise is coming from.

I was booked to go to Specsavers, but cancelled as I realised that I didn't really want to wear hearing aids and also just couldn't afford them.

99% of my life it's not an issue, I'm not currently working and not a fan of busy places anyway, but when it is an issue like in shops it's a pain.

My hearing falls off a cliff at 2khz due to many years standing next to a hard hitting drummer in punk bands.

I have expensive aids and they make a huge positive difference. A good audiologist will also make a world of difference.

Ear canal only aids are usually only prescribed for full frequency loss, if you’re only deficient in certain frequencies then your losing out by pumping all of your hearing through the aid.

I had multiple tuning sessions for mine and they work fantastically. On first putting them on it can seem a bit intense but after a few minutes it’s all fine and sounds normal (I expect) when I take them out it really feels like I’ve stuck my fingers in my ears.

Mine are Starkey and I chose that brand as they were recommended by other musicians.
Ps £3k

A good audiologist will also make a world of difference.

This. My wife is an audiologist, hopefully a good one. Just like any other profession there are good ones and bad ones. Some are just in it for the money - there is lots of money in the private sector - some actually want to make a difference to the patient.

I’m just curious as to whether all aids are much of a muchness for their core function and the differences are bells, whistles and additional profit from the vanity of having top of the range.

She likes different manufacturers because they offer different things. Warranty support, tech support, functions. She tells me about this but I barely listen, in the same way the she listens to me when I'm talking about bikes. 😀

Minor hearing loss I wouldn't worry about, however anything significant in terms of interfering with daily conversation etc can be quite isolating. FiL is too proud and stubborn to consider hearing aids and as a result has been unable to hold a proper conversation for a number of years. Hearing loss has been implicated in the development of dementia too, which he's now suffering from. He lives in a bubble of perfect denial now, "Everyone seems to mumble these days. No, I didn't forget what you just told me (for the 5th time in as many minutes), I just didn't hear what you said because you didn't speak clearly. No, I don't think there's anything wrong with my hearing". etc etc.

Aye, I recognise it can make you seem a bit stroppy in a 'why don't you speak up' sort of way. Pure frustration in the main. I'm not too proud (or vain) to wear them, I just want it to be really positive.

The only audiologist I've seen so far is via the NHS - private provider subbing to them I think. The service was a bit errrm, perfunctory... I think I'll give an independant specialist a go. One with a no strings guarantee so if I don't see a major improvement for many £k, I can get a refund.

@mickyfinn who did you use if you don't mind me asking?

@idlejohn anywhere near Cambs/Lincs perchance?

I've been deaf/ hard of hearing most my life...all my aids have come from specsavers...usually they've been good, but my new ones not so....ive been back and forth getting them returned etc....thing is these are my most expensive aids....the only good thing about them is...wind noise has reduced...Next time I won't go with the specsavers brand....ill try Starkey

@boblo after a very mediocre NHS experience I went for testing at a few high street vendors and a local indie. Would you believe (the testing was all much of a muchness) the best service and lack of hard sell was at Boots (yes I was shocked too) but I guess like all chains it’s all down to the local staff/specialists

@mickyfinn OK, ta. I'll give that a go too.

Anyone any experience with www.hearingaid.org.uk?

@idlejohn anywhere near Cambs/Lincs perchance?

Afraid not, in fact her area is almost as far from you as she could get without ending up in the Irish Sea! 😀

Based on this thread, I have just book a hearing test with Boots on Friday. I wonder what it will show up?

The current complaints, from others mostly, are:

I bellow when on the phone
I get louder and louder as the conversations go on
I ignore peoples questions and comments if I am walking away or out of the room, especially if the TV is on
I might have mild tinnitus as I keep getting a whinning droning noise but that also might just be what my family sound like.

I did the onliner test on the Starkey website and it said I might be hard of hearing but no more real detail. Let's see what Boots say.

@worldclassaccident ..oh mate your proper deaf..ha ha ha..welcome to the club

I SAID WELCOME....oh nevermind..lol

Thump is mutton from multiple infections and burst eardrums.

Age 17 and has been deaf forever.

His NHS hearing aids can be tuned using an app: tuning the volume and background noise in the classroom, at home etc. He has an iphone for this very purpose. Windnoise is a pain - he tends not to bother when out on the bike.

The community hospital also runs a drop-in hearing aid clinic if we have problems (dog's chewed them etc).

Anyway, look into the app.

I keep getting a whinning droning noise

I get that but I'm sure it's just the wife... 🙃

My deaf aid has the phone app and the main issue is noisy environments (pubs/parties/restaurants). Even fiddled with, the aid struggles to separate the wheat from the chaff...

I'm missing a binch of bones in my left ear and have a lovely dose of tinnitus as well, so somewhat limited in what my options are. As I get older the right is getting a bit less useful and noisy places are a bit of a nightmare for me and the more I drink THE LOUDER I TALK because I lose all awareness of how much racket I'm making.

The worst part is some people just can't/won't speak any louder so after three attempts at 'pardon me - can you speak up please' I tend to give up.

I'm told that ignoring/not getting hearing loss sorted is a bad idea, get it sorted chaps. (Ex wife is an audiologist).

I just did that Starkey's hearing test and it said I may have moderate loss.

I know maybe 8/9 years ago I had a proper audiology hearing test and at that time my right ear had 25% loss and lots of the high frequencies. It will only have gotten worse I guess! My left ear was ok as far as I remember, but is definitely not ok now.

It's a pain on the bike not knowing where traffic sound is coming from at times, but from what I'm reading the wind noise will **** with hearing aids anyway when riding?

To help cut down on wind noise I wear a cycling bandana (pirate type)

It cuts down the noise, keeps your helmet clean inside, wicks sweat I  summer and help keep your head warm in winter.....im surprised more people don't wear them

[i]It cuts down the noise, keeps your helmet clean inside, wicks sweat I summer and help keep your head warm in winter…..im surprised more people don’t wear them[/i]

I tried one I was given. It stopped me hearing background noises like the birds singing, it stopped my helmet fitting comfortably, It filled with sweat and dripped in my eyes in the heat, it got sweaty and then freezing in cold weather.

Suffice to say I didn't get on with it.

I also have an in ear canal jobbie. I don't think it's quite set up right as it doesn't go as loud as the round the lug jobbie but doesn't suffer wind noise or flood when running/riding. If I can get one like this that goes loud enough and deals with noisy situations well, I be a happy chappy.