Audiogram attached. Audiologist says I have HF hearing loss. Family says I am not hearing well. But it looks like I hear pretty well below 2K Hz. Am I missing that much?
Audiogram March 21 2004.pdf (2.4 MB)
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Is that 2004 date correct on the audiogram? I recommend a new test as that was decades ago. If your hearing has gotten worse since test you will be amazed at the difference. You may be struggling with missing words spoken by young people and women. Below 2k may mean that you are fine with some men.
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Holy cow mate, yeah if that audogram date is correct you’ll be a lot worse, 20 years difference is gonna be a lot for anyone!
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Oops, date on the file is wrong — test was done March 2024
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Now that makes a difference, yes you should trial some HAs, those higher frequencies are what gives you the clarity of speech, do you have Costco nearby?
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Why are you doubting what your family is telling you?
Conceptually, you’re in denial, your loudness judgement is based on lower pitched sounds but the Audiogram clearly shows a moderate becoming mod/severe high pitch loss. The reduction in your actual hearing ability will be based on the amount of time you’re listening in background noise situations where you can’t control the volume of the person talking.
Getting a set on trial will fairly easily tell you if things can be improved.
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Thanks for the feedback. I think you are right - I am looking for a reason not to get HAs when all evidence suggests otherwise. I am going to put my vanity aside; I made an appointment to get fitted.
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Hi,
your audiogram is very similar in shape to mine but with greater loss in the mid to high frequencies.
Without hearing aids I am OK in 1 to 1 conversations in the same room, but have difficulty in hearing the spoken words on TV clearly. I have problems in hearing people’s speech if there is a background noise or there are 3 or more people with 2 or more conversations going on at the same time.
When I got hearing aids all the above problems were resolved to a high degree.
Mind you, I still have problems with conversations in noisy cafes/restaurants but this is the norm for hearing aid users.
PS. Costco would be a viable source for Hearing Aids as your audiogram shape is not complicated.
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@paul.cleary.nz Same boat as you.
The only problem is, I can’t find hearing aids that filter truth from lies, maybe they can add that to the app:
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Congratulations @Comet. You are making the right choice. Some advice before you try your new pair out. They will probably sound too loud. Persist and don’t give up. You will need to get used to the volume before you can properly assess how well they work which can take several weeks and even months for some people. Secondly don’t expect miracles. Manufacturers like to advertise miraculous performance and should be taken with a grain of salt. This is especially true of hearing speech in noise (like in a noisy restaurant, crowds, etc.). In those situations all hearing aids will give you only modest improvements. I wish you the best!
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Here is an explanation as to why you may be missing out on speech even though things seem loud enough. There are parts of speech you are probably missing because of the frequency they occur at and the losses you have. Check out the speech banana. If your hearing is worse than where some of these sounds are on the banana, you are probably having a hard time with those parts of speech. And if a little noise is mixed it, it all probably goes to hell.
I hope you find an excellent hearing care professional to help you with your loss. Be patient. The world sounded very LOUD to me for a few days after I got my HAs. Foot steps, washing my hands, etc. But I now recognize that turning those sounds down for comfort’s sake would have been a mistake. I need to hear that stuff to hear what I really need.
WH
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I hope you found an audiologist listed in the hearingup.com and you need an audiologist or hearing aid specialist that follows best practices so that the trial hearing aid matches your hearing prescription. Otherwise you could be missing the high tones.
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If your family says you are missing things, believe them. I got my first pair after noticing I couldn’t hear a movie on TV at the same volume as the rest of my family. My dad was in denial for years and years, and throughout that time grouchy about not understanding what was being said. Whatever ridiculous illusions you cherish, go do what you have to do. It’s not worth your familial relationships.
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Thanks all, I appreciate the tips and encouragement! I spent two hours with a local audiologist for fitting and real ear measurements. The practice carries all of the major brands but they recommended based on my hearing loss profile that I start a trial with the Phonak Lumity. So far so good. Sometimes it sounds way too loud and my ears itch a bit but I am hearing things that I wasn’t hearing before — birds chirping, kids playing in the street, wife calling me from another room, etc. Although I was self conscious, I had no trouble hearing the conversation in a multi-party business meeting. But cocktails after the meeting in a noisy bar was still challenging. I was hoping for a bigger improvement there. II’ll need to discuss with the audiologist whether settings need to be tweaked to improve hearing in noisy environments. But all things considered, a good start on this journey and I’m glad I came out of the land of denial!
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When I first had aids I was very conscious of them in my ears and found it extremely annoying. Now I am so used to them that I sometimes find myself getting ready for bed and only realise I haven’t taken them out when I hear the rustle of my tee shirt over my ears!
Hearing conversations in a noisy room is always going to be challenging but think of all the plusses, birdsong and grandchildren are two things I cherish.
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Your audiogram really shows you have no hearing loss in the low frequency range and moderate to milder loss in the high frequency range. Sure with the age further the curve will go steeper toward more severe loss in HF like my case (76-yr old, retired), but you can enjoy life without HA for now.
You are going to miss maybe the chirping of the hummingbirds outdoor and some other high pitch sounds, but it’s up to you really for not wearing HA for now. I’m with severe loss of HF sound, moderate in the mid range and mild loss in low Freq., so tried to afford $1,800 Resound Omnia 9 w/ M&RIE receivers purchased online without prescription, avoiding the exaggerated cost in audiologist/dispenser office, and not much convinced still when exactly, in which more noisy environment I really need HA. But yes when driving my noisy inside Ford Escape Hybrid SUV and my grandson sits in the back I’m missing regularly what exactly he is talking about, so need HA in certain situations, but not in quite indoor and not much when watching TV. Hope this my experience will help anyone to more critically evaluate their specific needs. Good luck with Medicare Advantage plan barely covering partial cost of these very expensive prescription HA and uncontrollably expensive audiologist service.
I found local so-called “good practices” audiologist, on the recommended list of youtube pro-active advisor Dr. Cliff. However my disappointment paying $290 for the visit was quite big. She, the recommended one, practically was not as familiar with Resound M&RIE receivers and under the shower of my questions admitted in the end that I need to find answers and understand how to use my Resound Omnia 9 with these advanced receivers seeking help with audiologist trainer. Thankfully I was able to talk to a Resound HA trainer while she was driving on the road in different state and she was much better with her knowledge than my expensive recommended audiologist. So, if one would like to learn more how to use their prescription HA, how to use their software even the audiologist doctors are helpless, but still charging you a lot? So, we the people are left at the mercy of expensive for larger profits audiologists, with no healthcare coverage for these important medical devices.
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Well there’s always DIY projects you can consider, which have fantastic cost savings, not for everyone of course, but well worth looking into.
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I used to be 100 dollars for a ear impression and earmold. Nowadays l get quotes of 40 dollars each impression and 100-150 for earmold depending on type of earmolds.
Problem is once you find out who’s been lying to you, you’ll want to live like a hermit in a cave talking to the bats that live in there. Bats are incapable of lying.
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