Hearing aids in but still not understanding words

I have significant hearing loss and tinnitus as a result of cisplatin chemo for a stage 4 throat cancer. Much worse in one ear than the other. After spending thou$ands on expensive hearing aids (Oticon and Signia) I tried the Apple Air Airpods Pro 2 which are FDA approved as OTC hearing aids and which cost less than $200 (! ). You can give yourself a hearing test and size the airpods to fit in your ear canal using the app on the iphone. And, make adjustments yourself without having to go to an audiologist. My hearing aids now stay in my sock drawer while my Airpods are in constant use. I also use them to listen to music from my iphone while working out at the gym.
Probably wouldn't work for everyone but it works for me!

In most cases of sensorineural hearing loss, we lose the higher tones first. Consonants are in the higher tones. Vowels give speech power and we hear them fairly well. The consonants define the words, so missing them is why we misunderstand. Take a word like impossible and eliminate the consonants. i _ _o _ _i_ _ e Even when you know it's a 'long' word it's likely you won't be able to identify it in print. Here it is with no vowels: _mp_ss_bl_ You might be able to figure that out. It might also help if it was in a sentence or conversation about something being difficult.

Do you know what this word is?
_o_o_ _y_ _ e ? Obviously it would help if you knew the contest of a conversation because it's easier to guess. This is basically what happens when we lose hearing. It happens gradually. How do you do on audiology tests that involve sentences? Sometimes clues matter. sometimes they don't.

The tiny hair cells in the cochlea distinguish these sounds. If those cells are damaged we misunderstand because our brains don't get the signals.

This is where cochlear implants come in as they bypass the damaged cochlea and stimulate the brain directly. You may be a CI candidate. Did your audiologist tell you about cochlear implants?

Everyone's hearing loss is different. When the cause of it is unique, that could differentiate too. OTC hearing aids are here and are solutions for some people. As an advocate/educator member of the Hearing Loss Assn. of America I and 'we' have been supportive of the development of OTC hearing aids. Thankfully they became legal a few years ago.

Pleased to know those Airpods are working for you. I have heard good things about them from a few other people. Also have heard Apple is working to advance them and make them even better.

They will not be the solution for people (like me) with typical progressive sensorineural hearing loss that is severe. Those terribly expensive hearing aids, along with a cochlear implant, are what work for me.

It's unfortunate that hearing aids are not covered by most insurance and not at all by Medicare. Hearing loss is a disability that affects the quality of lives. Just because it's invisible doesn't mean it should be discounted! Good luck with those Airpods. Keep us posted on how they do for you.

I have the same issue. I use closed captioning which allows you to see what is being said on the bottom of the screen. It's not perfect, but it does help. Sound bars have been mentioned as helping with clarity of speech; I will be looking into this option in the near future. I know the frustration of not understanding speech on TV, and also in conversation with others. Good luck and good health are my wishes for a fellow hearing impaired person. Take care!