I don’t have an audiogram to post, because the ENT office I went to in October (where he had an audiologist on site who did the testing) did not provide me with a copy. I also didn’t think to ask.
The audiologist told me it was a mild to moderate hearing loss (except in the 4000 hertz sound). I also have tinnitus (pretty loud ringing style). I’ll be going to the nearest hearing aid center on Tuesday. Since October, I’ve been trying to figure out purchasing the hearing aids.
My only option is to use insurance ($1500 every 5 years), and one of the two hearing discount programs my insurance offers: Amplifon or Hearing Care Solutions. I chose to go through Amplifon, so I’m hoping that the the cost isn’t too high.
I work a remote job, and I’m in video conference calls at least half the day. When I’m not remote and am meeting my coworkers in person, that’s when I really need the hearing assistance. I’ve been looking at the accessories I might need to be successful, especially in a conference room with 6-20 people. I’ve had two in person meetings this year (with a 3rd next week), and the last one in mid-October very clearly showed that unless someone was talking straight at me, I could hear only a few words (or I’d hear the first word, and the rest were just so much noise).
Is my best bet a table microphone that will work with my hearing aids? Are there other accessories I should consider? It looks the local hearing aid center supports multiple brands, but all their images are of Starkey products.
I’m kind of nervous, because I can barely wear earbud styles when listening to music - my ears start itching after about 45 minutes, then hurt.
Its hard to say without seeing your audiogram, but do you have to purchase accessories at the same time as the aids? I would recommend getting the HAs first and trying them out before you make the decision on accessories. My loss is mostly mild, so you may be completely different than me, but I don’t use any accessories. When I work from home I can just turn up the volume on my computer when needed. A table microphone will likely help in conference rooms, but I had one with my first HAs and found that I didn’t really use it - the HAs themselves helped enough that I didn’t bother. Maybe you will find that you still need something to help out, but it might be worth waiting to see, particularly if money is an issue.
I would not worry too much about finding earbuds uncomfortable, HAs should be completely different. I have had both ITC/CIC and RIC styles and none of them felt like earbuds, although I do find the RIC style much more comfortable. If they are uncomfortable you have the wrong size domes or you don’t have them in properly.
You don’t mention your location but Costco may be another option. If your benefit is $1500 per pair of hearing aids, Costco is likely to be less expensive. Costco hearing aids are about $1500 US a pair. Even with your benefit you’re likely going to end up paying another $3000 to $5000 for a premium pair of hearing aids. I think just trying out hearing aids and not worrying about accessories is a good idea. Wherever you get your hearing aids make sure you understand how long you have before you can return the hearing aids for a refund (and if there are any nonrefundable charges) Costco (in the US) gives you 180 days and offer a full refund.
Thank you both! I’ll add my audiogram once I have the one from Tuesday.
Assuming I walk away with a trial pair on Tuesday, I’ll have an immediate opportunity to test the small conference room on Thursday, so I’ll know whether the hearing aids alone will work for that.
“Immediate opportunity”…well, you know, it DOES take a bit of time, as in AT LEAST several days, for you to get “used” to the sound of hearing aids. Expect everything to sound rather weird at first, but then your brain, essentially, will adjust and you will find that you like them, assuming that they’re properly configured for your loss, of course.
People here DO like Costco, depending somewhat upon the specific audiologist working in your area (assuming you HAVE one in your area)!
Is it true that the options that Costco provides don’t handle tinnitus well? That’s a huge part of my hearing problem when out in public or in conference rooms. (One of the reasons I didn’t realize I had an issue for work is that I wear a Shokz bone conduction headset for my video conference calls - it’s only in person I have an issue. Work upped my travel from 2x a year to 8x a year this year due to being on the leadership team.)
Weeks to months for most people, it can be ongoing for some unfortunately.
The HAs handle tinnitus no problem, but Costco won’t add or switch on the controller, seems they don’t want to be involved with it, best to DIY your Costco models for the tinnitus.
Yes, you probably don’t need an extra microphone to attend small-room meetings, and HAs are drastically different from earbuds (which tend not to fit well in my ears, either!). Good luck with your new devices.
In some states in the US, only doc-level people can treat tinnitus. Costco doesn’t have audis in every store, so they standardized on not treating tinnitus. It cuts their costs, but probably most of their staff are prohibited by law from turning on the tinnitus controls.
Update: it turns out that I ended up getting the Starkey Genesis AI 24 mRIC HAs, and also the Starkey Remote Mic+. I didn’t intend on purchasing the remote mic, but found out that it was problematic using my headset with my HAs, and got the Remote Mic+ so I can hook up my HAs to my Windows 10 PC.
In addition, I have also requested reasonable accommodations at work, and they are in the process of figuring out how to get the appropriate MacBook for ease of use with HAs. And since I personally bought the Remote Mic+, it will still be mine for use in noisy situations (and on my personal laptop). As part of my RA accommodations, I also asked for the Starkey Table Mic for the 20 person in person meetings I have. I proved the concept works in our in person meet up just this week. Work placed a table in the middle of the square conference room setup, and I was able to hear most of my coworkers (due to the small size of the Remote Mic+, anyone on the edge of the range was a bit harder to hear, but my coworkers also tried to make sure they were speaking clearly for my benefit). I can clearly see that the Table Mic will be beneficial in rooms with more than 5-6 people (and 1 table).
