[Esteban]

Originally Posted by wdb

My hearing loss was due to all of the above (loud music, playing in a band, being around loud stuff like cars and huge industrial machines) but mostly stems from a childhood riddled with ear infections, treated by a doctor who got his degree in the late 1800's. I've worn hearing aids since 1990, when I was decidedly not qualified to post in this thread.

How are the hearing aids of today working for you?

[wdb]

Honestly they're pretty cool. Bunch of tech in them these days. Phone calls go right into my ears, music too. Lots of features and controls when synced to a smartphone. But I'd still rather not need them.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by wdb

Honestly they're pretty cool. Bunch of tech in them these days. Phone calls go right into my ears, music too. Lots of features and controls when synced to a smartphone. But I'd still rather not need them.

What brand are they? You may have said in an earlier thread and I missed it.

[wdb]

Mine are Signia, used to be called Siemens before they spun off a new brand for their HA line. There are competitors with similar feature sets. I like Siemens because they really do test them for moisture resistance.

[3.0L]

I bought a set of Phonak's a year ago and I love them. I tried to get the VA to supply me with hearing aids 7 years ago, but no joy, so I paid a premium price for my first a pair; Oticon Alta's. The Phonak's are much better.

Back to the VA: They turned me down despite the fact I served in the artillery for 12 months in Vietnam. The howitzers alone made my ears ring (which never stopped), not to mention the small arms fire. In fact, my ears roared at times, complete with temporary deafness. These incidents add up over time.

So, I have very significant high frequency losses, along with tinnitus. The Phonaks really help.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

I bought a set of Phonak's a year ago and I love them. I tried to get the VA to supply me with hearing aids 7 years ago, but no joy, so I paid a premium price for my first a pair; Oticon Alta's. The Phonak's are much better.

Back to the VA: They turned me down despite the fact I served in the artillery for 12 months in Vietnam. The howitzers alone made my ears ring (which never stopped), not to mention the small arms fire. In fact, my ears roared at times, complete with temporary deafness. These incidents add up over time.

So, I have very significant high frequency losses, along with tinnitus. The Phonaks really help.

My hearing loss (30%) is also in the high freq range. And I have non-stop tinnitus. I've wondered if hearing aids would reduce the tinnitus. I suppose there is no way to know except to try them.

[upstatedoc]

Anyone ever own an eight ball jacket?

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

Heh-- my buddy had one of these old TV's in college (which was a notoriously dry campus). It was well-known in the dorm that his TV didn't work, which was the perfect setup to hide something in plain sight. He removed the top and reinstalled it with hinges, ripped out the electronics, and cut the glass tube all the way around so the only thing left was the actual screen itself.

Then he put a blender inside, ran the cord out where the TV power cord would have been, and put a ton of booze bottles inside the TV cabinet. When the RA's came to bust him for having alcohol in his room, they went *nuts* trying to figure out where he'd hidden the booze, mixers and glasses. They knew he was drinking in his room (which was a huge thing considering the school's alcohol policy) and spent literally *hours* trying to figure it out over the course of the school year. To my knowledge, none of the RA's ever cracked the code, even after several years of effort.

I thought it was pure, unadulterated genius, in a Wyle E. Coyote sort of way.

R.

Indeed....so when did your buddy eventually graduate, if ever?

Nice story of ingenuity though.

[3.0L]

You wore Buster Brown shoes.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

You wore Buster Brown shoes.

I wore something like this back in high school (1972). I felll backward when I took them off.

[TKDbilly]

Whilst on the subject of age and clothing, I had to wear 3 piece suits with a choice of white or light blue shirts and matching pants. Still around but much better styles and options!

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

You wore Buster Brown shoes.

.

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by Esteban

How are the hearing aids of today working for you?

They work great. I go to Costco. The price is around $1,500 for a pair. That would be $7,000 elsewhere. My hearing is pretty bad so the hearing aids make life bearable. I still have trouble hearing some frequencies, but its way better than without the hearing aids.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

They work great. I go to Costco. The price is around $1,500 for a pair. That would be $7,000 elsewhere. My hearing is pretty bad so the hearing aids make life bearable. I still have trouble hearing some frequencies, but its way better than without the hearing aids.

Can you just buy those at Costco or do you have to have a referral from a doctor or hearing clinic? IOW, can you DIY with these?

[wdb]

Originally Posted by M_Six

My hearing loss (30%) is also in the high freq range. And I have non-stop tinnitus. I've wondered if hearing aids would reduce the tinnitus. I suppose there is no way to know except to try them.

. My Signias have a feature specifically intended to reduce tinnitus. The reality is that any hearing aid will reduce your notice of simply by amplifying the stuff you want to hear.

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Can you just buy those at Costco or do you have to have a referral from a doctor or hearing clinic? IOW, can you DIY with these?

They have their own hearing aid specialists and some have audiologists on staff. I first went to a private practice audiologist and took the tests. They wanted $7,900 for a pair of hearing aids. I voted with my feet.

I went to Costco after having friends recommend them. They tested my hearing and I compared the test to the one I just had done by the private audiologist. The results were the same. Costco fitted me with hearing aids for $1699. That was 8 years ago. The current Signature 10.0 is $1,399 a pair. There is no fee for tests or visits.

Costco works well for me.

[UncleWede]

Costco wouldn't sell to me unless I had a private Dr sign off on my loss. Dr doesn't want to do that, they want the sale So I wear my dads

[M_Six]

So I guess I'll have to ask at our local Costco. Need to go there and pick up a few things anyway.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Costco wouldn't sell to me unless I had a private Dr sign off on my loss. Dr doesn't want to do that, they want the sale So I wear my dads

As per sygazelle post, don't most warehouse have audiologists staff with exam room?

They do North of the 49th parallel.

[e90335e36m3]

Originally Posted by TKDbilly

Whilst on the subject of age and clothing, I had to wear 3 piece suits with a choice of white or light blue shirts and matching pants. Still around but much better styles and options!

You're using "whilst" instead of "while" so long after we declared our independence from Britain, WHILE discussing old school fashion trends. You sir take the you know you're old award in this thread.

This is all said in jest.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by JJ 911SC

As per sygazelle post, don't most warehouse have audiologists staff with exam room?

They do North of the 49th parallel.

The examined me while there. Then they gave me a set to wear in the warehouse (Costco is LOUD!) When I came back, ready to make a purchase, they said I had to take this form to an ENT Dr. and get it signed, due to the level of my loss.

WTF??? I haven't tried any "online" sources either, figuring they would do the same to me. So I wear my dad's, which are NOT configured to my hearing, but at least a little louder.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

... WTF???

+1 on that.

Ask them if they know a "friendly" Ent Dr?