Audiologist for hearing loss, custom plugs

The problem is that hearing aids need to be re-calibrated regularly and hearing also needs to be re-tested periodically. I had my hearing tested a couple of times, they gave me the hearing aids but they needed to be adjusted quite a bit until they got it right.

The low cost providers will allow you to bring a test performed elsewhere and give you a set of hearing aids based on that. If that works, great but if they don’t then what? I want a pro testing me and doing the follow up, not a place that’ll just amplify what I already can’t hear clearly.
Thank you, I'm still learning. Costco membership is a cheap way to get your first hearing test if you want to know if you have a problem on not. Costco sells more hearing aids than any other US company at a Costo markup, not local Dr markup.
 
Thank you, I'm still learning. Costco membership is a cheap way to get your first hearing test if you want to know if you have a problem on not. Costco sells more hearing aids than any other US company at a Costo markup, not local Dr markup.

There's a lot more to it than going and getting a hearing test and them configuring the hearing aids for you. Mine took a few visits before I was happy with them. I get mine adjusted every 6 mos minimum and a free hearing test every year. There are online places where you can upload/email them a hearing test you got elsewhere and they'll mail you hearing aids based on that test, however it's just not that simple if you want it done right and depending on the nature of the hearing loss. Also, how expensive do you think a hearing test is? I have had several, I don't recall them being much at all. I believe it was like $100 which they waived if you bough the hearing aids from them. It doesn't require a doctor - you sit in a booth and some assistant plays sounds and you let them know what you hear or don't hear. They'll give you your test, which will be a bunch of points on a graph, that's not a diagnosis though and I sure as hell won't rely on Costco to tell me what my problem is. If anything, I'd go to an audiologist and have the test done, see what they say, and THEN go to Costco and see what they offer in terms of hearing aid solutions.
 
No help for a doctor, but my sympathies.

I've lost a large percentage of my hearing from shooting, Morse code (at least I've been told that Morse operators were on "the list" at the VA for no questions hearing loss) and jet engines. I never looked into it, though.

I saw an ear doctor when I had an ear infection, and was given a test when I said I had hearing loss. After the test, I was told that the frequencies I've lost mean I probably have trouble hearing women and children. I don't see the problem with that.

I know some people who have real issues with the ringing of tinnitus, but for me I couldn't imagine NOT hearing the ringing, it's just that normal for me.
 
Got my hearing aids last August after a few decades of progressive hearing loss. I didn’t shoot at all between my youth in Iowa and 20yr later in NH, and had lost hearing in between, so it wasn’t shooting that contributed. No exceptionally noisy stuff in between either. Congenital hearing loss, they call it - those bad Irish genes. We’re supposed to die by 50 from smoking and drinking too much.

Some hearing aid dispensers (Costco, etc.) are minimally trained in audiology - they just need a PhD Audiologist on staff who might not even see patients but just signs off on reports. Skip those places and get an established practice with a PhD Audiologist in a joint ENT practice.

NH mandates all insurers cover $1500 per hearing aid ($3000 for a pair) every 5 years. So, I could get some top-shelf Phonak Behind-the-Ear Audeo Marvel aids for only $1500 out of pocket, including f/u visits for a year. A new audiology exam yearly is covered by insurance and if the analysis changes, another year of f/u visits is covered to adjust the aids. In MA, mandatory coverage is only for under 21yr age, so you’re out of luck - sorry. 😕

I got custom molded plugs by a guy who travels to gun shows and gun shops. They’re great. Indoors, I plug and muff, like you do.

Hearing aids are generally not covered by insurance and so that's great if NH forces that on the insurers because it's BS that they aren't covered.

I didn't pay as much as I expected for my hearing aid and CROS unit at MEEI. There were some fees I didn't expect over the cost of the hardware but still the total was less than I thought it would be based on things I had heard. The audiologist told me that MEEI gets good pricing on the hardware due to volume and such.
 
No help for a doctor, but my sympathies.

I've lost a large percentage of my hearing from shooting, Morse code (at least I've been told that Morse operators were on "the list" at the VA for no questions hearing loss) and jet engines. I never looked into it, though.

