1. Community
  2. Ears, nose, throat and mouth
  3. Ear Problems

Hearing aids! Are they worth it?

Posted , 2 users are following.

marty23724
marty23724

Hi there. I am wondering if someone with the same problem i have can be of assistance in one way or another? I do plan to check with my doctor though at some point! Does anyone here have really heavy scarring from ear drums? They finally found out what my problem was causing my severe ear  pain. TMJ along with severe sinusitis. I believe the sinusitis has done some damage to my hearing, especially my left ear. Are hearing aids worth it? My ear drum does not move when they do the TYMP test (Can't spell it but it's where they put a plug in your ear to get a tone out of it?) and it doesn't move but I can still hear. it does not move because the ear drums are thick from several tympanoplasty (spelling) surgeries. I had sinusitis quite badly two years ago and now we're already due for a second go round of surgery.  Would hearing aids be of any use for my ears anyways? I know i would not be able to get one of those smaller ones, I have small ear canals, I have seen several audiologists but they have treated me poorly so now i am hesitant to get hearing aids. I also want to get them coloured if i could haha. Just so you guys know I can hear, just not very well! Thoughts? 

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • audrey02830
    audrey02830 marty23724

    Posted

    Well Marty,I wonder how old you are as colour is so important.I think if you are really having trouble hearing you will try anything.

    I have no useful hearing in one ear (Ihave an acoustic neuroma) and poor hearing in the other.I have a hearing aid for the better ear and a WiFi transmitter for the other.It transmits to the hearing aid.

    You ask is it worth it.?

    In my case it is difficult for me when in group situations even WITH my aids without them I would have no possibility of joining a conversation.

    This is why I am asking you because if you are in doubt then you possibly have adequate hearing.Personally I would be completely lost.I lip read whenever possible and have subtitles on TV as I can't follow conversation even with my aids.

    Go to a Dr have a hearing test and be guided by an expert.

    Good luck .

    • marty23724
      marty23724 audrey02830

      Posted

      I am in my early 30'S and shall describe it this way, I just believe the world should be a more vibrant place. That is all.In my case they will likely see my hearing aid so why not pull a bit of humor on them yes? smile The audiologists who I have seen have all said the same thing, that i couldn't have a small one because of the amount of hearing loss. 

      The left ear is the worst one! 50 percent hearing loss and 30 percent in the right ear! You know you've had many tests when you can recite the amount of loss. I apologize if i confused you with my sentence, my Dad's thought was that hearing aids wouldn't work because of the thickness of my ear drum  but I beg to differ because I can hear but just not well and when my sinusitis acts up...that's when lip reading comes in handy. 

      I am very sorry for your misfortune. I am quite familiar with the process of the hearing tests (And in my case hearing tests i could do in my sleep likely)  but none of the audiologists treated me very nicely (though for some bedside manners aren't the point but rather to get the job done but i prefer a softer approach myself) once I turned 18 (i used to get awful nasty ear infections so hearing tests at the ENT section in the hospital were routine)  and were quite a bit rude. I had pointed out before to the audiologists I have thicker ear drums than most people would.  I had an older pair from 2008 but they were just plain awful!! I won't let anyone fit me with a hearing aid after that awful experience i had with the first go round. It also time for an update with today's technology.  Suppose that's just my stubborn nature though lol. 

      I am a fantastic lip reader myself. I am happy though you found some control for your hearing with hearing aids. I think for me it is just going to be a bit more window shopping before i find the right place. I really hope that you are doing well though. I hope to achieve this myself and thank you for your advice. Keep well and thank you for responding kind stranger. 

  • audrey02830
    audrey02830 marty23724

    Posted

    Hello Marty,

    I wasn't wrong ,you do still have the bloom of youth !!

    From your language I imagine that you are in the USA ,I am in the UK and our experiences are no doubt very different.

    I can only say that I have always been treated very kindly by everyone  involved. They have always tried to give me the best support they can.

    My problem is in having to ask people to repeat things they have said.I find it very difficult as I feel that I am a nuisance and hold up the flow of conversation.Sometimes it means that I don't attend things that I would have enjoyed when my hearing was better.

    I can only repeat ,have yet another !! hearing test and if aids are recommended - try it at least,my aids are silver and quite  small  and not unsightly  .We are all different and they certainly come in colours..

    Best wishes ,Audrey

    • marty23724
      marty23724 audrey02830

      Posted

      Actually I'm Canadian eh? :D Thank you for your kindly compliment! The audiologist i spoke with on the phone just this morning (it's likely afternoon or evening for you atm) said the same thing. Hearing aids are so common now it feels right. i went with the people who found my dull hearing because of problematic ear fluid before and the same secretary is still there and she was so pleasant and i told her a few places  i went to had the bed side manner of a fish and she did not like hearing that and thanked me when i said that this place, can't say the name for security reasons, were really nice even for just a diagnostic test!  I explained to her politely over the phone which was turned up in sound of course so i could hear the conversation everything that happened and she said she was very sorry to hear that.

      I told her i wanted colour for my hearing aids if possible please and she told me another young adult person has hers just splashed with colour! :O! She also said it's quite common to ditch unwanted ones or ones just too old for use or whatever and get new ones.  I said i have always had BTE hearing aids and it's the style i know. She told me this centre has everything that i could shake a stick at for options. It made me feel excited. I know how you feel when you say sometimes you feel that it's frustrating during a conversation. 

      She was also not pleased to hear the other place that i got my old aids from did everything opposite to what i wanted.  Now the hard part is gonna be deciding which colour  smile  Now the real trick is to not catch a cold at this time of year!! I see them on the 13th. I will keep you posted!

    • audrey02830
      audrey02830 marty23724

      Posted

      Hello again Martin,

      I am pleased to hear that you have made a decision.

      I lived near Toronto for two years a long time ago but the ties of home were too strong .I enjoyed everything I saw and did but don't regret coming back to UK.

      I will be pleased to hear how you get on and I am pleased too that so far,at least,you have had kinder treatment.

      Audrey .

    • marty23724
      marty23724 audrey02830

      Posted

      Thank you! ^^ I am too. It felt good to finally be able to make my own decision. I think too many professionals try to make something they want to sell rather than what makes the person happy or what they're used to dealing with.  I told my Dad and he even said, 'i take it you still want hearing aids' and i said 'yes' and i still have to bring my old ones to show them what i did not like about them, or if there was anything i appreciated about them. 

      Ah, I'm glad to know you were in Canada, my Dad does not like driving in Toronto, Some areas are okay but the down town core, he won't go anywhere near. it drives him CRAZY! UK must be a lovely place for you to go back to again. The receptionist even told me the description over the phone of how they do the hearing testing and fitting process!! Now THAT was service! I was impressed with that. She even had a smile in her voice and told me not to leave as she wanted to get to know my likes and dislikes because i had said 'oh okay? Alright, I'll write that down,' she said 'oh no no! Don't hang up yet, let me get to know you.l Like what you want, don't want.' That really shocked me.  She also explained the reason i can't show up with a cold is because the cold will affect the out come of the hearing test. 

      I am cruising the internet to see what colours look good with hearing aids and which ones would really clash. They do all sorts of wild crazy things now it's amazing! Getting hard to tell the IPods from the hearing aids now! I will let you know how the test goes and what my out come is! Take care smile 

       

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.