Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

I lost my hearing because of an auto accident when two airbags went off. Now I have hearing aids - Resound - and find it so difficult in noisy restaurants. Which seems the norm today.

I have mild to moderate hearing loss and am just starting out with shopping for hearing aids and learning what I can expect hearing aids to do. I have just completed a trial period with the Horizon IX. While the experience was OK, I decided to continue my search to see if I can do better. Or at least be in a position to compare. This forum and the many people who have told their experiences is very useful. I appreciate the time taken to explain what has worked or not for you.

Costco for sure
Best warranty
Best return policy
Best pricing
Best repair pricing when out of the 3 year warranty
Largest hearing aid supplier in the United States.
Mayo is the best to test and then take your prescription to Costco unless something special is your need.

I am glad you are happy with Costco.
That being said nothing can replace having a good audiologist. I moved 35 miles away from my audiologist in the same city and after trying a new one only ten minutes away that worked for the same company I am back with my old audiologist.

Yes, and that is why I have Mayo do all my testing and I can take that prescription to whomever.
I make my decisions on the product and Mayo is very detailed with their testing. I’m happy!

Hi. I have been using the Oticon hearing aid for 2-3 years and have been pleased - as there is a tinnitus masking setting to help on those days when the tinnitus is very bad. Being able to do settings through the smart phone is very helpful as well. I also heard that Costco has great prices, especially if not covered by insurance. When you see the audiologist, have them check the side of the small piece that goes into the ear - to make sure it is not too big (it is small anyway), as that can cause ear discomfort. Remember to take out the device before sleep and do not get it wet (it will ruin it and not work after that). Good luck and hope you find the right device for you.

My friend had a facial tumor around her acoustic nerve (benign thankfully) and she needed to have surgery and lost hearing on that side. She now has a hearing aid. There are now newer products and her hearing aid now channels sound through the bone and the hearing in her good ear has now improved!

What model is your Oticon? Did you get your hearing aids from Costco? He asked at our local Costco and the audiologists there were not familiar with a hearing aid which helps tinnitus. My husband has bad tinnitus and a slight hearing problem, and if indeed these help, he would be eternally grateful to know something that may help.

It's amazing to realize how little research was being done on hearing loss/deafness until President Reagan signed the documents that created the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders in 1988. (NIDCD) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Compared to institutes established to study other health issues NIDCD is very new as most others were established nearly a century ago. Mentioning this only because true research on how the auditory system works was not done much prior to 1988.

HLAA was established in 1979 and started the movement towards advocacy and change. HLAA was involved in writing the ADA relative to communication access, which prior to that time was basically known as manual communication.

Those of us who were diagnosed with hearing loss prior to that time were told for the most part that hearing loss was incurable because the auditory nerve was damaged, AND nothing could ever be done to change that because of the location of the hearing mechanism being within the brain. The only research that was being done was on cadavers. Wow!

Thanks to NIDCD, HLAA, The Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) and a few universities that established programs of 'hope for the future of hearing issues', we've come a long way in the past 40+ years. Hearing aids now do more than amplify. A variety of hearing assistive technology that goes beyond hearing aids is available now. Cochlear implants, which were laughed about 45 years ago are now used to bring back hearing to thousands of people. One of the most amazing discoveries was that in most instances, the auditory nerve was not damaged. It was not being stimulated by the cells in the cochlea so was dormant. Those cells cannot be regenerated but Cochlear implants can bypass them to stimulate that nerve and hearing can be regained. Is it perfect? No, but it is darn close.

Among technologies are some old ones that work by bringing desired sound directly to our hearing devices. Telecoils do that when used with hearing loops, FM systems, IR systems etc. I use telecoils in my hearing aid and in my cochlear implant and can hear very well in settings that provide the systems needed to connect them.

We hear that low E BlueTooth and Auracast are coming and will do the same things that the tech mentioned does in a different way. We are all for that, but the reality is: WE WANT TO HEAR NOW! Not sometime in the future at the expense of hearing now. I have Auracast built in to my N8 Cochlear processor. It is worthless to me because Auracast is not yet available. The prediction is 'several more years'. By then, I will likely need to upgrade my personal technology. Realize that Auracast transmitters will have to be installed. Using what is already installed now is logical.

In my area we have hearing loop technology in most churches, meeting rooms, our performing arts centers, high school theaters, etc. That has happened because people educated and advocated for it. The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that public venues be communication accessible but requires that the people who need it must request it in advance of need. That means speaking up to let those venues know this is an expected accommodation. They are not going to provide it if you don't do that. That also means that people with hearing loss have to come out of the closet and talk about their hearing loss needs. Unfortunately, most hard of hearing people prefer to hide it.

You ask if I think a cure for hearing loss is coming. Yes, I'm aware of research being done in Europe and in the USA that is making progress in mice. We humans are a bit more sophisticated in our biology than mice, but it is certainly encouraging. I do think there will be a cure for sensorineural hearing loss someday. I doubt it will happen soon. I believe that presently cochlear implants are the best solution for people who have severe hearing loss. Those who have trouble in social settings due to background noise, etc. I've known a couple people who refused to go the CI route because they truly believed that a 'cure' would come in their lifetime. It didn't and both of those people have passed away. I've had a CI since 2005 and the only regret I have is that I didn't have it done sooner. It has been life changing for me.

The incidence of hearing loss in the general public has increased considerably due to noise in the environment. Protecting one's hearing is so important.

If a cure were to come in my lifetime, I'd be first in line to get it! 🙂

That is just amazing that a disability that affects so many people around the world was not being researched before 1988.
Hopefully they can put a sense of urgency in to their research and things might accelerate.
Getting along with my Signia IX 7 hearing aids. They are better than the AX platform. Hoping the new platforms they are working on are even better. Seems like every 18
months they make a new breakthrough. At only $1,800 for the pair I can take advantage as soon as they do.
Thanks for thoughtful response to my questions. I love the interaction. .

Hi Julie,
Thank you for such an informative post! I am relatively new to the decreased hearing - and first discovered this when I got a new IPHONE and it sounded different from one ear to the other. This was about 2 + years ago. I had tinnitus, and had assumed it was from high dose prednisone (for asthma). I had read much about tinnitus and hearing loss and we all had hoped the situation would improve. Now, 2 years after the hearing aid, we did find an improvement (and decreased prednisone did help). Tinnitus can be devastating, especially at night when hearing aids need to be removed. I am lucky - and will deal with Meniere's disease - which was only diagnosed since I did have the improvement in hearing function. I wish all those with hearing impairment good luck and hope there will be improvement, and eventually a cure for this and so many other health problems. Thank you, again.