[Atamasco]

Originally Posted by patfla06

I deleted my original message because I’m confused.

I recently had 2 hearing tests, 1 saying I needed hearing aids (Villages Health Audiologist) and the 2nd one ( Costco) saying that I don’t.

I was just wondering and thinking of going for a 3rd test at a hearing center here to see what they think.

I have moderate loss at high frequency but think my hearing is still good.

Wondering why such opposite views.

I had good xam/service at Elite Hearing Ctr at Freedom mall on SR 44 in Wildwood

[jjombrello]

Did your hearing test include a recorded chart of the degree of loss in each ear? This should give you a good indication of how good or bad your hearing is and the audiologist should be able to explain that to you. It's really easy to understand. I would recommend Mid-Florida Hearing in Deaton Plaza as a good place to get a third opinion. Family practice that has years and years of experience.

[tmdkjam]

Originally Posted by patfla06

I deleted my original message because I’m confused.

I recently had 2 hearing tests, 1 saying I needed hearing aids (Villages Health Audiologist) and the 2nd one ( Costco) saying that I don’t.

I was just wondering and thinking of going for a 3rd test at a hearing center here to see what they think.

I have moderate loss at high frequency but think my hearing is still good.

Wondering why such opposite views.

IT'S SIMPLE - One wants to sell hearing aids if you have any loss. The other is respecting some reasonable limits to hearing loss since we all have some.

If you passed, enjoy life - your not missing anything!

[zendog3]

I believe that when your hearing nerve cells start to go, they die and are gone for ever. This is the time hearing aids will help you. They stimulate those cells and keep your hearing stronger and living longer.

I suggest you go to a good seller of hearing aids. Any reputable seller of hearing aids will give you a test drive.

Even good hearing aids have a down side. You will hear a lot of background noise, glasses tinkling, people talking in the distance. just general noise. The first time I tried hearing aids, the annoyance of the noise was worse then the benefit of increased ability to hear what I wanted to hear. A couple of years later, I tried again and found it was time for me.

Anyway, you don't have to rely on the word of the audiologist. The only way to be sure it is time for hearing aids is to try them and see if your life is improved.

Finding the right hearing aid is trickier.

[GATORBILL66]

Originally Posted by patfla06

///

i can't hear you!

[patfla06]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Are you having problems hearing others?

No. My speech test was 100%.
Was turning up the volume on the t.v.
We just bought a sound bar and it’s amazing.
Had to turn the volume down.

Struggle if in a noisy restaurant.

[patfla06]

Originally Posted by thevillages2013

Huh?

Very funny! 😊

[patfla06]

Originally Posted by MrFlorida

Believe me, you will know when you need hearing aids, your wife will tell you .....

My Husband has had hearing aids for 3 years.
He tells people I hear better then he does with his hearing aids.

[patfla06]

Thank all of you for your great responses!

[fdpaq0580]

There is nothing wrong with my hearing. I just wish everyone would quit mumbling.
😠

[zendog3]

If you can afford it, I strongly recommend getting aids that link wifi/bluetooth to your phone and TV. The link to Television improved my life greatly. Now I get clear sound through all ranges with the TV sound muted. I don't bother other people in the room and the sound is crystal clear.

Link to phone is pretty cool. I stand in the middle of Publix with my phone in my pocket. To people around, I look like an insane man talking to himself. Suddenly I am "hip" but I don't have a big white blob hanging from my ear.

I would also suggest batteries rather than rechargeable. If I put my hearing aids on in the morning, they run out of juice at about 10 or 11 pm, just when I am watching a late night TV program. With batteries, you just have to remember to carry a spare set.

I was very happy with Connect Hearing in Spanish Springs. I don't know about the price but they are very knowledgeable with a sound proof room for testing and all the technology necessary for testing and diagnosis. They are also excellent with support and cleaning.

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by patfla06

No. My speech test was 100%.
Was turning up the volume on the t.v.
We just bought a sound bar and it’s amazing.
Had to turn the volume down.

Struggle if in a noisy restaurant.

