Hearing Aids

Wild and Free

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Lake Sakakawea & Missouri river Of ND
I am looking to see if any members here have any hearing impairments and what you find to be the best hearing aids out there. quality, warranty, digital, blue tooth compatible what other options there are out there in the ear behind the ear tubes ect what are your experiences?

I have 75% hearing loss in my left ear in the mid to high range frequencies that is gradually getting worse over the years and 25% loss in my right ear in the higher frequencies which is considered normal for farmers ect. I had my ear drum damaged in high school from a rifle muzzle blast 6 inches from my ear and having been a farmer for the first half of my life and then onto a heavy equipment diesel tech and operator the next half has taken its toll on my hearing, I have been putting it off but the last year it is getting to the point where I can't put it off anymore, I am noticing quality of life issues and other things that come along with a hearing impairment. It is not only frustrating for me but I notice everyone around gets frustrated with my not being able to hear or understand without repeating several times.

I have excellent insurance at work but unfortunately it doesn't cover hearing devices only testing and diagnosing and from talking to a lot who have them and finding on average are $2500-3500 each out of pocket costs I will need to save a bit and sign up for my companies flex dollars next year to help.
 
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Hey Wild and Free..............my mother in law ended up getting her hearing aids at Costco. There are so many products out there......... it'll make your head spin.............http://www.costco.com/hearing-aid-styles.html Good luck on your choice......................
 
My 1 yr old grandson has hearing aids because of mild hearing loss in both ears. I don't know about any of the extras (digital, blue tooth) since we just went with what the audiologist recommended. I'm not sure if we even had a choice at his age anyway. The one's we got for him are by Phonak and the model is Nios S H2O III. They're a bit lighter and thinner than the loaner model he had while we were waiting for his to come in. As for cost, the loaners were valued at $2,100 each but the ones he got are shown as $3,000 for the pair. He also has to get new ear molds made (@ $90 a pair) every 2-3 months as he grows.

Fortunately (??) because my daughter is essentially a single parent who doesn't make a whole lot my grandson qualifies for medicaid so the costs are covered. Initially he was on his father's insurance which didn't cover diddly as far as hearing aids go. Supposedly there was some separate hearing aid coverage called Hear-Po but even with that the cost was the $2,100 each plus the $90 each time for the hearing molds. I don't know what the cost would have been without Hear-Po.

Your best option is to go to a good audiologist and follow their recommendation on style/options, etc. Costco is by far the cheapest place we found to get hearing aid batteries (we have to change them every week to week and a half).

Daniel
 
Having been in the Army (no hearing protection), and in the auto repair business for my working life (no hearing protection) my ears ring all the time. I've got some hearing loss also but not as much as you. I have a problem with backround noise. I'll put it off longer because I don't thing it'll help. The VA wants me to have them though. Maybe some day. Good luck in your search.
 
The closest Costco to me is in Fargo ND which is 225 miles east of me, we do have Sears with Miracle ear stores in them as well as lots of Audiologists in Bismarck as well as other hearing companies, just looking for ideas at this point. I know some who get free batteries for life of the aide as well.

Keep the ideas coming and thanks for those who have chimed in so far.
 
Old timer #1: I just got a new hearing hearing aid. It is the latest and greatest. I love it!

Old timer #2: Really, what kind is it?

Old timer #1: (looking at watch) It's 2:30!

Bwahahahahahahahahaha!
 
Funny Goldnrod!
 
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I have very limited hearing in my port side ear(keeping it boat related!! Haha) I saw a specialist and he said that my inner ear bone is basically fused together, I think that's what he said, but that a hearing aid wouldn't really do anything for me. He said I could have surgery, but there are a lot of nerves in that are and it could lead to partial paralysis of my face so he recommended not doing it at this point. I agree. Besides, at least this way if I lay on my right ear in bed I can't hear my wife talking to me! Haha, not to mention if she has a cold and starts to snore!! Haha
 
I resemble that comment Golden rod! lol

I lay on my right ear and everything is more peacefulll at night as well, when we camp in the summer when I lay on my right ear and then roll over and expose my good ear to nature it becomes extremely loud hearing the frogs and crickets ect which I can't hear at all with my left ear.

My wife snores loud enough to make me wish I was totally deaf in boh ears some nights. :ph34r:
 
My wife used to snore (loud). Then we found out she has sleep apnea. She went for a sleep study and found out she would stop breathing about 50 times a minute. She sleeps with a machine now and feels100% better ans not tired all day.
 
Hey W&F

I just got fitted two weeks ago for the second time. First attempt (3 years ago) was ReSound Alear's from Costco, tried them for several months, but was not satisfied with the results and ended up returning them for a full refund (Nice thing about Costco). This second time I went to a actual Audiologist that was a Doctor. In the ensuing discussion she was in the opinion that the Costco audiologist likely programed the aids incorrectly for my loss (high freq from small bore competitive shooting with out ear plugs). In her office I was able to demo several different brands and settled on Phonak Audéo Q90's. They are digital, fully programable and have may bluetooth accessories. I went through hearing planet as I have a friend that works there and was able to get the pair for about 3K out of pocket with a 45day full refund trial period (the are normally about 6k for the pair). If you do it, be sure your expectations are realistic, mine were not the first time. Aids are just that, aids, they cannot and will not restore your hearing to 100%. Also if you have suffered from some time, they will overwhelm you at first as you must relearn to hear and process the sounds that once were not heard or muffled. Keep notes on your experience so on return visits to the audiologist you can help with the fine tuning process (yes it takes more than one visit to get them tuned to your particular loss). I have a second visit this thursday for some minor adjustments but so far this time they have been a better experience than 3 years ago. The technology does change every year or two so keep that in mind. Let me know if you have any more questions and I will gladly help if I can.

Cheers

Brian
 
After 7 years wearing hearing aids, I'm on my second set of Oticon. They are completely reliable and hardly noticeable. They have all the bells and whistles you mentioned and more. As you have found, good hearing aids bought from a real Audiologist (not from a dubious degreed guy working in a department store) are steep. Mine were $3,000 each and they are one down from the top of the line. With regular maintenance by a qualified Technician, they can be adjusted to meet your (declining) hearing needs for years. Take a look at the attached link, which is a good comparison of many available products. And good luck.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/12/hear-well-in-a-noisy-world/index.htm
 
I have a set made by ReSound with blue tooth.  Work great and can blue tooth from my Iphone.  Makes it much easier to hear and don't miss as any phone calls because I hear the ring through my hearing aids.  Going on 2 years with no problems.
 
Going to be signing up for my workplace MRA "medical reimbursement account" this year, damn gov dropped the amount for a family from 7500 to 2500 this year :angry:  . So it will cover most of the cost of one which I hope I can get by with.  I work in a high noise environment with heavy equipment running and other daily shop noises like air tools and air arcing so something with noise cancelling is going to be needed as well.

Thank you all very much for the ongoing input on the subject, after the first of the year I am going to start the trek for the right one for me.
 
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