How's your hearing?

Yeah, 60 years back, we didn't know enough about hearing damage. Good instruments aren't cheap, but you'll be amazed at the difference. Just be sure to wear them every day and pay attention to speakers (it's surprising how much comprehension depends on lip reading.) I wouldn't worry too much about not hearing in staff meetings. 90% of them are a waste of time and the rest could have been a one paragraph e-mail. ;-)

What did you say?

I can't hear you over the screaming in my ears.....

I tried Rexton behind the ear hearing aids. Wore them for about seven weeks every day. They clicked with my glasses and then when Covid was here and we had to mask up that was it for me. Hearing aids, glasses and string all behind my ears was just more than I was willing to do. I will continue to say, could you repeat that?

frogfurr said:

After shooting for 58 years my hearing is starting to fail. Early years we didn't use hearing protection because we didn't know any better. I still work FT and can't hear anything in meetings. Shopping for hearing aids next week. Hopefully something small and doesn't cost 2K.

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With the changes in the past year allowing more competition, prices have declined from 2-3 years ago. You might not get the service you need, but you'll have a better selection.
Good luck in your search.

Good hearing aides do make a pretty stark difference. They arent just "amplifiers". You really dont know how bad it is until someone actually shows you. When I got my first set, it was like someone flipped a switch and the world came flooding back in. I can actually hear the birds, frogs, bugs, etc, again. My wife too, not sure that's always a positive though.

The downside is, they ain't cheap. I waited until Medicare picked them up, and it still cost me a $1k copay.

Ive been seeing the ads on TV for the cheaper ones, and Im a bit skeptical. I know technology has improved amazingly, but Im not seeing how you can get any kind of realistic hearing test over the phone. And what kind of after purchase service do you get and for how long?

My first set had a 3 year warranty and they had to replace one of them about halfway through, and it didnt cost me a cent. The hearing center I go to also has you come in every 3-4 months and checks them out and cleans them, and makes sure everything is working right. And that too is free.

After three years, you pay for anything that goes south, and the visits cost $40 per. So I went with a new set. They were supposed to do a lot more, and cost a good bit less, but Medicare and the Part 2 still require you to pay the $1k copay.

This set has been a PITA and Ive returned them three times now, and got three different brands, and they all have the same problems. They are supposed to be able to let you listen to music through your phone and take calls as well, and they work like crap in that respect. My $30 Amazon ear buds work a LOT better for that. Even the sound isnt as good as the old set.

Right now, Im back to using my old set until they can get things straightened out, which isnt looking like that's going to happen. But they are trying and have been very accommodating. At this point, Id settle for a set like the old ones that dont try and do everything but improve your hearing.

One other big plus to the aids is, they also have a TV adapter that lets you stream the TV through the aids. Ive had that all along, and that does work very well. Its also about the only thing on the new set I have that actually works as advertised.

So far it's still good. My son he don't wear ear pro. I keep telling him one day he will learn why he should have.

I'm 59, been wearing the same hearing aids for 12 years, (not bad for a set that was only sposed to last 4 years) got tinnitus in both ears, constant 24/7 screaming in both ears. Grew up on a farm, so naturally the roar of tractors and equipment everyday, started shooting at 13, started working in a forge shop at 30. Can't hear for chit. My wife is a member at Costco's, so I will be getting my next set of hearing aids there, theirs is half the cost of the same set down the road.

I have lived in NJ for 72 yrs. My hearing only suffers when I hear our Democratic Governor and Assembly Persons speak. I live in constant pain.

My wife keeps saying something about selective….whatever that means..

Huh? What did you say? Would you repeat that only little louder and slower?

Like Targa I get the same from my wife. Sometimes it really is

I went to an audiologist for my first pair 12 years ago. $7000 for them, but really changed things for me. Could finally understand what was going on around me. About 2 years ago I felt I needed a new pair. She told me they would be around $9500. Stopped by the hearing counter at Costco and found the same set was $2800. They were great to work with. First 6 months I could return them for a full refund. 3 year guarantee on parts, I’ve sent one back when the Bluetooth disconnected in one of them. They connect with Bluetooth on the phone, listening to music or audiobooks, etc. Mine are small and fit entirely in the ear. Worth every penny. If you can get help in paying for them, you have no excuse not to get them. They will really make a difference for you and your family. They can stop yelling at you and you can turn the volume down on the TV so it is comfortable for everyone watching it.

