# Hearing aids. Any advice?



## nickoff

After working in the metal fabrication business for over 40 years my hearing is now getting very dodgy  Plus having tinnitus doesn't help. I am ok in one to one conversations in an empty room but in, say a pub or crowded place, forget it. The wife is always telling me to turn the telly down and every time she speaks it has to be repeated. My elder brother, who has just retired, is the same. He has now got himself fixed up with a digital hearing aid from the NHS. He tells me it is ok for the TV but he is not over impressed with the day to day results. I will of coarse be booking myself in soon with my doctor for tests etc, but can anyone recommend a private company that can give me advice etc without the "hard sell"?

Tia, Nick.


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## GEMMY

If you go private, take out a mortgage extension, costs usually start at £4k. :? 

tony


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## lockkeeper

In Kent we have a charity called 'Hi Kent' they are a charity supplying assistance for the hard of hearing. There is likely to be a similar organisation near you, try asking at your local Age Concern.

Don


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## IanA

I've got an NHS hearing aid - I've been a bit deaf in one ear since I was three, but coped OK until I started getting tinnitus in my good ear. I wish I'd gone a lot earlier, because it makes such a difference.

I did find that I needed to have the aid tailored over a couple of visits - and if the ear moulding isn't good it doesn't work very well. I won't be buying an aid - they are very expensive and you don't get the level of service that the NHS offers locally.

I'd recommend you try the NHS first, and if they can't get it sorted, consider buying one - but as someone else has said, be prepared to take out a mortgage.


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## PaulW2

If it's possible for you I'd be inclined to do the NHS thing first. Your GP's surgery may be able to do an initial hearing test. Depending on the result they will refer you to a specialist who will have you tested and referred for fitting of an NHS hearing aid.

The NHS hearing aids are digital but clearly not the top of the range stuff. They are however fairly small, unobtrusive and perfectly serviceable.

And it may do the job for you.

If it does do the job for you, you will have saved a mint. If not, you have lost nothing and will also have a better understanding of the extent of your problem before you go to a private firm.

Besides, on the NHS you will have seen a GP, an ENT specialist and a audiometrist by the time you are through. The high street, even at considerable cost, will not offer access to this level of medical expertise. 

So I think by way of ensuring that all medical bases are covered I would do the NHS/medical thing first.


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## Spacerunner

It sounds (!) that your hearing is the same as mine. The guy who performed my first hearing tests asked me if i had been involved with work associated with riveting. No, but i had just finished 12myears as an RM!.

I am supposed to wear two hearing aids but found that all they did was to make me deaf but louder! :lol:

Your hearing level is what is known as 'cocktail syndrome'. Bill Clinton is one well-known sufferer. 
The name says it all, on a one-to-one basis not bad but in a crowded room all the background noise just causes all sounds to merge into an unintelligble cacophony.

I have no experience with digital hearing aids but standard NHS aids can be tweaked to enhance different frequencies. I have lost the ability to hear higher frequencies and hardly ever hear bird song now.

For years I thought that grasshoppers had become extinct until a grandchild asked me what the strange chirupping sound was on a summer's day.

Just part of growing old and IMO not much you can do about it.

My advice go through the NHS an aid might help, but it wont have cost you the £000's that a private clinic will charge you.


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## IanA

I think all NHS hearing aids are now digital.


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## Don_Madge

nickoff said:


> After working in the metal fabrication business for over 40 years my hearing is now getting very dodgy  Plus having tinnitus doesn't help. I am ok in one to one conversations in an empty room but in, say a pub or crowded place, forget it. The wife is always telling me to turn the telly down and every time she speaks it has to be repeated. My elder brother, who has just retired, is the same. He has now got himself fixed up with a digital hearing aid from the NHS. He tells me it is ok for the TV but he is not over impressed with the day to day results. I will of coarse be booking myself in soon with my doctor for tests etc, but can anyone recommend a private company that can give me advice etc without the "hard sell"?
> 
> Tia, Nick.


Hi Nick,

I've had a hearing problem since 1954 when I did a lot of rifle shooting and ear defenders were not about in those days.

