Thanks for the feedback and the speech banana reference - I will definitely check that out. It was mentioned that based on my audiogram that f, s and th are the consonants thatgive me the most challenge.
While I don’t doubt the professional assessments I’ve had, I am also worried about the link between HL and dementia as I have a family history of both.
What link is that, it’s a urban myth spread by the interwebs, don’t worry, enjoy your life for the positive things.
More the “withdrawing from society” than hearing loss itself??
Your hearing loss audiogram is similar to mine but the audiologist I saw recommended hearing aids to me for improving speech clarity (She did tell me I would only see marginal improvements).
I bought hearing aids and the improvements I found were indeed subtle. I could now hear clearly multiple conversations in groups/meetings and my wife reports I say “What?” a lot less to her (making for a peaceful domestic life)
If you have the discretionary income then buy a set of entry-level hearing aids to see what improvements you get. An essential feature to get is a “directional focus” program.
Thanks, Paul - your use case sounds very similar to my own. It was my wife imploring me to get the hearing test and I think we were both disappointed with the results. I DO feel I need to do something, even if to just help preserve my remaining hearing. My AuD said I would not benefit from anything OTC but I’d like to try and find a workable compromise between nothing and high end HAs.
How technical and computer knowledgeable are you ?
a pair of used aids and the software to program them… that is the way I have gone.
There are may people here that can help you.
I went thru an almost identical process. I have a similar audiogram and in my case, I have raging tinnitus. I was using my smart phone as a de facto hearing device (would call family even if they were in the next room because otherwise I couldn’t hear them). I avoided certain friends because I had to ask them over and over again to repeat themselves. Tonight, after quite a bit of research, ample use of this forum and the content provided by the hosts, I donned my first set of HA. I am gobsmacked by what I can hear again. I was so sick of struggling to hear. My ENT told me I wouldn’t get much benefit. He was wrong.
Tonight I could hear my family speaking without them having to stand directly in front of me, I heard a ceiling fan that I always forget to turn off (because I couldn’t hear when it was running), and I suddenly realized I was watching a Netflix program without having to read the subtitles for the first time in forever.
Get hearing aids and don’t feel you need to ask permission. You might even be able to benefit from OTC at this point–that was my ENT’s initial recommendation.Some of them are highly rated, and you can learn about them here. I think addressing hearing loss is as important as any other aspect of your health, and why people discourage this in some cases I don’t know. The biggest thing is cost and in my case I had no insurance covering HAs. I don’t know if they would have approved aids or not, and if not, I had the funds to plow ahead so in that respect, I am lucky. OTC have lowered the cost of entry, so hopefully more people will be served.
@SigoEsperanza
To add to this, I would imagine your new hearing aids have “distracted” you from your Tinnitus?
Peter, OMG yes, they have. I didn’t even want to take them out tonight.
Thanks all for the great suggestions - I am encouraged by all the support here to do what I can to hear better. @SigoEsperanza, if HAs “only” helped my considerable tinnitus but didn’t help me hear any better, I would still call that a huge win - I suspect they might do both and that would be fantastic.
As you age you Hearing loss may progress… the sooner you start to use aids the less your brain will loose the ability to HEAR and the less it will have to relearn .
Yes, I consider myself lucky to have the ability to hear that I do and would love to preserve that to the fullest extent. Improvement would be a bonus.
Well, I am only one day into this, so a honeymoon period for sure :).
My only other piece of advice is not to rush into anything. I think taking the time to better understand the process and various options plays a huge role in ultimate success. Spend some time just reading and browsing through this forum. You will find folks on here who have similar issues, you will get a lot of information on various options. You can ask questions, and the content and educational material is excellent. Then, once you think you might have a handle on what exactly you want to do, what brand and/or type of device, you can gather information on functionality and even purchase options, support, etc.
By many standards my hearing is OK. So yeah, I can hear the neighbor mowing their lawn a block away, the UPS truck a few doors down, my dogs barking and other misc. sounds. But I was really struggling with speech and higher registers. For me it was extremely problematic. Maybe for other people, no big deal. But you and you alone can make that decision. If your family is telling you that you need help with your hearing, frankly, you do. JHMO
Well, you’re at least one day ahead of me! I don’t really rush into things but find that my paralysis by analysis leads to procrastination. I also can hear the things you mention but I fear that my tinnitus is getting worse and would like to keep that at bay as long as possible. I dothink that Costco is a good “value” proposition for me at this point, and even if not perfect on the first try (what ever is?), it’ll be a step in the right direction. I just have to convince them to sell me HAs - imagine that!!!