My hearing isn’t so good. It would probably be better if it weren’t for the constant ringing in both ears. A lifetime of loud noises at work, riding motorcycles, numerous whacks on my head, guns, etc.
As a kid my Dad, Uncles and my Dad’s friends thought wearing earplugs was for pansies. Regardless of their opinions I would use cotton balls to protect my ears.
In the Navy we used these really lame ear plugs that really didn’t work well. Exposures to missile launches and 5” guns as well as small arms were the start of my tinnitus woes.
When I got out of the Navy and into target and tactical shooting I really tried hard to protect my hearing. I usually used plugs and muffs. Later on when I got into CAS I just used earplugs, but good foam plugs because muffs don’t go with cowboy hats and attire.
I have good hearing in some frequencies. Others, not so much. I cannot deal with noisy rooms, loud people, certain noises set me free. The sound of silverware scraping on ceramic plates and bowls is torture.
The OP mentioned meetings and not being able to hear. Certain people’s voices, the frequency of their voice or maybe how they talk makes it hard for me to hear them. Numerous people talking at the same time can drive me from the room. The one good thing CoVid did for me was force online meetings. For some strange reason our new building had connectivity issues…I lost connections often….Ahem.

I know at some point I need to see a hearing specialist. I am just procrastinating. It’s one of the things I do really well.

My hearing is so so i guess. My biggest gripe is the movie theaters. It's not the volume for sure but the sound is muffled Most times o try to lip read or just muddle thru it. At 85 i guess i;m lucky to still be here.

Tinnitus. Most of the time I can ignore it, but it is irritating. 34 years teaching HS band and working with drum lines indoors will destroy your hearing. 120db + on a regular basis year after year is not good for anyone.

I have always doubled up at an indoor range. I will use good foam plugs alone if outdoors shooting handguns. Rifles get double protection. My hearing is still relatively good except for the stupid tinnitus.

Targa said:

My wife keeps saying something about selective….whatever that means..

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My wife's hearing is every bit as selective as mine is. We hardly talk anymore.
That's okay though; after being married for 52 years, we hardly have much to talk about.
Seriously, I'm in the process of getting the VA to buy me a set of hearing aids. If they do, it will probably be nice to be able to hear things like birds singing, a lite fall breeze rustling the quaking aspen leaves, and conversations in crowded rooms. If the VA won't buy me a set of hearing aids though, that's okay too because I meant what I said about my wife's hearing - she has to have the TV turned up as loud as I do, and she also likes the "closed captions" option when we watch television sometimes.

A little joke:

A man goes to the doctor and tells his doctor he doesn’t know what to do. He thinks his wife is going deaf and wants to know if there’s a test he can do. He says he talks to her but she does not respond.
The doctor tells him to conduct a distance test. “Start at 20 feet ask her a question and then at 15 then at 10 then 5. Depending on the distance she’s away from you when she answers it will tell us how bad her hearing actually is.” So the man goes home.
That evening he sees his wife at the stove with her back to him.
He goes to 20’ and says “What’s for dinner.”
No response
He goes to 15’ and repeats the question.
No response.
He goes to 10’ “Honey, what’s for dinner?”
She turns and says “For the third time, we’re having chicken.”

Pat Riot said:

A little joke:

A man goes to the doctor and tells his doctor he doesn’t know what to do. He thinks his wife is going deaf and wants to know if there’s a test he can do. He says he talks to her but she does not respond.
The doctor tells him to conduct a distance test. “Start at 20 feet ask her a question and then at 15 then at 10 then 5. Depending on the distance she’s away from you when she answers it will tell us how bad her hearing actually is.” So the man goes home.
That evening he sees his wife at the stove with her back to him.
He goes to 20’ and says “What’s for dinner.”
No response
He goes to 15’ and repeats the question.
No response.
He goes to 10’ “Honey, what’s for dinner?”
She turns and says “For the third time, we’re having chicken.”

Click to expand...

LOVE IT

My hearing is very bad. I nearly missed a new job 20 years ago because, "you almost failed the hearing test".

Lots of shooting and loud music (without protection)in my youth are probably to blame. I'm avoiding any aids due to the cost. People are talking about 7-10 grand on this thread. I'm not going to pay that much to hear what other people have to say.

Four years ago I received my first pair of corrective lenses. Though it was amazing to see better than I probably every have...it's been nothing but ongoing costs and irritation. A new prescription gives me a lot of anxiety. They will never get it right on the first try, and it will be a month of not seeing correctly, IME.

Are hearing aids similar in this regard? Nothing but ongoing costs and problems?

How much do they really cost over 10 years?

At 71 y.o. my hearing is not so great. Two years ago i got a nice pair of hearing aids from the VA. I should have got them years ago, but I had the misconception that they would be a hassle to wear. Not so. I love 'em! I think my hearing was adversely affected by serving in the US Navy 50 some years ago and flying in Sikorsky H-3 helicopters. We really had poor hearing protect sitting under two GE jet engines.

Still young, only turning 40 this year, but my hearing is pretty bad in one ear and pretty mostly ok in the other.

I try to protect what’s left as much as I can but I’m sure there’ll be issues as I age for sure.

I haven't been shooting all that long (regularly for about 4 years), and always wear ear protection when I do shoot, usually doubled muffs and ear plugs. My hearing isn't as good as it used to be, and both ears ring. I blame a career in construction and loud music when I was younger, going to concerts and having stopped up ears for the rest of the night afterward.