I had a hearing test this past January. My left ear showed a loss that sloped from 20 db at 1000 Hz all the way down to 93 db at 8300 Hz. The hearing in my right ear was significantly better but bottomed out at 52 db at 3700 or so Hz. and then went back p ato 42 db at 7300 or so Hz. I tried a couple of pairs of hearing aids and was never quite sure they helped, so I didn’t buy them. Besides, they were fairly costly.
Today I saw a chart that labeled hearing a tone at 40 db as a moderate loss and one at 70 db as severe. Until I saw those labels, I guess I really didn’t appreciate the degree to which I lost hearing. What made me re-visit the subject was when I was listening to a video on my iPad. My right ear itched, so I put my little finger in it to scratch. When the hearing in my right ear was suddenly blocked, that’s when I realized that what I was hearing in my left ear was a muffled, low-volume sound. And now, suddenly, I realize that I do in fact need those aids, like it or not. I guess, as my audiologist put it, I was in fact floating down a the river called Denial.
While I was paying attention to hearing forums the first time, I saw mention of some very good deals on hearing aids at Costco. The nearest one is over a two-hour drive away, but considering the savings it might be worth the drive.
Which brings me to my next questions: 1) what are Costco’s good brands of aids and 2) which ones can be adjusted by other, local audiologists? Apparently some of Costco’s brands are locked and can’t be adjusted anywhere other than Costco.
Answers, anyone? TMI?