Thanks for your support in the forum and best of luck to you on your journey to better hearing!
Okaaaay. That says something. Do you know if your relatives also had some hearing issues? And YES, you are spot-on with the connection between dementia (to say nothing of anti-social behavior, too) and hearing loss.
Granted, I WIN the prize here with my audiogram, but I was born with much better (never normal) hearing. I got my first pair at 35 and took to them like a duck to water.
The earlier you get used to hearing aids, the better you’ll adapt AND be proactive about your own condition. Hearing rarely if ever improves with age, so you already know, you’re slipping down the slope on the critical high frequencies that help with your speech comprehension. EMBRACE the solution! You don’t have to go to Costco, but if that’s a cost-effective option, DO IT. You tell them what you want. They can not deny you hearing aids … unless they feel untrained to fit yours properly?
Aids - and even OTC devices! - have come SO FAR from even 10-15 yrs ago. The #1 rated hearing device for speech (as per the post here) is a pair of OTC Sony CRE-E10s! You can buy them and see what you think.
Speech banana link is here. I’ve taken that to my audi … but she already knew about it. 
So the one thing Costco does not do is treat tinnitus. They turn off that functionality even if it exists within a line of HA. The treatments are mostly tones/calming sounds and none claim to cure tinnitus, nor do they. I think it can be time consuming and tricky for a volume dispenser to deal with this, so if you said the word tinnitus, and they felt this was the chief benefit you sought, they would be correct in telling you that they didn’t feel the aids would help because that is not their value proposition. Go back, or find a new one, and tell them you want to be fitted for aids or OTC to help with speech recognition. I can’t see them refusing you. The suggestion of the Sony’s by 1Bluejay is also a great idea. I would have tried that, myself, except I cannot tolerate earbuds of any kind, they are just not comfortable, and that is what they are like.
Hi @mas956
Your hearing loss is similar to mine and yes on paper there may be little justification for prescribing hearing aids, but the reality of it is that all those little bits of speech that you and I are missing can lead to misunderstandings, frustration, irritation and marital disharmony not to mention the fatigue of it all. I too have a family history of dementia and that was a consideration for me. Whether or not there is a causal link it at least stacks the odds in your favour if you do everything you can now. When I first got mine I too was gobsmacked at the difference and the first thing I said to the audiologist was “oh wow”. Now I understand why my kids used to complain about a pair of rustly trousers that I had and why they used to put their hands over their ears when I served dinner out. The first morning after I got my aids I was stopped in my tracks at the sound of my husband eating his breakfast cereal and just laughed. Also there’s the birds! I found that I noticed my tinnitus far less and telephone calls are so much easier. So you can see it’s not just what’s written on that audiogram, it’s the whole quality of life package. I personally would either go back and request a trial of aids, try a different audiologist or look into what the otc market has on offer now. Best of luck.
Wow - I never thought I’d be overwhelmed with support and encouragement for my (comparatively minor) HL, but this group sure has done that. I am fully onboard with the idea that we all have to be our own most fervent advocate when it come to getting the best care possible. I am by no means shy or retiring but sometimes get tired pushing forward. At this point I feel like I’d be letting down this very helpful group of internet strangers by not following all the suggestions. And so, into the breach we go!
@1Bluejay Thanks for the Sony OTC info - I’ll look at that for sure! @SigoEsperanza: I plan to revisit the issue at Costco - my fitter said that it didn’t make sense now from a cost/benefit perspective, but I think that’s for ME to decide! @Tealover I’m enouraged by your story as is seems very similar to my own and I believe that (even OTC) HAs will be a good step forward.
I’d have to guess the Costco sales tech was trying to not be pushy, thinking marketing/goodwill, looking at the lost frequency range as % overall loss and figured you’d enough frequency range left. Maybe shrugs
My 2¢ worth… Even though you have a later and steeper HF drop off than mine (my only experiential reference) I can understand how your charts would affect comprehension. Chuck in a tinnitus into the mix and you’re definitely gonna see help from a hearing aids.