I've tried the behind the ear models NHS and others but could not get on with them. Now I've got the ITE (half) from 
http://www.amplifon.co.uk/improve-your-hearing/types-of-hearing-aids/#ITE

These are the latest digital one and are very good but they are not compatible with a normal mobile phone, a special one came as a free bee with the aids. I paid about £4000 for the pair and have had the latest ones for about a year.

I found the company to be first class, I've been using them for a few years and always got excellent prompt service when I had a problem.

Don


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## carpenter_pete

Hi! I have has a NHS aid for a few months now and am well impressed.
It took a couple of visits to get the level right for me.
The secret is to wear it all the time, that way your brain soon gets used to hear ing the things you hav'nt heard for years.
Wish I had done it years ago. Vanity stopped me!!!
Pete


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## rayrecrok

Hi.

Just dictating a reply from Sandra who is totally deaf in one ear and is hard of hearing in the other and as such wears a hearing Digital aid that is bought from Amplivox who come out and do hearing tests and everything you need with a home visit..

But she says rather than paying to go private, go instead to the NHS who will provide hearing aids that are as good as anything in the private sector, saving you thousands of pounds over your lifetime as your hearing will deteriorate over time which will mean new hearing aids periodically at daft money each.

Sandra..


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## Pollydoodle

I think you will find that in the case of nerve deafness which I presume is what your are suffering from, most hearing aids will only be of limited help, be it NHS or very expensive private. BUT any help is better than missing out on conversations - especially juicy ones :roll: 

I am well satisfied with my NHS digital ones. What I would have paid privately can be spent on Motorhome stuff :wink:


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## raynipper

As Spacerunner says one to one is OK but any more than two more couples all chatting together and it's just a noise.

I am OK with the one cheap aid but friends who have paid thousands end up useing the NHS ones.

What really pees me off is some bright spark at both the BBC and most other news and documentary progs has decided we need some moronic chant to be able to understand their diction.

It's getting worse with American films where they all seem to mumble.

Grumpy Ray.


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## jonse

*Hearing*

I Have a Phonak made in Switzerland, really brill no feed back can be altered via a computer at the centre unobtrusive as worn buy Murry Walker but it does cost min £1000 but worth every penny in my case euros did get some money back via the reciprocal arrangement with UK, batt last a week at 14 plus hours a day.


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## soundman

Some good advice as usual on this site from people who use the products.
As my name suggests I work with sound and people with hearing difficulties.
You won't go far wrong going down the path of the NHS in my opinion.

Soundman


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## nickoff

Thanks to all. Have taken on board what has been said and have checked a couple of the sites mentioned. Will be making an appointment for a NHS check up soon and then take it from there.
Thanks again.

Nick.


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## gkp107

Hi, I have had an NHS digital hearing aid for about 7 years . A few months ago I had some problems but they replaced it with a more up to date model. 

The most imp[ortant thing is to wear it all the time and your ears adapt better to sounds. It has madea huge difference in crowded rooms and at meetings. Don't go spending a fortune when you can get a good result from the NHS. Good luck

Geoff


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## IanA

Advice on wearing all the time is spot on. When I first wore mine I was overwhelmed by the extra sound coming from an ear that hadn't worked for 50 years. It took about two weeks to adjust to the 'noise '- must be a brain thing (mine anyway), because that's about how long it took me to adjust to vari-focals as well.


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## Don_Madge

Some very good advice there Nick.  

Are the NHS aids still behind the ear jobs? I struggled for a couple of years with those, the main problem was wearing glasses all the time and spending time in hot climates. My ears were very sore at times.

Another tip, when I'm in a restaurant I always sit with my back to the wall so all the noise is in front of you. I find this helps me a lot.

Don


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## Pollydoodle

Another major point is to make sure you put in the ear properly. If this isnt done it results in poor sound conductivity/quality and maybe a whistling 'feedback'.

I have a real thing about this as I see so many people with an incorrectly fitted hearing aid and have to restrain myself from poking it back in - :roll: I have embarassed my family on occasions :lol:
have to admit it is a real pain to get right when you first start using one :roll:


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## GEMMY

I have to slightly pull mine out when eating, if it's a bag of crisps then it's a must remove, else it sounds like gunfire inside my head. :lol: 

tony


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## raynipper

Don_Madge said:


> Some very good advice there Nick.
> 
> Are the NHS aids still behind the ear jobs? I struggled for a couple of years with those, the main problem was wearing glasses all the time and spending time in hot climates. My ears were very sore at times.
> 
> Another tip, when I'm in a restaurant I always sit with my back to the wall so all the noise is in front of you. I find this helps me a lot.
> 
> Don


Agreed Don.
I requested this on BA when flying and they were happy to give me 'disabled' status so I could choose my seat.

