Got tired of everyone�s speech sounding like the adults on the Charlie Brown cartoons. Had my hearing tested. The results were not good (high frequency loss). I pick up my new hearing aids next Friday. What am I in for? Any sage advice from current wearers?

what...

Get ready to hate them - I know I did - and I still do some times.

You will hear _E_V_E_R_Y_ bird chirp, all the whiny, loud mouthed kids in a restaurant, silverware clanking on the plates, you get the picture.

There are times I choose not to wear them just to enjoy the quietude.

Huh?

Aids is not good. Get some Covergirl 825 Buff Beige if you have a lighter skin tone. It will help cover/blend in the lesions. So I've been told.

Sage advice. It's good to plant with cabbage to protect against the white cabbage butterfly. It's also supposed to help them be more succulent and tasteful. Sage fun fact. Originally it was use medically in stuffing and meats to make them more digestible, but we've grown to like the flavor.

Did you hear the one about the deaf gay guy and the gay guy?

I have misophnia (seriously), if I could hear better I would go

I wear mine to church but other than that I kind of like the silence. Yes, they pick up all the sounds around you. The first time I wore them and took a leak it sounded like Niagara Falls.

Keep a good supply of batteries. They don't last long.

You will love them if they are programmable. The newer ones, Phonak for example have the capability of programming each frequency range independently. This means if you have high frequency loss, the audiologist will be able to raise the amplification only in those frequencies to closely resemble normal hearing levels. The old Grandpa hearing aids from Walmart would amplify everything. This brings up low bass tones etc. so that it garbles sound. I hate to say this but if you paid $100 or so for these, you will not be pleased. The high tech ones that actually help are in the $2000 and up range for each RH and LH aid. But they have background noise algorithms, auto sensitivity and boost, filtering and clarity enhancers. I couldn't live without mine now. They have 5 different programs for different noise conditions. Even a music program where they turn off some enhancements to replicated the true tone. The VA can help with the cost if you are a Vet. My insurance only coughed up $1000 towards a pair. I have a Phone app where I can bluetooth to them and choose the program and level. If they are the good ones, then make sure you never get them wet. That will kill them. Get some insurance on them if you like, the manufacturers offer that. Batteries are cheap. They last about 4 or 5 days and the aids will beep when the batteries are getting low. The good ones are very small and don't fill the ear canal so you don't get that pressure in a tunnel effect. They are hard to see that you are wearing them. Lightweight, fit behind the ear. I get a huge pack of batteries on line for about $30 that lasts a year. They recommend a dryer container that I have on the nightstand. It has a UV light to help dry them at night, and a dessicant pack also. You have to take care of them, and they will bring back your hearing nicely. Good luck.

The hardest part is actually hearing what people have really been calling you.

Thanks, Bob. They are programmable and have most of the features you mentioned. I wore a demo pair that had been programmed to meet my specific needs for about 45 minutes. I was surprised how clear the person�s speech was. I did hear a lot of background noises. That was a little overwhelming but I think will get better with time and additional programming.

One additional benefit that I noticed in the short time I wore them was a significant reduction in the tinnitus that I have in both ears. I�ve been experiencing an electric motor high pitched whining noise in both ears for some time now. It was hardly noticeable in the short time I had them on.

$2500 out of my pocket. $0 from insurance.

Years ago I had a job writing bail bonds at night court (Mostly drunks) the Judge used a hearing aide that was in his pocket with wires, he was constantly playing with the dial, he was getting ready to retire, so I was asked to get info for a gift, I asked him about a new hearing aide since he was always working on his, his answer "Not a damnd thing wrong with mine, the guy stands in front of me I turn it off, he stops talking, I say Guilty and turn it back on."

Be warned, when a fire alarm goes off, get them out fast.

I've only had 2 problems with mine. 1) I shorted one out due to sweating. 2) Got a new pair of glasses, kept having problems with the fit until I got both the glasses and hearing aid adjusted.

Now I don't wear mine when I know I am going to be sweating a lot.

Sounds like they are one of the better pair. True, you will hear things that you haven't heard in years. You will get used to them in a week or so I promise. When I first got mine, coming home the first day from the audiologists office, I heard an odd jingling noise in my truck. It was my keys on the key ring in the ignition jingling when the truck bounced a little. I could hear change when I put it on the counter. Outside I could hear my dogs nails on the concrete as she walked across the patio. Pretty amazing. Didn't have to turn the TV way up and blast the wife off the couch. The endings of peoples words became clearer.

What I lost though was the excuse to not do something the wife asked me to do because I didn't hear her. Sometimes I forget to wear them on purpose.

There can be some feedback on some of the programs and settings. If you cup your ear when they are in or if you lay your head on a pillow with them in, you may get some feedback squeal.

I have a smartphone App called Phonak Remote and I can adjust the levels from the app. It is pretty cool.

I had a problem with mine when I first got them where if I played certain notes on my guitar I would not get the normal steady tone of the note, but a wavering sound. I went back to the audiologist with my guitar and she connected to my hearing aids with her equalizer software on her computer. She was able to dial out the waver of the specific notes that were wavering.

So if you have any issues at all be sure to tell them precisely what it is and they can adjust it out.

Like Emit said too, sweat can kill them. Moisture, wetness on the micro miniature circuitry inside coupled with the battery potential will cause corrosion internally damaging them. When I am fishing, I take them out and put them in the glove box. If I fell in with them in, they'd be destroyed.

My hearing was damaged like millions of others who worked on or around jet aircraft engines. I spent 8 years in that environment as a young lad. It's ok though I made it fine up until my mid 50s before I had to get the hearing aids.