My experience with hearing aids

[dalbino83]

I've sandbagged for years about getting hearing aids. I remember flunking my first hearing test back in grade school. My parents were so upset that I got a bad grade on the test that I decided I had to study harder to pass it the next time. Watching other kids, I learned that I should just nod and say I heard things when I really didn't, and then

Comments

[maritov]

Have you been anywhere like a bar or party with them yet? I have pretty profound hearing loss in one ear, but the other one still works reasonably well in most environments except for those that are quite loud, and I end up getting a crick in my neck from keeping my good ear turned towards the people I am trying to hear. But I've generally heard that they don't help so much in noisy places.

Another question--does having the thing behind your hear make wearing glasses uncomfortable? I can barely stand having a bluetooth on my ear while wearing glasses...

[dalbino83]

They're ok at a party or restaurant setting. They try to detect where it is that you want to hear, and pull those sounds in while damping down the sounds you don't want. I had dinner with a friend who used to complain about my hearing a lot, and he was absolutely glowing at how well I did hearing him in the restaurant.

If you look at hearing aid photos online, it looks like all the models dangle behind the ear. But mine rest on top of the ear and yes, they do clash with my glasses somewhat. Since I don't need glasses for close work, I do take them on and off a lot during the day, and I can hear them go gliding by the hearing aid microphones. Otherwise, it's not a big deal having them both on top of my ears. Somehow, they both fit there comfortably.

[februaryfour]

My father has some REALLY unobtrusive ones, but I don't know how much they cost. They are pretty much equivalent to earbuds without trailing wires!

[lime_mhc]

This reminds me of my experience in middle school when I got my adenoids removed. Mine were large enough that I wasn't able to breathe effectively through my nose -- I was a notorious mouth breather because of it. In 6th grade, I had them removed under sedation. The next dentist appointment I had, I walked in and exclaimed to my mom that it smelled really bad in the office. She said, "Cynthia, it smells the way it always smells." Dentists offices in particular, still startle me, smell-wise, even 25-ish years later.