Morning @craftycrocheter 
Chin up, it is not your fault that you are HOH, money is tight in this climate, there are a few options to consider when looking for private aidsā¦ Boots Hearing Care let you pay up for aids over 2 years, it used to be interest free, but itās now around 11%, I am almost certain, Specsavers will have a similar scheme? There is always Costco, they sell rebranded top tier aids, at knock down prices, (usually about a third of the High Street price) although they are kinda thin on the ground perhaps in Wales, they only have one Costco hearing centre in Scotland (Glasgow). DIY is daunting, but in actual fact it is fairly easy to program aids, once you are familiar with the basicsā¦ There is help on this forumā¦ The software is readily available, Noahlink Wireless is the interface you require for programming aids, is usually easy to come bye via eBay, or alternatively if you PM @Um_bongo, he may know someone local to you in Wales, Stephen might program secondhand aids for a fee, or know of someone who will do this for you? You can only ask, and if you donāt ask, you donāt get! I empathise with your situation, I went private out of sheer frustration of the NHS system, at the time I just paid them up monthly, itās not easy living with the frustration, knowing there are better aids out there, that would greatly assist you to hear better at work, and at homeā¦ Lastly, āAccess to Workā a governmental initiative, may be able to give you some ALDās, (usually your employer also has to contributes to get āAssistive Listening Devicesā) in certain situations, these will help you hear better, I donāt believe they will give you aids, but they will help with ALDās, I have used ATW in the past, (around 15 years ago) and they where very helpfulā¦ Good luck in your endeavours for better hearing, all the very bestā¦ Cheers Kev 
I can not say from personal experience that the tubs with desiccant work but many members have used them. I personally use the Dry and Store Professional. It was bought used off eBay about 13 years ago, it still works great. I use it with my cochlear processors and my wife uses it with her KS9 aids now.
Lots of threads about dryers here on the forum.
You are getting some great help from the members. I went DIY from the start in 2009 because of money. The DIY route was excellent for me. Lots of help here on the forum if you go that way. Itās not for everybody, it takes a lot of effort to learn properly.
Been told by audiology to send off hearing aids for repair. I am going to be without my hearing aids for almost 2 weeks they said. I feel really strange without them in.
Hi all. Just a quick update to say that they received my hearing aids today and called and said that they are not working, so are sending me new ones for both ears. Should get them in a couple of daysā¦ thank goodness it is not 2 weeks like they told me! Hope they work properly this time.
Excellent news! Sounds like better service!
Well I got themā¦ same brand and the right one sound quality is BEEP. Hardly picking up anything, it is not even connecting to the BeMore app. It whistles and I can hear it is working but not good enough. Next appt is 2 weeks away to get it adjusted or fixed. They said the hearing aids are brand new and information has been copied properly onto themā¦ It honestly sounds like I can only hear out of my left ear. I have to turn the volume up 2 notches in that earā¦ I felt really bad for complaining on the phone 