Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

For clarity you need to block out the noise. Headphones do that. Custom moulded ear phones do that too. Some states don't allow driving with headphones. There are lots of ways to connect your hearing aid to audio depending on what audio source you're using. Is the audio from your car or from a. device like MP3 ore tablet? We need more information.

I have enjoyed having Sirius radio. It's amazingly clear with no static. It started as a 6 month free subscription when I purchased a car several years ago, or I never would have tried it. Now I'm hooked. It's worth the cost to me, especially when traveling. NOTE: I'm a bimodal user of a cochlear implant and a hearing aid with profound hearing loss.

Thanks, so maybe they first place to start it to get Sirius installed. I had one in my truck but will just have it transferred. If I enjoy Sirius then maybe I won’t need the tapes.

Audio from car and my audiologist helped me by trying the jack the car supplies to hook into a com pilot. Didn’t help. I have Bose which I use at home but will check to see if Arizona has a law against wearing while driving.

I am not new, but I have not participated in discussion of hearing aids and tinnitus lately. I recently purchased my first hearing aid ($6,000 for 2) and I am trying to decide whether or not to exercise my 30-day (Mass. state law) option to back out. I do have "moderate" hearing loss in both ears according to the audiologist, and I can hear the TV a little better, but my main issue was and has been tinnitus which is not helped at all using the hearing aids. I have an appointment with the audiologist soon (within the 30-day period) and I am seriously considering backing out because I can hear okay, and it does not help my tinnitus. Does anyone have some guidance or suffusions what I should do? I need to decide soon. Thanks.

@tarheel.Welcome to connect A caring group I also have tinnitus and my Ear Dr told d me there is no cure for it so using a holistic approach I went on research What I found was Mullein leaf there is a tincture you add to water and also a tea Once a day and my tinnitus is harder noticeable but like the Dr said there is no cure yet

Perhaps your provider will let you try a different hearing aid and extend the 30 day trial to 60 days. It doesn't hurt to ask. If not, turn them in and go elsewhere, but be sure you have a copy of your audiogram, and make a record of what you tried. There are hearing instruments that help mask tinnitus, but I don't know how effective they are. I suspect, like hearing loss, tinnitus is also unique to the person who has it.

@tarheel, you should not give up on hearing aids because of the lack of tinnitus relief. You have a moderate loss and that is significant. I only know of a few people that get relief of tinnitus from their hearing aids but that is only because the desired sounds get amplified enough to mask the undesired tinnitus (when it occurs). You should discuss the lack of tinnitus relief with the audiologist to see if they can do anything (I suspect they will not). Your hearing may benefit just as well with a mid-range priced set of hearing aids. $6000 for pair is around the cost for high end aids.
Tony in Michigan

@tonyinmi, So Tony if you were in tarheel's position, knowing only whatever she knows about hearing aids, would you consider asking the audiologist to spell out the benefits of the expensive hearing aids vs those priced at midrange?

@barbb, ABSOLUTELY! The audiologist should disclose the differences between the different models. We all want the best chance at hearing like we used to. The biggest difference between low end and high end aids is the amount of background noise cancellation. Since this happens in real time, the processor has to be fast. The more expensive aids claim to give the best possible background noise cancellation. We will be able to hear better in background noise but it is not like what the audiologist may lead us to believe. I don't know anyone with a hearing aid that doesn't complain about hearing with background noise. I do not remember what it was like to have moderate hearing loss. I am in the severe to profound range. I've ALWAYS struggled with understanding in noise. I only hope there were other features that @tarheel desired that warranted a high end aid right off the bat. Wouldn't it be nice if an audiologist would give us 3 pair of aids to take home, all programmed the same, but at each level of technology (low, medium, and high cost)? I would bet that most, if not all, would not be able to tell the difference and walk out paying for the lower cost models.
Tony in Michigan