UKC

just been diagnosed with moderate hearing loss in both ears. hearing aids will be necessary anyone else been through this as i guess its kind of freaking me out

In reply to lost1977: Pardon?

In reply to Jamming Dodger:

must be an echo as someone else just said the same thing

In reply to lost1977: Yes. I've had quite a considerable loss since early childhood and much nagging persuaded me to sort it out in August. I now wear two aid and the are like this and hardly visible:


http://www.crystalhearinguk.co.uk/images/ote.jpg

They do make a difference and you get what you pay for.

In reply to lost1977: PS Very often I'm not aware of them apart from sounds being clearer. Couple of times I've forgotten to remove them before a shower but the hair drier will sort that out.

In reply to mypyrex:

going to be limited as i will b e relying on the nhs, i was told they take a few months to get used to what was that like ?

In reply to lost1977:

I have an NHS hearing aid. Absolutely brilliant little thing that sits behind the ear, has a little tube that drops down into my ear to an open fitting rather like a mushroom with holes in it
Getting used to it is a case of accepting this slightly irritating thing in your ear and if you brush your hand past your ear it'll give you a feedback squeak/etc. A year on its indispensable.

(goes back to lurking)

In reply to lost1977:

going to be limited as i will b e relying on the nhs

My father just had some NHS hearing aids. Not quite as small as Myprex's, but not too bad: -

http://www.topfermented.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/EarHorn.jpg

In reply to beth and mypyrex:

do you have any problems with wind noise (concerned i won't be able to hear my coach when cycling)

In reply to lost1977:
Very occasionally, but on balance I'd say it's no worse than a good wind blowing down your lug anyway. Whilst cycling it seems to be in a dead spot so I get very little wind noise. Its only on the hill with a wind directly on that side do I get irritated by wind noise. I seem to have learned to dial most of it out. More problematic seems to be the cold as the little tube funnels the cold down into the ear canal, which hurts! Pulling a hat over it, even a buff, improves matters but can make it sound odd and more prone to feedback.
Still prefer using it tho.

In reply to lost1977: Well having encountered a lot of wind on my Annapurna trek I can say that it was not a problem - unless you're talking about high altitude flatulence

In reply to mypyrex:

You haven't been to Annapurna have you? You kept that quiet!

In reply to mypyrex:

good to hear, was it very windy between Muktinath and Jomsom

In reply to lost1977:
Yes, and beyond. Also very dusty. I'b still bugged up

In reply to lost1977:

Men in my family tend to experience hearing loss around the age of 40, so my dad and uncles all have HAs. My dad's are nearly invisible, but beware! Dogs like to chewy on small expensive things which smell of earwax.

In reply to verygneiss: cats too going on the way our three eat any used ear plugs that they can fish out of the bin.

In reply to lost1977:
I too started to notice high frequency loss of hearing a few years ago. Originally, as a birdwatcher I found hearing some bird song difficult or not at all if it was high pitched and far awaY. Now my hearing loss has extended to noisy pub conversations and quietly spoken females.

I went and got NHS hearing aids as others have. Brilliant!! I normally only use them for birding and those that know me just make an allowance for my less than perfect hearing.

It's certainly no big deal in my life and if I'm honest it does allow me not to hear things I'd rather =ignore like, 'can you do this or that' etc., and blame my non compliance on my hearing.

Something which does take getting used to is learning to put up with extremely crunchy gravel, paper, plastic and similar noises which no doubt is because my hearing loss meant these sounds became 'quiet and are now normal volume again.

In reply to Dave Perry:

sounds similar to my situation with high frequency loss and quietly spoken females

In reply to lost1977: I wear 2 of the latest NHS hearing aids and they are invaluable. The issues with them are much the same as privately purchased aids. Background noise is an issue sometimes. The microphones are behind your ear so you hear most from the back. Annoying in a large room full of folk. Also in venues with loud music and large work meetings. In some instances like a lecture,Ii hear better with one aid only, it depends largely on the room.
In short, they changed a lot for me. I was missing stuff at work and annoyed the hell out of my family. Folks will only see the thin clear tube and if you have slightly long hair then they won't see a thing.
After a couple of weeks you will be glad that you have them.

I lost some of my hearing many years ago after too many years as a night club DJ and the rest of the time clubbing. I had another test a few years back and happy that my hearing has recovered quite a lot

In reply to lost1977: I've suffered ongoing irreversible hearing loss for the last 10 years. I have in the ear hearing aids, very expensive ones ($3500 each ear,) which I hate deeply. I only wear them for face to face contact or other events which I need to hear at, (I attended a talk by Ian Rankin last night!)

Much as they are invaluable for work etc, I loathe wearing them and prefer my (virtually) silent world, it's very peaceful.

Be prepared to have the piss taken out of you, being hard of hearing seems to be one of the few disabilities it's ok to mock.

In reply to stroppygob:

thanks for your honesty

In reply to lost1977: I was told years ago by an engineering lecture that prolonged use of my walkman would cause me problems in later life. Of course at eighteen you don't give a monkeys. I then spent years in the timber frame kit house business and the prolonged use of nail guns without ear protection has really taken it's toll.
I know this sounds incredibly stupid and self inflicted but when you're on a bonus scheme with the chance to earn a grand a week if you can hear your mate you take your chances. Sadly I'm reaping the consequences.

In reply to stroppygob:
You're lucky!! I have tinnitus aswell. So its never ever silent for me.
No one has ever taken the micky out my slight hearing loss.

In reply to Dave Perry:

Yeah, me too. Luckily it's intermittent.



I'm glad, I think the majority of the piss taking I get is my own fault, due to my reluctance to wear my aids.