Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

Yes, my hearing has been tested with real measurement, and I am having it retested in May and before I attend the Immune Deficiency Foundation conference in Chicago in June. They will also supply me with assisted listening devices which I have used with success in the past, especially when I am in large group settings.

I agree that there is some "shame" that goes along with hearing aids, or the necessity for the same. When I can't hear someone they look at me as though I am stupid and this can be really annoying. Worse, is when people who have hearing aids refuse to wear them, and then I get exhausted from shouting, like at my sister or the woman I was taking care of.

Thanks for the information on the implants. I imagine they are much more developed now than when they first came out. My friend who has one had to take all kinds of speech therapy lessons, learn to "rehear" again and things of that nature. Music seems to be her most difficult hurdle, and because I love to listen with headphones on, I do not want to give up my ability to hear music. I will keep you updated.

Thank you

Hello everyone.

What a wonderful find this forum has been, to find support and information regarding all aspects of navigating the confusing road of hearing loss and possible solutions to help me with this. Kudos to those who came before me with the willingness to share. I look forward to the opportunities to contribute to this forum with my experiences in the future, as well.

I’m a guy with a life long high-frequency loss which has grown so bad, that, at 58, I cannot function in life any more without captions or lip-reading. It is what it is, so I’ll just try to find my path from here. I have recently completed my audiogram, and it is astounding to me what level of hearing loss that I have now. Surely denial and ignorance played a part in ignoring this for all these past years.

Normal hearing up to 500 Hz but dropping rapidly to -60 at 1 kHz, and then down to -95 at 6 kHz and on up. Speech recognition is 40-65%, depending on which ear.

My fitting appointment is scheduled within the week, so I am waiting with great anticipation of what will become of this. I understand that hearing aids will not fully restore my hearing to normal, but am looking forward to not playing the “Wheel of Fortune” game, if possible. Although I’m rather good at this, up, until now, I’m tired of playing.

Will keep you posted…

Thanks, everyone!

JustTodd

I’ve been wearing hearing aids for about 9 years now. Most of The new ones have blue tooth which is the cats meow if you use a cell phone or watch a smart tv. To me the phone Bluetooth alone is worth it. I still have a problem in a big meeting room or if someone is say 6 ft or more away and speaks softly I just can’t make it out. I can sit at a table and no problem unless they start that soft talk crap. ALSO…these little girls at a drive through that love to talk real fast, string their words together, and use a high chirper tone is a big problem. They think it’s cool to talk like that but I have to say what about 3 times to get my order done.
Remember Bluetooth is a must!!!

Congratulations, Todd! You did it!! You have begun a new chapter in managing your life and hearing. You are correct in not expecting your hearing loss to return to normal...it is still going to be a challenge and your brain needs time to accommodate to receiving sound differently. So be sure to wear your hearing aids all day every day to help that happen. I hope you have a good audiologist who can help you make adjustments along the way as you become more familiar with how your HAs work. There is a lot of extremely helpful information available out there and its very helpful to become informed about assistive technology (bluetooth!) that is helpful as well as aspects of programming, not to mention educating those whom you are trying to hear about the conditions that help you. Check out the Hearing Loss Associating of America's national site (hearingloss.org) for resources and to see if there is a chapter near you for personal help. Its hard to know what to expect when one first gets hearing aids. This is why talking to your audiologist, researching online, and HLAA can all be part of educating yourself and those around you. Good luck and come back with questions and to let us know how its going.

Support from others who live with acquired hearing loss is priceless. So glad you have found this support group within Mayo Clinic Connect.

It pays to learn everything you can about hearing aids and other technology that can make a huge difference for you. I have learned more from people with hearing loss themselves than from the professionals who diagnose and fit hearing devices. I don't mean to badmouth them because they are very helpful too. They simply do not have or take time to do the kind of aural rehabilitation and education we need. The people who live with hearing loss themselves learn coping strategies and ways to help themselves that those professionals do not share with us. The reason is that it takes time.

I started using hearing aids in the 1970s. Technology has come a long way since then! I've had to learn as I've moved forward. BlueTooth (BT) is wonderful for TV and cell phones. However BT doesn't connect with sound systems in public venues. I still find telecoils to be worth insisting on. They do not add cost to the products, and they can connect you to sound systems in places where BT can't. I encourage everyone who uses hearing instruments to insist on having both BT and telecoils in them.

Checking out HLAA is worth your time. HLAA's mission is to share unbiased information, to educate, provide peer support and to advocate for communication access and the availability of the technology people with hearing loss need to remain in the hearing mainstream. http://www.hearingloss.org is worth exploring.

spent 17 thousand dollars on hearing aids and just now heard of telecoil. I just bought hearing aids and of course too late to request the telecoil. Is there another option?

@josmay

There may already be tcoils in them If not, have your audiologist or hearing aid dispenser call the manufacturer and ask if there is room enough to add this program. Only they would know , not your dispenser so insist on the call.
Not sure where you bought them or what type they are. It’s disgraceful that this basic, necessary program is not even mentioned. I had my new Audi call the manufacturer to make sure the tcoils were in the new aids I ordered before I paid for them.

Also, you have a trial period so take advantage of that.

FL Mary

my trail period is up dang but thanks for the info Mary i will check but sure it would be another big expense to add

@josmay

Shouldn't cost you anything...or very very little

FL Mary

just checked with manufacture of lucid hearing aids from sams club they phased out the t coils said i only need bluetooth