New Year's Resolutions for Hard of Hearing People

I am so tired of having to work with my hearing aids to sneak in my mask straps when I have to be out & about. Invariably my hearing aids pop out of their nesting place & I have the awkward position of trying to reposition my hearing aids behind my ears again. Always the fear is there that I will drop the hearing aids & break them in the process. Not good. Now that it's winter, I plop on my hat over my ears when going out in the cold as an insurance against loosing my hearing aids.

What it comes down to is if you are willing to participate in life as much as possible or to withdraw. If one were losing their eyesight, would that person refuse to wear eyeglasses?? Simple choice!. Getting accustomed to new hearing aids is a continuing process of your brain reinterpreting new and lost sounds, getting accustomed to having something in your ear for extended periods and the irritations occasionally encountered and fine tuni8ng the hearing aids as youget accustomed to them. A process, remember!

miker8888...Agree! It is very important to keep participating and enjoying life! Hearing loss is a set back but we are all dealt things in our life that we need to deal with! Thanks for the comment!

I am 83 and only have 50% loss in my right ear and tinnitus …I also pretend sometimes when I am talking with certain people as they get quite aggressive and angry if I ask them to not shout but to speak clearly as shouting distorts their words. I hate the stress this causes…and when I am accused of only wanting attention and control…I don’t see why I should spend $$ I don’t have on hearing aides(that may or may not work) when all that is needed for one person to speak clearly, stand closer and not shout in an angry voice…Sorry, this has turned into a sort of rant. Take care and walk in peace

The "Mask, Hearing Aid, Pandemic Dilemma" is very real. I personally know 3 people who have lost hearing aids when removing masks, and we know this has happened to hundreds of hearing aid users. This is especially problematic with the domes that have overtaken molds in fittings. The older well fit molds are much harder to dislodge. Not hard when you want to take them off, but by accident. Masks that fit behind the ears are obviously a problem. Have you tried a mask that ties behind your head, rather than fits with elastic behind the ears? I realize that most of those are cloth masks. With cloth masks you can also connect the two elastic ear pieces behind the head with paper clips, a barrette, or even a small piece of fabric with a button sewn on it. I've seen a lot of creativity on this issue. Have you tried any of these alternatives?

I understand how you feel as I've been there myself. I waited nearly 10 years after hearing aids were recommended before getting them. I was surprised how much they helped me. Yes, they are expensive, but well worth it. Have you had your hearing tested? If so, you may want to get a copy of the audiogram that you are entitled to ask for. I don't recommend providers/sellers of hearing aids, but know that Costco can fit a pair of hearing aids to your audiogram. While you do have to pay for them, they allow a 180 day (6 months) trial period. If you are not satisfied after trying them during that timeline, you can return them for a full refund.

It's OK to rant!

Thanks…maybe next summer when things are easer I will chk it out…I did have audioligist/seller chk me out and my Dr. Has referred me to an ENT doc…just waiting since July for an appointment.. will see what he says…

That seems like an awfully long time to wait for an appointment. Have you called your doctor to let him/her know you are still waiting?

Yes but with covid things are very slowed-up so I don’t want to be a bother….in the mean time I am learning to live with noise in my head, to observe how it changes, time of day etc and how I can sort of moderate it with meditation and being quiet, avoiding stress etc etc ad nauseam. It pulsates to my heartbeat…so I am able to slow it down..Anyways I hope the ENT doc will shed some light on it.

I hope you get in to the ENT specialist soon.