I saw an ear doctor when I had an ear infection, and was given a test when I said I had hearing loss. After the test, I was told that the frequencies I've lost mean I probably have trouble hearing women and children. I don't see the problem with that.

I know some people who have real issues with the ringing of tinnitus, but for me I couldn't imagine NOT hearing the ringing, it's just that normal for me.

Yeah, I got the ringing and everything sounds like I'm underwater. Definitely have a deficiency w/ the higher pitches - went so far as to call my alarm company because I couldn't hear the beeping when I'd open the door before I put the code in. The rep on the phone said "sir, I hear it loud and clear through the phone". I put my ear right up against it & could barely hear it. That's when I knew it was time. I also have a hard time hearing when the alarm actually goes off (I can hear it but not so much if I'm in the garage or outside and accidentally set it off, which I have done a few times). I have a harder time w/ women and children although children make up for it a little since they tend to be louder.

With me it happened in a matter of weeks after my second round of chemo, the type of chemo I had didn't make me bald but it killed the microscopic hairs in the ear canal. Took me about a year to finally get the hearing aids (took me six mos to get back to normal after chemo/radiation and to come to grips w/ the fact that the hearing wasn't coming back. Nor was the sensation in my fingertips & soles of my feet).
 
Yeah, I got the ringing and everything sounds like I'm underwater. Definitely have a deficiency w/ the higher pitches - went so far as to call my alarm company because I couldn't hear the beeping when I'd open the door before I put the code in. The rep on the phone said "sir, I hear it loud and clear through the phone". I put my ear right up against it & could barely hear it. That's when I knew it was time. I also have a hard time hearing when the alarm actually goes off (I can hear it but not so much if I'm in the garage or outside and accidentally set it off, which I have done a few times). I have a harder time w/ women and children although children make up for it a little since they tend to be louder.

With me it happened in a matter of weeks after my second round of chemo, the type of chemo I had didn't make me bald but it killed the microscopic hairs in the ear canal. Took me about a year to finally get the hearing aids (took me six mos to get back to normal after chemo/radiation and to come to grips w/ the fact that the hearing wasn't coming back. Nor was the sensation in my fingertips & soles of my feet).

SSNHL (sudden sensorineural hearing loss) which is what I had is thought to be caused by, among other things, an overreaction by the immune system when fighting off a viral infection. It causes inflammation in the cochlea which kills the little hairs which are needed to transfer the vibrations produced by your middle ear parts into electronic signals. Without that your brain doesn't get the information it needs to create the perception of sound. So different causes for the destruction of the hairs but same effect.
 
Since we're sharing.
I'm 65 and had tinnitus for about 10 years.
It's getting louder.
Over the past 5 years my hearing loss in the normal speech range has increased. People are basically telling me "you need hearing aids".
I'm a machinist by trade and have worn hearing protection for years. When I thought it was loud. Problem is that on the factory floor it's always loud. Just a constant background so you get used to it and don't wear protection when you really should.
Now couple that with things in your personal life.
Like loud rock music?
Yup.
Like hot rods and or bikes?
Yup.
Like NASCAR live.
Yup.
Like to shoot?
Yup.
Cumulative effect of long exposures will do it. So think about your environmental exposure over the years that may not be the direct cause but still a contributing factor.
 
Yeah, it’s shitty how dangerous noise is easy to get used to.

When we had A10s, they were quiet so no one wore ear pro. They were replaced with F15s that HURT and you damn sure wore protection after the first time.

You could tell the A10 guys because we were all deaf. One of the F15 pilots even made fun of my A10 salute, a hand behind the ear and yelling “what”!

Moral of the story is your ears won’t toughen up. Don’t take chances.
 
Most hearing aids are compatible with smart phones and you can customize them yourself for different environments. Mine are a couple of years old and resound goes through them once a year to clean/replace the speakers. I saved a lot when I bought them through costco and the last time I sent them out it cost me out of pocket as the warranty expired but they sent me a brand new pair.
 
