Wellness

[violann]

On 1/9/2015 Zita said:

Perkup: Your husband may be able to get help from the VA. It's obvious his is a service related injury. My husband had extreme hearing loss later in his life from serving in WWII -- the big guns in his war zone were the cause. I only wish we had checked out the Veterans Dept. while he was alive because his aids were so expensive, I waited until after his death to go in for mine. We just couldn't afford both of ours at the same time.

I have a moderate loss in both ears. Our suplemental insurance pays $500 towards final cost, which I finance through a credit card. After seven years I think I need new ones, and will go to Costco for them. They are thorough and honest vendors.

My uncle fought with the VA for years, and NOW, at 86, his life has been completely changed by hearing aids. The new ones are WONDERFUL.

[Kathlen]

I've been wearing hearings aids almost 10 years. Love them!

The "life span" of the devises is about 5 years, but my first set lasted 8 years. Got the new ones almost two years ago.

I have Widex brand ... remote control for volume and change of program for various situations.

Upkeep? Batteries last about 7 or 8 days; have to be cleaned regularly; wax plugs changed about at various intervals; audiologist checkup on devises every six months; annual reprogramming based on last hearing test. My audiologist is affiliated with my ENT.

Once out of two-year warranty, insurance costs about $500 a year. Initial cost of in-the-ear devises is about $6,000-$7,000 a pair depending on model.

[KonaKat]

I went through this and checked various vendors. I was being priced $5,000 to $6,000 for the hearing aid. I had heard about Costco from all the reviews, so I drove 3 hours to the closest Costco. The exam was extremely thorough, and I ended up with the Costco re-branded one for $1,800. Costco has a contract with a noted brand to re-brand them and sell them at a lower price. The quality is equivalent. They also sell other brands and recommend the one they feel best meet your needs. Costco can do this because they are not paying a big fee to rent a space for a hearing aid biz, etc. I've been very impressed. You can also get your hearing aid batteries there at a significant savings.

[qualitygal]

Thank you ladies!! I so love being able to come in here and get this info on stuff we have no idea about. I appreciate it so much!!! I will keep all this info, thank you so much!

and PerkUp, yup he's checking w/V.A.

[JeanLouiseFinch]

I've been wearing hearing aids for several years.

Please go to a licensed audiologist for your testing and follow his or her recommendations. Do not go to a "hearing specialist" or "hearing aid dispensers" that some of these outfits have. They are nothing more than a salesperson. You want a real doctor who can run the test and make the appropriate diagnosis.

When it comes to your hearing aids themselves, your Dr. will tell you what kind of hearing loss you have and what options are available for you. You may not need the most expensive thing out there, but don't skimp either. Get the best equipment you can afford. Also keep in mind that hearing aids are something you'll be replacing from time to time (averaging every 5 yrs. or so), depending on your loss and improvements in technology. Adjustments can be made to current aides as needed, but at some point they will have to be replaced. My current pair of aides cost me around $5000 last year. I've heard good and bad about Costco aids so you'll have to do your research and make your own determination if you want to buy them there or not. For your needs, they might have something perfectly fine. Just don't make a hard decision that you're going to go to Costco regardless if they have exactly what you need, based on your doctor's recommendation. I heartily recommend Costco as the place to get your batteries, though! You get a ton of them on a card for $10 and they'll last you quite awhile.

You also need to decide what style of hearing aid you want to wear. There are three basic styles; completely in the canal, in the ear, and behind the ear. Your doctor will make a recommendation, but ultimately it's up to you and what you'll be comfortable with. When I first got my aides, my doctor recommended a behind the ear style. My sister was wearing hearing aids and seemed to like hers so I opted for the in the canal style like she had. They were AWFUL. I can't tell you how many times I went back to be refitted because one of them just didn't stay put. When I would eat, sneeze, yawn, or cough it would shift out of place and I'd have to push it back into place. You don't realize how often you do those things in a day and it became quite aggravating. I messed around with it for a long, long time. It got to the point where I had my aids out more than I had them in because it was so frustrating. After making a few phone calls, the company agreed to let me swap them for the behind the ear style and I could kick myself for not listening to the doctor right from the start. After I got them, I was out with my sister and told her how much I liked them. Guess what kind she got when she bought new ones?

When you first start wearing your hearing aids, you might notice some surface irritation and/or itching in your ears. That's not uncommon. You can get a product called Eargene to keep your ears clean and Miracell to help with the itching.

