Hearing aids again

[Sum1Ls]

I’ve now had my aids for three years and am due an upgrade. I’m sure my hearing has worsened during that time, and the worst effect is my inability to hear music properly. I realise that it’s the melody that I can’t hear so all the accompaniment- the deeper sounds are amplified and the higher notes are not just diminished but inaudible. I also find meeting up with more than two people almost impossible because I can only hear one person at a time and can’t filter out the other voices. As for restaurants and cafes, they are so difficult as the echoey spaces with no soft furnishings to absorb the sound, make it a trial instead of an enjoyable occasion.

What’s your experience all those similarly afflicted?

[Oma]

B has the same problem in a crowded area ,
You can see when people are talking he will turn his head slightly to catch what someone is saying .
He cant hear anything high pitched ,
For example we have a safe in the loft just above our bed,there is only our passports and bits in why we have it I don't know , anyways the back up battery went so a high pitch beep went all night,
It drove me mad but he couldn't hear it at all ,

Hopefully you're upgrade improves your tolerance to sound.

[Nanto2girls]

No experience of hearing aids. But, i hope things can be made better for you.

[Gemini]

I haven't anything to add from personal experience.

My OH has had several NHS ones and is now on her second set of private ones.

I would say these are the best she's had but far from perfect.

[Plantaholic]

I have recently had new aids. I presume my hearing had got worse in the last 3 years. . I wouldn’t imagine any aid would give you perfect hearing. I did pay privately for wax removal before I had my ears tested for the new aids.

[Gemini]

That's right Plant, no aid will give you perfect hearing.

Like no knee replacement will ever be as good as a working real knee!

[Daisy]

Sum1, you have my sympathies as a fellow sufferer, and there are several problems.

I find, especially on tv, that higher pitched sounds are difficult to hear, while lower ones seem more dominant, but "muddy" - I hear the lower pitched tones as a whole, and find it difficult to tell any individual instruments in orchestral music. It's the same problem with voices. So-called "background music" makes most speech indecipherable. However I've got private hearing aids which enable me to boost the sounds balance to "Sharp", and that makes a big difference.

Rapid speech, and, embarrassingly, some accents are a problem, whether on tv or in real life.

I totally agree with places like cafes, pubs, etc being too echoey, and just one person's voice can dominate, even from the other side of the room. Background/piped music is a nightmare.

I found NHS hearing aids did absolutely nothing to help. The ones I've got now are much better, and I've recently had them re-programmed. The different settings for different situations are a God-send. The default automatic setting has a direction option, so eg, it mutes sounds behind while focusing on those to the front. I use the tv setting set to "Sharp" to hear high pitches.

So they're far from perfect natural hearing, but make most situations manageable. But I do think I need to get them checked regularly.

[Sum1Ls]

Thanks everyone. It’s all very frustrating. I’ll post an update when I get my upgrade b

[Daisy]

Good luck, Sun. It's frustrating to have to go through the trial and error processes, but worth it if it can make life easier and less frustrating.