Most hearing aids are compatible with smart phones and you can customize them yourself for different environments. Mine are a couple of years old and resound goes through them once a year to clean/replace the speakers. I saved a lot when I bought them through costco and the last time I sent them out it cost me out of pocket as the warranty expired but they sent me a brand new pair.
Yeah, mine are connected to my devices via bluetooth. It's nice for phone calls/facetime and also for streaming Netflix on my ipad. One thing I figured out after a while is if you're paired w/ multiple devices i.e. tablet and phone, to shut the bluetooth off on the device you're not using. Early on I found that sometimes whatever device I was connected to would only pick up in one ear, it was frustrating as hell. Until I figured out that the devices were competing w/ each other. Didn't happen when I was out without my tablet but whenever I was home w/ ipad nearby it would happen. Another downside to the bluetooth connection is that if you misplace your phone and have to call it to find it, it'll ring in your ear and you still can't tell where it is (but at least you know it's in BlueTooth range).
 
This thread is very timely and appreciate all the advise people are throwing around.

How do hearing aids work when mowing the lawn? Are you still wearing muffs over the Hearing aids?
Do any of you wear over the ear headphones with aids in? I currently use noise canceling to mow, but don’t know how they will work with hearing aids in.
 
This thread is very timely and appreciate all the advise people are throwing around.

How do hearing aids work when mowing the lawn? Are you still wearing muffs over the Hearing aids?
Do any of you wear over the ear headphones with aids in? I currently use noise canceling to mow, but don’t know how they will work with hearing aids in.

You can wear muffs over hearing aids depending on the type of hearing aid, I did when I first got them but I usually just take them out now (I have behind the ear ones).
 
If samsung buds replicate anything like typical hearing aids, you will definatly want to take them out.
Unless you play music through them at the same time as mowing.

Holy shit, did i make that mistake. Even on the lowest setting, it was piercing to the brain.

My mistake was air tools vs a mower though
 
OK if you're looking for something interesting to kill time on Youtube, I heartily suggest looking up the channel by "Audiologist Associates Ltd" and their guy Rhys Barber.


He uploads new ~15 - 20 minute ear wax removal videos three times a week. It's for some reason tremendously cathartic watching him do it, and at the end he shows the chunky bits next to inches and metric measure. Along the same vein as Dr. Pimple Popper, but without gushing goo from cysts.
 
If nerve damage is suspected, a good ENT will mandate you first get an MRI or CAT scan of your head to rule out any auditory nerve tumors. Dizzy spells, loss of balance, tinnitus etc. are a couple of symptoms. I use ME&E out of quincy. One ear 99% deaf and the other about 30% gone due to someone firing a 380 a couple of feet from my good ear. Plug was in but not all the way. Doesn’t take much if you are old. I’m almost useless without my hearing aids (CROS).
 
This thread is very timely and appreciate all the advise people are throwing around.

How do hearing aids work when mowing the lawn? Are you still wearing muffs over the Hearing aids?
Do any of you wear over the ear headphones with aids in? I currently use noise canceling to mow, but don’t know how they will work with hearing aids in.
If you’re doing something where you’re wearing muffs, you’d take the hearing aids out. You wouldn’t wear hearing protection over a hearing aid/amplifier. It’s one or the other.
 
I tried those and they suck. No comparison to the ones an audiologist's office makes.
I have to agree. Tried these and they weren’t worth the time it took to mold them. The roll up foam plugs worked better and where easier to install and we’re more comfortable when doubled up with my Peltor earmuffs.
 
Even with plugs and muffs you get noise exposure through the connecting passages in your mouth, up your nose, and to a lesser extent transmitted through your soft tissue/bones. It's another reason why shooting outdoor rather than in confined spaces is preferable.

Custom fitted plugs will help a bit more than standard plugs to minimize exposure. I'd also recommend gel ear pads for your muffs to provide a tighter more reliable seal.
I've experienced a line of 24 shooters firing at the same time while I was yawning. It was an eye opening experience even with both inner and outer (both electronic). Opening up those passages for the pressure wasn't pleasant.
 
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