I get my new hearing aids tomorrow

Never had HA before…what can I expect?

1 Like

A lot of sounds you haven’t heard in a long time. Many will seem very loud.
A strong test of your patience.
A very pleased feeling that you are on the road to hearing much better.
The knowledge that you have work to do to make the most of them.
Best of luck, all of us have been there and done that. Most should also have done it years before.
:slight_smile:

7 Likes

Wear them a lot especially in public. You’ll hear a lot of strange sounds you haven’t heard in years. Don’t worry about that. Go to work and family functions in your new hearing aids. Try not to take them out. See your audio regularly for adjustments. The negatives will soon pass and they will be part of your body. Keep asking questions on this forum. When you have a chance, post your audiogram. Good luck.

5 Likes

You’re on a great path!
My first hearing aids I suddenly heard cymbals! Turns out I hadn’t heard them in years.

I have a favourite album. I put it on. It’s “One Stormy Night” by Mystic Moods Orchestra. It rains all through the album. You can hear steam engines as they approach from the distance. I love steam engines! Then there’s thunder! I could hear it again! Truly a miracle!

DaveL
Toronto

1 Like

We all hear differently. Kind of like fingerprints…

Here’s a book title that really helped me recently.

It was recommended here.
HEAR & BEYOND
Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss

SHARI EBERTS
GAEL HANNEN

The book changed my life. I realized that I was reacting like a victim to hearing loss. It encouraged me to learn how to communicate better and showed me how.

It’s not in my library; I got mine from amazon.

DaveL
Toronto

2 Likes

I am 7 months in on my first pair of aids. This forum will provide answers to many of your questions. Post questions and you will get solid answers to your questions.
Your provider may only provide you 80% of your prescription until you adjust to all the new sounds.

1 Like

Ask if your aids are programmed at target level or reduced. If reduced, ask about follow up visits to increase to target.
Sounds like flushing the toilet or a potato chip bag may cause alarm. Your brain will adjust…
Best wishes on your journey

“not” or “now” re the book in your library?? :upside_down_face: :upside_down_face:

1 Like

Speaking of books, I found this one to be a wonderful read in preparation to getting Hearing Aids. Very easy and informative/comprehensive read.

Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World

https://www.amazon.com/Control-Hearing-Deafening-World/dp/0525534229

2 Likes

The birds. The dang birds! Who knew there were so many in the world, or that they could be so loud!!

3 Likes

They should have been programmed to increase automatically over a period of a few weeks.

Thanks
Great suggestion.

Dave

1 Like

@david.hendon

Great suggestion.

I’ve worn hearing aids for 20 years.
When I got my Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R’s 2 years ago the audi did that to me without telling me.

Finally 2 years later we parted company; his suggestion. His setup never worked.

Credit Valley Audio…Mississauga

DaveL
Toronto

2 Likes

So, besides the birds:
As noted, there will be a lot of sounds you haven’t heard, or haven’t heard in many years. Make a few notes, especially in the very early days, about specific things that are just too much, or seem still not right. Will it be perfect? Likely not (I still can’t hear that squeaky fan belt my wife can!) But there will be a lot that is far better.
Put yourself in a variety of situations to test them out. Talk to someone while driving, watch TV, go to a movie, go to a noisy restaurant, sit in a relatively quite place and listen, play an instrument or listen to music, etc. Your list will be very different. I was without for about 6 weeks, and just got my new, so got to experience the “first time” over again. Things I noted:

First day items very loud, but now greatly reduced, not 100% gone:
Crackling with jaw movement.
Hair/glasses noises as they move on the HA’s.
Other head touch noise (scratch head near ears, etc.)

Initially very bad, now better in “General”, but still bad in “Noise” setting.
Sharp S, P, sounds from other speakers
In “Noise”, restaurant conversations from behind very loud.

Still needs work:
Brief feedback when partially occluded
Streaming vol too low.
Streaming - need EQ adjust, esp bass.
Excessive wind noise when bicycling.

As you get used to them, some of the items on your list will fade on their own, and no longer be an issue. Others will need a trip back for some fine tuning.

Experiment with any profile programs that may have been set in them, as well as different volume levels.

There is a big “learning” component as you retrain to automatically just not hear what can be ignored, and what can’t - likely why some of the things on my list are better than they first were.
Some people can take a long time to fully adjust, hence why some providers start you at a lower “strength” than might otherwise be ideal. Find out about that, and make follow up appointments if needed to have them ramped up after a fairly long adjustment period. And, if too overwhelming/irritating, you might need them taken down a notch.

1 Like

OP here. I got the Phillips 9040 from Costco yesterday. First impression is WOW, I can hear every little sound. Even every click as I type right now…loud… but not uncomfortably loud. Only sound too loud for me is the air conditioner fan. Never realized what I was missing. I’m sure I’ll get used to everything. So far, so good.

7 Likes

I’m a big fan of this wonderful book!!!

2 Likes

Oh, glad to hear it. For some reason I don’t think that many people know about this, or have read it. I found it super helpful and enjoyable to read.

1 Like

David Owen, the author, is a very professional writer who has written many stories for the New Yorker magazine, where a version of this book first appeared. So, yes, it’s very well written and a joy to read!!

3 Likes

Thank you… very, very helpful and accurate information.

I’ve ordered it. Supposed to come today.

amazon…

DL

1 Like