Ray.


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## jonse

*Hearing*

Don't have the problem that Don and Gemma have with the phonac its only 25mm by10mm, and you can have it color matched to your hair silver in my case, and its no different than my good ear as to receiving anything, as its the only one I have had I cant pass any comment on the others and yes do wear it all the time from day one took me one day to get acclimatised to it, I have Even gone to bed and not realised till I turned over just don't know its there Even with my glasses on


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## Autumn

My mother used to say it was the fault of the rest of us because we mumbled and she refused to get a hearing aid. She would get things wrong because she had misheard what was said and it was necessary for us to repeat everything. Deafness can wreck relationships. She left it too long to get aids and now has difficulty adapting to them.

As deafness runs through the female line of my family I vowed not to cause other people problems because of what was my disability, and a loss of hearing is as easy to address as failing eyesight. When I didn't hear the fire alarm in my classroom one day, I knew the time had come. That was several years ago now.

Most people here have advised you to go for the cheaper option, and of course it is wonderful that the NHS option is available, but my personal experience was dreadful and even led to me having to write a letter of complaint to the hospital I attended - example: the person seeing me mumbled at her computer screen while conversing with me, and placed moulds in both ears at once, which is not supposed to happen, on one of the hottest days of the year. I almost passed out.

Anyway, I went to our local hearing specialist and have had the most superb service. I can go along anytime if I have a problem - once I manged to clean one of my aids too zealously and a piece snapped off. My specialist actually super-glued it back for me and did a brilliant job too, at no cost.

Hearing aids have actually become cheaper, while the technology keeps on improving. When you pay a lot for private hearing aids, you will also be buying into a continuing personal service, at least that has been my experience and I certainly did not feel I was being pressured at any time by my particular specialist.

Be prepared to spend at least six months getting used to your aids. The first time I wore mine I thought the sky was falling in, that everyone on the high street was talking to me, and why did their shoes make such a noise on the pavement. Even my own clothes were noisy and the house was full of strange sounds, but it took a year to turn them up to the level I actually required.

Loss of hearing is the one of the disabilities that can be effectively addressed. I will sacrifice other things in order to update my aids when it is necessary - they are so precious to me. They do not replace natural hearing and hearing in crowded situations canstill be a problem but they transformed my life and enable me to continue being part of everything.

Do not delay - you have specs? Why not hearing aids.

Good luck.

Autumn


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## Forrester

I have severe hearing loss in both ears & have had NH aids for many years. On the whole I have found them satisfactory, but as the specialist said you can't improve what you haven't got, only try to make clearer the range of hearing you now have.
As said before most aids can't cope with loud background noise, but I manage in small groups & with TV[as long as they don't play unneccessary background music :x ]
A tip for new users is to buy a neck loop system for using a mobile or home 'phone but obviously you have to have a 'phone with a jack point.
The RNID, who have local branches, are a good source of information on equipment to help deaf people,
Deaf people tend to become introverted as they are afraid of making a fool of themselves if they have trouble hearing what is beeing said. Please don't treat them as outcasts but speak directly to them in a clear voice & it will be much appreciated.
Forrester.


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## raynipper

About 20 years ago when in UK I asked my doctor about my loss of hearing.
Eventually he sent me to Kingston hospital and an appointment was made for a test.
Months later I eventually get the appointment and duly sat around until my name was called.
Went into a small cubicle where I was given a test of both ears and eventually the white clad technician declared "Your deaf ............ NEXT".

Bloody good NHS service.

Ray.


