Costco tested me yesterday (also recommending Jabra 30s for me), and they did some basic bone conduction and nerve response tests as well as the tone and speech comprehension tests I’m used to. Did they test your bone conduction and nerve response as well? The hearing consultant testing me explained each test at the time she did it. I passed those tests. My audiogram (not updated yet, but fairly similar to my last test) is only slightly better overall than yours.
Costco and I didn’t even need to do more than one 10-minute trial of just the Jabras. We both knew the fit and recommendation were correct. I felt an immediate and major improvement in speech comprehension. A new aid user might benefit from a more extended in-store trial of multiple models.
My old ReSound Quattros are shot, one month short of the six-year mark. At one point, with the sound booth door cracked and wearing the demo Jabra 30s, someone walked by speaking softly, and I understood every word she said. With the old Quattros, I might have recognized that someone was speaking out there, but no way would I have made out any of the words.
You’ve waited a long time for your first hearing aids; you would have benefited from aids at least 20 years ago, I’m guessing. (As do most people, I waited too long too, and I got my first aids in 2009!)
Here’s the thing, though: when you wait too long, sometimes the brain struggles to translate speech. It may hear the sound better but have a hard time making sense of the words; you’ve heard of “Use it or lose it,” I’m sure. If you’re still struggling after you get your first pair of aids, I encourage you to not give up and decide hearing aids aren’t for you, without a fight. (Remember, with Costco, you get six months to make a decision on keeping your aids or getting a full refund.) You may benefit from cognitive re-training. Ask your Costco rep, or on this website about it, if speech comprehension remains an issue after wearing your new aids all day, every day, for a few months.
Also know (your Costco hearing consultant will likely tell you this), that for a first-time hearing aid wearer, it’s very common (and helpful in terms of long-term success) to start you off with the settings dialed back from where they think you’ll eventually need to be. That’s because if they started you off, as they do experienced users like me, at full strength, you might hear running water, crinkling cellophane, a full restaurant, and so on, and say, “Whoa! I hate it. This is way too loud, I’m out!” and take your aids back for an immediate refund. Give your brain time to adjust to the new sounds it’s hearing, and they’ll dial you up.
Assuming you’re a USAF veteran who has had service-related loss, you should have full hearing coverage through the VA. If money isn’t a factor, you may be happier with Costco anyway.