Since you will have a lot of money invested in your hearing aids, you'll want to take proper care of them when they aren't in your ears. Get yourself a good drying box to put them in at night. Your doctor will likely sell them, but you might find a better price on Amazon. It's called a Global Dry & Store box. It uses a dessicant block that get replaced every 3 months and removes moisture from the aids and help prevent any internal corrosion. You need to remove your batteries before putting the aids in the box or they batteries won't work afterwards.

Much good luck to you. They take a little getting used to at first, but your world will be better and people won't be frustrated with your asking to repeat things all the time.

[Perkup]

On 1/9/2015 Zita said:

Perkup: Your husband may be able to get help from the VA. It's obvious his is a service related injury. My husband had extreme hearing loss later in his life from serving in WWII -- the big guns in his war zone were the cause. I only wish we had checked out the Veterans Dept. while he was alive because his aids were so expensive, I waited until after his death to go in for mine. We just couldn't afford both of ours at the same time.

I have a moderate loss in both ears. Our suplemental insurance pays $500 towards final cost, which I finance through a credit card. After seven years I think I need new ones, and will go to Costco for them. They are thorough and honest vendors.

Thank you, Zita. I agree with you - he should have been helped through the years. There are soooo many undeserving people who take advantage of the help that should go to those who are truly deserving. But my hubby is a very proud man and refuses to take the help to which he is entitled. He says that he enlisted in the Marine Corps of his own free will and should be willing to handle the results of that enlistment without help from the government. I have to say I am proud of him, but it breaks my heart to see him, now helpless to improve his small window of hearing. He has asked about implants, but he is well beyond the age that doctors will consider him for this. I have to literally scream to be heard now, and he can no longer hear music, or birds' songs, or great grandchildren laughing. He is grateful that television provides him an outlet by putting words on the screen to go with the speech, and he reads a great deal. Also he writes letters to other WWII vets with whom he has become acquainted thru the years. He is a true joy!

[SandGirl]

On 1/9/2015 JeanLouiseFinch said:

I've been wearing hearing aids for several years.

Please go to a licensed audiologist for your testing and follow his or her recommendations. Do not go to a "hearing specialist" or "hearing aid dispensers" that some of these outfits have. They are nothing more than a salesperson. You want a real doctor who can run the test and make the appropriate diagnosis.

When it comes to your hearing aids themselves, your Dr. will tell you what kind of hearing loss you have and what options are available for you. You may not need the most expensive thing out there, but don't skimp either. Get the best equipment you can afford. Also keep in mind that hearing aids are something you'll be replacing from time to time (averaging every 5 yrs. or so), depending on your loss and improvements in technology. Adjustments can be made to current aides as needed, but at some point they will have to be replaced. My current pair of aides cost me around $5000 last year. I've heard good and bad about Costco aids so you'll have to do your research and make your own determination if you want to buy them there or not. For your needs, they might have something perfectly fine. Just don't make a hard decision that you're going to go to Costco regardless if they have exactly what you need, based on your doctor's recommendation. I heartily recommend Costco as the place to get your batteries, though! You get a ton of them on a card for $10 and they'll last you quite awhile.

You also need to decide what style of hearing aid you want to wear. There are three basic styles; completely in the canal, in the ear, and behind the ear. Your doctor will make a recommendation, but ultimately it's up to you and what you'll be comfortable with. When I first got my aides, my doctor recommended a behind the ear style. My sister was wearing hearing aids and seemed to like hers so I opted for the in the canal style like she had. They were AWFUL. I can't tell you how many times I went back to be refitted because one of them just didn't stay put. When I would eat, sneeze, yawn, or cough it would shift out of place and I'd have to push it back into place. You don't realize how often you do those things in a day and it became quite aggravating. I messed around with it for a long, long time. It got to the point where I had my aids out more than I had them in because it was so frustrating. After making a few phone calls, the company agreed to let me swap them for the behind the ear style and I could kick myself for not listening to the doctor right from the start. After I got them, I was out with my sister and told her how much I liked them. Guess what kind she got when she bought new ones?

When you first start wearing your hearing aids, you might notice some surface irritation and/or itching in your ears. That's not uncommon. You can get a product called Eargene to keep your ears clean and Miracell to help with the itching.