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## GEMMY

And Ray said, PARDON!!!!! :lol: 

tony


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## angi

*hearing aids*

Slight hearing loss can progress quickly if left undiagnosed. If you think you have a hearing loss problem, you should make a hearing test quickly to be sure that the quality of your hear-ing is not below the norm. Hearing aids remain the only solution for people who have hearing disability. There are two types of hearing aids - analogous, which are less expensive and digital hearing aids. Digital hearing aids are like mini computers. They amplify the sound and adjust its level. For more info, check: advertising url removed


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## gearforears

*Hearing Loss..*

Hearing Loss could be cure by using anti-oxidants and check up from doctor and used medicines according to doctor's rules and suggestion.If this had only a small germ of truth, pharmaceutical companies would put them in a pill and make billions. The only emerging technology that just may have a chance is stem cells and we are decades away from any reasonable success.


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## Daedalas

*Vent Hearing AidMolds*

Good Evening

I have Noise Induced Hearing Loss [jet engines ... early noisy jets and prohibited from wearing the bone dome until you are in the cockpit ... in case you walk in front of a running engine!!! As a result I have two hearing aids and frankly I'm able to hear very little without them.

They are both NHS now digital ones.

My audiograms were very professionally done and like other NIHL suffers I have lost the high frequencies. Consequently I still find it tricky with some voices to hear the endings of words - the ess and tee and dee sounds. And whilst cocktail parties are a thing of a past for us, conversations in noisy pubs and restaurants are very nearly impossible. BTW B is deaf in one and has an aid in the other! Other than that we manage well.

Given that the biggest difficulty we both have had is what I called the "head in a bucket" sound. After several interesting conversations with lower level guys and gals and the audioclinc I asked to see an audiologist and was 'upped' a level or two. The guy took one look at the molds and said that they complied with an earlier standard and were 'not vented'. There was just enough room for him to drill a small vent hole parallel to the sound tube in each mold. The result was astonishing: no head in bucket noise.

If nothing else ... do ask the fitter who makes the mold if you can have a vent hole in it: easy to bung up if it doesn't suit.


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## makems

I too have moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears.
In my case due to playing in very,very loud rock bands in the 60s/70s
I have been wearing NHS digital hearing aids for the last 8 years intially getting fitted out in High Wycombe and lately at Hartlepool.
Both hospitals have been highly professional and attentive and I can't imagin that going private could have given me better service or a better hearing solution.
I have just had some new colour coded Siemens jobbies and the moulded earpiece has now been done away with. Instead there is a small nylon compressible "grommet" that goes in the ear That is almost invisible. The tube is about half the diameter of the old tube and is very, very discreet.
I am playing guitar again (although not quite as loud as in my youth) and keep my hearing aids in while doing so. One useful feature they have is a "limiter" that stops sound pressure levels within the ear exceeding a safe level.
Love them.
Before I retired I used a mobile phone constantly for work and had a bluetooth neck loop that I got from the RNID web site. It was a greatpiece of kit and avoided all feedback and other sound quality issues.
Mike


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## nickoff

Some very good advice here thanks. My first appointment with the NHS specialist is organised for later this month. The good lady Bill can't wait as she is fed up with repeating everything at least once. Will keep you all posted on my progress, or otherwise.

Thanks everyone, Nick.


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## CliveMott

Pardon?


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## nickoff

nickoff said:


> After working in the metal fabrication business for over 40 years my hearing is now getting very dodgy  Plus having tinnitus doesn't help. I am ok in one to one conversations in an empty room but in, say a pub or crowded place, forget it. The wife is always telling me to turn the telly down and every time she speaks it has to be repeated. My elder brother, who has just retired, is the same. He has now got himself fixed up with a digital hearing aid from the NHS. He tells me it is ok for the TV but he is not over impressed with the day to day results. I will of coarse be booking myself in soon with my doctor for tests etc, but can anyone recommend a private company that can give me advice etc without the "hard sell"?
> 
> Tia, Nick.


Well, I had my first appointment with the NHS specialist on Monday. It seems that I have "moderate" hearing loss  The upshot is that I can either have advice on how to deal with it and adjust or be supplied with a hearing aid/s. I've decided to go down the hearing aid route. The specialist took a moulding of my inner ear and I should have the aid sometime in March. Although I have gone for the standard flesh coloured one they have a range of around 10 colours to chose from. I really liked the red 1 and the yellow 1 looked ok too. Trouble is I would have to wait longer for one of those. The specialist did warn me that it can take months to adapt to the aid as your brain needs to be able to get used to the added sounds. Also she doesn't think that it will work too well in a noisy crowded environment. So roll on March and hopefully I might be able to hear what the good lady Bill is having a moan about

8O

Nick.


