Lost then found!

Hearing Aids
#1

This weekend, it was pretty warm and I walked down to my beehives to give them a quick check. After lifting the lids and peeking in to check on them, a few of the guard bees got a little agitated and came after me. I wasn’t suited up and don’t normally suit up for a quick check. As I was buzzed, I must have swatted and knocked my HA off my head and didn’t notice.

We went to a friend’s baby’s birthday party, where we all wore hats and enjoyed the company. When we got home, I tried to watch a short video on my phone and realized my HA’s were not working. Then that dreaded feeling hit the pit of my stomach when I reached up and there was nothing in my right ear.

I assumed I lost it at the party and called our host. No luck. It rained cats and dogs Saturday night and while I was reflecting on the day, thought just maybe I lost it near the hives. I went out with a headlamp and flashlight and looked for around 30 minutes in the pouring down rain. No luck. The next morning, I developed a plan.

I walked out to the apiary and tried to connect my right HA to Bluetooth and it worked! So, then I walked until it lost signal, turned around and walked back slowly until it connected again. I did that in all four directions to narrow down the area to around 30 square feet. Then I put on some streaming music, turned up the volume to max and disconnected my left hearing aid. To help, I got my 22-year-old daughter and she heard a faint sound and then found the hearing aid!

I don’t know how it survived in the soaking rain, but it did. I dried it out, replaced the wax guard and let it run through the dryer for a couple of cycles. Now, I’m thinking of buying a second pair as a backup.

Anyway, thought the Bluetooth method along with streaming might be helpful if someone loses their HA in deep grass with a lot of leaves. Lesson learned, take the HAs off when working with bees.

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#2

Great story.
Thanks for sharing and smart way to find your aid.

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#3

Wow. That was really clever. I’ve never lost one but will remember this.

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#4

Some hearing aids (Resound?) have a find function on the app.

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#5

Ran them through the dryer a couple of cycles?

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#6

I’m assuming hearing aid dryer.

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#7

I was going to ask if it was a gas or electric dryer.

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#8

Might work if it has a drying rack and a low enough setting. Maybe you could slow roast some ribs along with them.

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#9

That might get you within 5 or 6 yards/meters. I’ve used the music-streaming-at-full-volume trick. You do need someone with good hearing to help.

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#10

Yes, Hearing Aid dryer.

#11

There are bluetooth “radar” apps that help with this kind of search…found my partners Fitbit in the dirt near where she was gardening using that.

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#12

Just giving you a hard time. I’ve put my in the washing machine a couple of times by accident and the hearing aid dryer saved the day. Plus the aids looked brand new.

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#13

and they smelt of Lavender?

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#14

But did the fabric softener make the sound less crisp?

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#15

I have a backup set, the ones I replaced. It’s not as good as what I’m wearing but I can get by with. My current set has a GPS locator function on the phone app. Might help narrow the search a little. Your method was amazing and effective. So glad for you to find the hearing aid and happy it dried out and works.

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#16

Great story! My Widex set were red, making it easier to find near the vegetable garden the two times I lost one there. Sadly, ReSound doesn’t offer them in “fashion colors”–yet.

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#17

That was a smart approach.

Last April, I too was in my Apiary installing bees without head gear or a suit. Later that day it became clear that I had lost my Left hearing aid.

I searched and searched, thou not as clever as you, and did not find it. Bummed.

I spent 8 days looking for a place to purchase one replacement and was hitting many dead ends. The VA was not able to help as my HA’s were only 10 months old.

During my next trip out, when I was checking to see if the queens were released and removing the cages, I found my HA.

Yes it had been glued to a frame with propolis.

Cleaned, dried and the fittings replaced, all was good

Oticon OPN 1.

Good luck with the girls!!!

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#18

thanks for sharing. I would never have figured all that out , and I know that sinking feeling when something goes wrong. So far, the sports lock has saved me. there has been more than 1 time that my hat jarred my hearing aid lose and it was just hanging there, and I did not know until something did not work

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#19

Actually some ReSound aids including LiNXs purchased through audiologists are available in bright red cases and other colors.
https://www.resoundpro.com/~/media/REFRESH/US/00-DOWNLOADS/Guides/MK604151_CC_FullLineupColorChart.ashx?la=en-CA

I second the recommendation for red hearing aids to make it easier to find a dropped aid–as long as you’re not worried about being “seen” wearing aids.

Also for people who aren’t buying new or don’t get the option to buy colored cases, Ear Gears are available in a range of colors: https://www.gearforears.com/

#20

My audi warned me that this function is of limited value. It’s not as useful as it can be for a missing cell phone or other device that pings its location to cell phone towers; hearing aids don’t do that. A “find my aid” app can help you if your aids were connected to the app when one or both aids went missing. But if you didn’t have your phone with you, and maybe if it wasn’t running the app as well at the time the aid went missing, the app may show the location of the aid when the phone was last near it and running the app, rather than where the aid is now.