Since you will have a lot of money invested in your hearing aids, you'll want to take proper care of them when they aren't in your ears. Get yourself a good drying box to put them in at night. Your doctor will likely sell them, but you might find a better price on Amazon. It's called a Global Dry & Store box. It uses a dessicant block that get replaced every 3 months and removes moisture from the aids and help prevent any internal corrosion. You need to remove your batteries before putting the aids in the box or they batteries won't work afterwards.

Much good luck to you. They take a little getting used to at first, but your world will be better and people won't be frustrated with your asking to repeat things all the time.

I knew there was a reason I liked you so much - we both wear the same hearing aids!!! Great, Great Advice on ALL levels, all the way down to the Costco Batteries, would NEVER get my aids from them but Batteries YES and drying box too!! Good Write, I'm sure this will prove to be helpful to her Enjoy your weekend.

[JeanLouiseFinch]

On 1/9/2015 Sandgirl said:

On 1/9/2015 JeanLouiseFinch said:

I've been wearing hearing aids for several years.

Please go to a licensed audiologist for your testing and follow his or her recommendations. Do not go to a "hearing specialist" or "hearing aid dispensers" that some of these outfits have. They are nothing more than a salesperson. You want a real doctor who can run the test and make the appropriate diagnosis.

When it comes to your hearing aids themselves, your Dr. will tell you what kind of hearing loss you have and what options are available for you. You may not need the most expensive thing out there, but don't skimp either. Get the best equipment you can afford. Also keep in mind that hearing aids are something you'll be replacing from time to time (averaging every 5 yrs. or so), depending on your loss and improvements in technology. Adjustments can be made to current aides as needed, but at some point they will have to be replaced. My current pair of aides cost me around $5000 last year. I've heard good and bad about Costco aids so you'll have to do your research and make your own determination if you want to buy them there or not. For your needs, they might have something perfectly fine. Just don't make a hard decision that you're going to go to Costco regardless if they have exactly what you need, based on your doctor's recommendation. I heartily recommend Costco as the place to get your batteries, though! You get a ton of them on a card for $10 and they'll last you quite awhile.

You also need to decide what style of hearing aid you want to wear. There are three basic styles; completely in the canal, in the ear, and behind the ear. Your doctor will make a recommendation, but ultimately it's up to you and what you'll be comfortable with. When I first got my aides, my doctor recommended a behind the ear style. My sister was wearing hearing aids and seemed to like hers so I opted for the in the canal style like she had. They were AWFUL. I can't tell you how many times I went back to be refitted because one of them just didn't stay put. When I would eat, sneeze, yawn, or cough it would shift out of place and I'd have to push it back into place. You don't realize how often you do those things in a day and it became quite aggravating. I messed around with it for a long, long time. It got to the point where I had my aids out more than I had them in because it was so frustrating. After making a few phone calls, the company agreed to let me swap them for the behind the ear style and I could kick myself for not listening to the doctor right from the start. After I got them, I was out with my sister and told her how much I liked them. Guess what kind she got when she bought new ones?<br /> <br /> When you first start wearing your hearing aids, you might notice some surface irritation and/or itching in your ears. That's not uncommon. You can get a product called Eargene to keep your ears clean and Miracell to help with the itching.<br /> <br /> Since you will have a lot of money invested in your hearing aids, you'll want to take proper care of them when they aren't in your ears. Get yourself a good drying box to put them in at night. Your doctor will likely sell them, but you might find a better price on Amazon. It's called a Global Dry & Store box. It uses a dessicant block that get replaced every 3 months and removes moisture from the aids and help prevent any internal corrosion. You need to remove your batteries before putting the aids in the box or they batteries won't work afterwards.<br /> <br /> Much good luck to you. They take a little getting used to at first, but your world will be better and people won't be frustrated with your asking to repeat things all the time.

I knew there was a reason I liked you so much - we both wear the same hearing aids!!! Great, Great Advice on ALL levels, all the way down to the Costco Batteries, would NEVER get my aids from them but Batteries YES and drying box too!! Good Write, I'm sure this will prove to be helpful to her Enjoy your weekend.

WOW, thanks Sandgirl! You've made my day! I wish you a great weekend in return.

[3blackdogs]

Check Costco! Best prices and great service

[violann]

My uncle was a GUNNER's MATE on a ship during WW2, and for 40 years, the VA claimed that his disability was non-service related! Only through constant persistence did he finally get help, and the help he receives no for that and other service related problems, is EXCELLENT! Don't accept the first "inelgible", Honored Vets! You deserve better, PLEASE stick it out!