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## makems

When you get your hearing aids don't be tempted to take them out because everything is too loud or confusing. It will only take longer for you to adapt and things DO get better quite quickly.
Crowded environments are always going to be difficult, but there should be a "noise reduction" mode which helps a lot in some circumstances (but very little in others). A noisy pub with everybodytalking loudly plus background music will always be problematic. But if you're getting hearing aids it's probably bloody awful now anyway.


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## charlieivan

I have almost no hearing at all in one ear and had audio test at NHS who fixed me up with a digital hearing aid. First one, the grommet on end of tube was too large and very painful when fitted in my ear. Grommet changed to smaller on but I had constant difficulty fitting it in my ear canal as part of my problem is that my ear canal is very narrow. Been back several times and now have been measured up for a mold, hopefully ready for me early next month. So far with all the variations I have tried there has been no really noticable improvement in hearing but awful whistling noises that my wife complains that she can hear!!! One thing that does concern me about the whole process of being fitted with my hearing aid, during initial hearing test I was fitted with headphones and subjected to all sorts of varying sounds and asked to react on hearing them. When fitted with hearing aid the nurse/technician or whatever they go by turned her back to me and said "is that any better". Quite frankly I could hear her well enough with my good ear so told her so and asked why no more specific testing to see if aid is working ok and was told that as it is digital it is all set up on the computer according to my test graph. Here's hoping things will be better with the mold in place.


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## davetherave

hidden hearing although a grand each


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## aivlys

Like yourself I have a moderate hearing loss, in both ears. I went down the NHS route but found them cumbersome and not that good for me. I went to Boots during one of their half price promotions and they fixed me up brilliantly. The more expensive ones have additional channels which can be 'tuned' to your personal taste making hearing as normal as possible. I opted for £2K model, not quite top of the range, but small and discreet and stops me a) shouting at others as I speak and b) asking hubby to repeat. There are still times when I don't hear everything but they are a) better than none and b) better the NHS if you can afford it. 

One last thing, once you have been recognised with a hearing difficiency you can get cheaper theatre/show/cinema tickets etc.

The model and money spent really is down to 'horses for courses' so to speak, good luck.

ps - Boots will let you do a money back trial.


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## nickoff

aivlys said:


> Like yourself I have a moderate hearing loss, in both ears. I went down the NHS route but found them cumbersome and not that good for me. I went to Boots during one of their half price promotions and they fixed me up brilliantly. The more expensive ones have additional channels which can be 'tuned' to your personal taste making hearing as normal as possible. I opted for £2K model, not quite top of the range, but small and discreet and stops me a) shouting at others as I speak and b) asking hubby to repeat. There are still times when I don't hear everything but they are a) better than none and b) better the NHS if you can afford it.
> 
> One last thing, once you have been recognised with a hearing difficiency you can get cheaper theatre/show/cinema tickets etc.
> 
> The model and money spent really is down to 'horses for courses' so to speak, good luck.
> 
> ps - Boots will let you do a money back trial.


Thanks for your comments and advice. Initially I am only having one fitted but have been told that I can always have another later if required. I will see how I get on with the NHS model first and then maybe make some enquires further down the track about going private. I would like to think that after a few months that I will have some idea if it is worth the time/money splashing out the extra 2k or so.

Nick.


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## EdB

Hi.
I have been a member of MHF since Jan , 2010 and I am a semi retired
Hearing Aid Audiologist . Also founder member of the Association of Independent
Hearing Healthcare Professionals (http://www.aihhp.org/) with 45 years experience.

