I had a private hearing test after I noticed I was struggling to hear at the theatre or in group situations. The audiologist told me I had a normal to moderate hearing loss in the higher frequencies, audiogram is below. They gave me a hearing aid to try in the room and it immediately felt like my brain was working much less hard to hear and process everything. It was a super high end Oticon one (I think the Intent?) That definitely isn’t within my budget but I was offered the Oticon Zircon 2 for £950 or the Zircon 1 for £1,350.
I’m also on the waitlist for the ENT with the NHS but that’s saying an average wait of 23 weeks. Is it worth waiting? As far as I can tell, I’d possibly be offered the Oticon Engage if they offer me one.
One to one conversations are fine but I do have to network in busy rooms and find myself guessing what people are saying a lot which is very tiring. I’m not in a huge rush but this year feels important for me career wise to meet and connect with more people and I’m wondering if I’ll find it easier and be more confident with a hearing aid or will it not make much difference, especially if I can’t afford a higher end one. I’m under 30 so it’s not age related loss. Is it worth saving up and getting the better technology? Any advice hugely appreciated, I’m very new to this. Had hearing loss as a child but thought it was all resolved until this!
