At 67 years old I finally made an appointment with an audiologist just to see if I can afford this. I have decided that if I can’t afford something with good quality I will pass until I can, does this sound right?
I have been dealing with hearing loss for the last 18 years, the last ten being the worse. As I contemplate being able to hear properly I can’t help to think how my life would change, but this is more complicated than I ever thought it would be and quite stressful. My first appointment is next week.
Any helpful comments would be appreciated.
@Chuck_B
Welcome to the forum, you are in the right place, there are a lot of good people on this forum who can help you and advise you in your journey for a better hearing (hopefully).
Where are you based? in the US or Europe? or Elsewhere?
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Something I have to say to you, as someone that has been wearing aids for 20 years and someone that should have been wearing them 20 to 30 years before I did. The sooner you get aids the better chance of being able to hear better. But don’t expect to get your hearing back, it just will not happen. Aids will definitely help you, but they will never give you perfect hearing, it just isn’t going to happen.
I am someone that can’t hear conversations without hearing aids, and with them I still am not able to fully understand the conversations.
Now I must say this with out aids I have 40% word recognition scores. With aids that goes up to maybe 65-75%. I have to read lips. If the person doesn’t get my attention first, I have no idea if they are talking to me.
I had to scare you, but you really need to understand the situation.
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I am located in the USA in the state of Ohio.
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My hearing is not that bad, high frequency tones making conversation a bit difficult, especially with background noise, on top of that tinnitus.
I find myself using a lot of brain power to understand conversations and have been avoiding crowds for years. I wouldn’t think I would have that tuff of a prescription to achieve near normal hearing with hearing aids.
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I hope you are right, but i seriously doubt it. That was what I thought when I first got hearing aids, but not was satisfied with hearing aids until I came to the true realization that I wasn’t going to have the pipe dream that I was trying to reach. And over the years as my hearing continues to deteriorates I have had to except the fact that perfect hearing just isn’t possible.
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If you just picked a random audiologist, I’d also encourage checking out Costco. Their prices are about $1600 for a pair of hearing aids as opposed to $4000-$7000 through many audiologists. Also comes with 180 day return privileges which means if you’re not satisifed, you have 180 days to make up your mind and get ALL of your money back. If the audiologist comes highly recommended, then the extra money might be worth it, but Costco is a great place to learn without pressure and for a lot less money.
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Please don’t put it off Chuck and don’t feel that you should spend more than you can reasonably afford. If you feel that you are being pressured into paying more, then go somewhere else. Lots of people speak highly of Costco. You will find that proper fitting is as important as the aid itself and you will need several follow up visits once you get your aids. Think of it as a process and enjoy all the small improvements. It won’t be perfect, but it will be an improvement over constantly missing things. Also make sure that you can return the aids and try different ones if they are not right for you. I am coming up to 65 and got my aids in June. The money back trial period for me was 90 days, but I won’t be returning them. Even though my hearing loss is only in the higher frequencies and (yes) I could have put it off for a few years I chose to get them now and get the benefit. From what you say your hearing loss might be similar to mine, if that’s the case then you will notice reduced listening effort and less fatigue. Good luck and let us all know how you get on.
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The one thing I have learned is how important the Audiologist is and that’s the scary part. I know Costco and Sam’s are a real roll of the dice. The only thing I have to go on is my Medicare advantage insurance recommendation of five out of the 16 qualifying hearing aid places. When I called the insurance company and asked about these “most recommended” they stated it was from customer satisfaction reviews but could not give me access to them 
.
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Welcome to the forum.
Costco is not a roll of the dice. They carry top of the line hearing aids and use best practices fitting them.
Good luck
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I have never used Costco but I have heard very few complaints about Costco hearing aids or the hearing department staff.
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Since he says conversation is a bit difficult, I’m inclined to be more optimistic.
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What is his true belief of slightly difficult.
I can get by without an aid but with soft speaking people or especially in noisy environments I have issues. Phone conversations can be a problem. One on one in my quiet house no problem.
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What do people you’re close to have to say about your hearing? It’s usually others who have more of a problem than the person with the hearing issue.
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They say I need them.
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Trust them. It’s really annoying having to raise one’s voice all the time to be understood. It can actually make one angry as there’s a connection between being angry and raising one’s voice.
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I know and it’s hard asking people “what did you say”. For the last five years I just don’t like being in any noisy environment, I say home or do stuff by myself or with my wife. I have become more secluded as time goes on, that’s why I know I need to do something but it’s a bit overwhelming. Then the costs involved, that really kicks up the stress level.
Go to Costco Chuck - They deal with a number of brands and provide their top-specced hearing aids at much better prices than you’ll find elsewhere. The roll of the dice will be no different than going to any audiology clinic
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That isn’t a good thing to do, you set yourself up to losing your capacity to understand speech. You set yourself up to have dementia. My hearing is bad, even with hearing aids. I live in a community where most residents are retired, and over 65. We stay busy with sports, plays, musicals, and all types of different clubs that meet. It is sometimes comical to see us trying to communicate. More people here wear hearing aids than don’t. It isn’t uncommon to see people with at least one CI. Get the best hearing aids you can afford.
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