Even with hearing aids, crowded bars, restaurants etc will still be a problem.
Whilst some modern aids reduce some background sound, they cannot cut it out completely
The upside is, you hear some really interesting conversations on other tables!

[visiting_the_parents]

Like others have said, go to an ENT first, particularly if you're still establishing whether you need/want them. Get your ears checked by a board certified doctor. And get a baseline hearing test by an audiologist who has no incentive to sell you hearing aids.

After you have their opinions and test results, you can go to Costco or anywhere else for the devices. I think hearing aids are like mattresses (pre-online bed selling). There's only a few main manufacturers but they seem to make it intentionally difficult to compare apples to apples.

They're hella expensive--everywhere. So if you're on the fence and there's a chance they'll sit in a drawer unworn--just wait.

Last thing-- hearing aids can definitely make a world of difference. I cried the first time I heard a clock ticking across the room. I didn't know rubbing your fingertips together made a sound. I spent an entire day listening to that. It was like magic!

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Two Bills

I have gone the whole 9 yards with hearing loss, and without my hearing aids I hear nothing.
When you find yourself keep asking people to repeat what they say, it will be time to get help.
Hearing aid today, are very expensive, so in the early stages you may get away with a simple sound enhancer device, which you can buy yourself online.
Later you you will need a good hearing aid.
Always trial before purchase.
Research cost of aid offered. Some sellers mark up prices a lot.
Get the best you can afford.
My ten cents.
Good luck.

I got mine from the audiologist at The Villages Health. I knew I had hearing problems, and I've known that I've needed hearing aids for years. Anyone who tells me I don't need them would get me posting here warning against whoever was making such a claim.

The audiologist recommended Unitron. I did some google searches on a few different brands, checked their own website and a couple of "review" sites that I'm familiar with that specialize in technology and medicine.

Decided I'd give the Unitrons a shot. Had a 60-day trial (was supposed to be 30 days but I kept needing adjustments and there was a whole week when the audiologist wasn't there so the appointment had to be changed for 2 weeks later).

Finally decided to buy them. Super expensive but again - I had come prepared. I told her during the previous visit that I'd done some checking - and gave her a printout from an AARP affiliate and a discount company provided by FloridaBlue, my health insurance provider. She said she'd honor their prices.

Huzzah. Got my hearing aids for around $1500 less than the MSRP, and it comes with an app so I can adjust everything from my cell phone, with multiple programs, plus a TV thing that I have attached to my computer so I can watch movies and videos and podcasts and the sound comes directly into my ears - my computer doesn't have speakers and I had been using an over-the-ear headset up until that point.

Being able to hear properly is still - weird for me. I've never been fully hearing-abled, was born with nerve damage in my ears. Life is NOISY. So much so that sometimes I have to actually turn them off, while still wearing them, which basically turns them into inferior-quality ear plugs. And that's fine - sometimes you just gotta turn the volume DOWN on life. The rest of the time I hear better than most of my neighbors.

Finally got my parents to get them too, we'd been after them for 10 years and they insisted they heard just fine. We just mumble all the time. And they kept the TV on at full volume because it "kept them company." Now, they turn the TV volume down, they understand us, we don't have to yell over the TV, and everyone is more cheerful and less grumpy.

Bonus: if you qualify for hearing aids, and wear them regularly to improve your hearing (as opposed to simply amplifying sound), you are more likely to retain your memory for more years as you age, and reduce the risk of dementia.

[davem4616]

Originally Posted by patfla06

I deleted my original message because I’m confused.

I recently had 2 hearing tests, 1 saying I needed hearing aids (Villages Health Audiologist) and the 2nd one ( Costco) saying that I don’t.

I was just wondering and thinking of going for a 3rd test at a hearing center here to see what they think.

I have moderate loss at high frequency but think my hearing is still good.

Wondering why such opposite views.

You go to one of these guys and they'll try to sell you hearing aids....

I think I bought them about 3 years too early....just now I'm really feeling like I needed them in certain situations

they're expensive, I wish I had gone with a Costco brand 1st time around....then a high end one when my hearing really got worse

good luck....trying turning up the television....no one on the street will notice anyway, we're all hard of hearing lol