That out of the way I have just noticed this thread and I have to say there is some very good advice in there but a lot that is totally wrong.
It is important to know that although the more advanced the hearing aid the more control there is over the speech and the noise, please note that it is a device intended to help (therefore called an aid). They do aid cases of noise damaged hearing and age deterioration which has the same result damage to the nerve endings.
It is important to know that the ongoing help with rehabilitation and retraining the brain is THE main component of the fitting and this is what you should be getting whether private or NHS. If you are not getting a good level of service then you have the right to choose a different audiologist. Look into "Any Qualified Provider" which is being introduced in some areas via your doctor, the
other areas should follow soon.
Standards of dispensing are very good now in both sectors
with a degree in audiology required for trainees at entry level. This does not mean you won't find the odd cowboy but they are few now.
Good luck with your fitting (though luck has nothing to do with it).
Look at "what happens at appointments"
http://www.binnshearinghealthcare.co.uk/Consultations.asp
All hearing aid dispensers are now under the HPC

Eddie


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## raynipper

Yep, I guess thats what SHOULD happen.
It took my GP and a so called hearing specialist over six months to get me an appointment at Kingston hospital in 1994. 
After being tested with headphones on in a soundproof room the tech said "Yes your deaf" ...................... "NEXT" and I was ushered out.
That was it.! 

I ended up buying one off e-bay which worked until I showered with it in a few times. Now I still use the cheap (€900) ones (now only one) until I can afford the new and much improved ones at £2,500.

Ray.


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## EdB

It's better to have 2 cheap aids than one expensive aid assuming a loss in both ears.
You cannot separate sound with just one ear, all sounds will run in together. In time you will increase your ability to listen to one source as you ignore the other. It is a technique you lose with a hearing problem and like learning to walk again, one step at a time.


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## raynipper

I guess your right EdB.
I did have the two but found I was being swamped with noise. Now I do prefer only the one but as you say I have trouble in crowds or dinner partys.

Ray.


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## MEES

I worked in the field of hearing impairmet for many years and recommend persistance with the NHS
They provide a wide range of digital hearing aids oftrn the same commercial one repackaged as NHS
The key is patiemce with the rehabilitation you have to committ to it


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## nickoff

Once again thanks all for your replies. Hopefully I will be getting my new NHS aid fitted sometime in March. I will report back on this thread my first and ongoing impressions.

Nick.


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## nickoff

Well, I finally had my hearing aid fitted yesterday morning. After about 30-40 minutes of tuning and instruction I was let out into the wild world. As soon as I left the hospital I could hear the sparrows chirping away, that was a first for many years  Got into the car and drove off. What's that strange ticking sound? Indicators. Decided to treat myself to a full English in Morrisons cafe to celebrate. Whoa , sensory overload. Cups clinking, knives and forks, tills etc all attacking me from every direction. As the audio nurse said, "it will take the brain a few weeks to sort out all the new sounds it's picking up". Had to try the telly last night, no problem. So, first impressions, well chuffed. Even the tinnitus in the left ear seems to have settled down. 
Will file another report in a few weeks when I've had a bit more experience with it.

Nick.


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## locovan

Its when A child screams in a shopping centre Ray has a problem --it really hurts.
In a school hall when everyone is talking and the chairs scrape I can see he is having problems.
He has had to send his back for repair as the plastic tubes go brittle and break, he is wearing an old one and he is not hearing me or noise ---Bliss he says :roll: :lol: :lol:


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## raynipper

locovan said:


> Its when A child screams in a shopping centre Ray has a problem --it really hurts.
> In a school hall when everyone is talking and the chairs scrape I can see he is having problems.
> He has had to send his back for repair as the plastic tubes go brittle and break, he is wearing an old one and he is not hearing me or noise ---Bliss he says :roll: :lol: :lol:


I know just what you mean and Ray is suffering Mavis.
It borders on painful with some noises and they blot out conversation.

My worst is when my wife is emptying the dishwasher with her head down tries to talk to me. I stop what I am doing and go over near here to say 'pardon'. She then bellows at me full face and wonders why I grimace..... :roll:

Ray.


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## GEMMY

It's worst for me if I forget I'm wearing mine and I start to eat a bag of crisps. It's like the battle of the somme. :lol: 

tony


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## nickoff

I wore the hearing aid for work this morning, no problem until work actually started :-( Because I'm a plater/welder I work in a noisy environment and so I put on a pair of ear defenders to protect the device. Within half an hour I had to take it out, it seemed to be picking up all the uncomfortable noises, grinders, hammering etc. Not particularly painful but very annoying because it was non stop.Without the aid these noises just seem to blend in with all the other row of a fabrication workshop.

Nick.


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