Hearing Part 2 — Benefits of the Hearing Aids
Our New Hearing Aids — Startling Surprises in the Family
Lower Alzheimer’s odds, fewer arguments, less confusion
As I mentioned in a previous story, my wife and I had numerous misunderstandings. We discussed potential hearing problems causing issues due to aging for months. I contacted my brothers, and both recommended that we get our hearing checked. They had the same hearing aid that I will cover in this piece and said it made a big difference for them.
So, we contacted an audiologist and got hearing tests. They both showed decreased hearing but were wildly different. Just increasing the volume, like with cheap OTC aids, would not work.
We ordered hearing aids designed for our specific problems for each ear. It was far different from what I expected and much better. I’d like to briefly walk through our first two weeks of experience.
Audiologist Visits and Tests
First, we contacted Dr. Waldo for hearing tests. My wife’s graph showed decreased hearing, fairly even across all frequencies. My line was better at low frequencies but dropped like Niagara Falls in the middle, showing extremely low hearing at higher frequencies. Also, each ear was different.
Second visit - fitting: Hearing aids come in all different sizes and shapes. Ours, the REAL 1, is a little computer that sits behind the ear with a near-invisible wire to a cone-shaped device that fits in at the entrance of the ear canal. The doctor put the new hearing aids in place quickly and easily. They were much smaller than expected and barely visible.
The change was immediate! I could hear what the doctor said while she was looking at her computer. Before, I heard something, either noise or part of what was said.
Third visit — adjustments #1: After about a few weeks, we returned for a review and adjustments.
Back Home
Normal communication was so much better in the house. I heard my wife’s sentence clearly from the other side of the house. Before, I had to be in the same room and sometimes had to be looking at her.
From the kitchen, my wife said, “We need to buy a new pan.” She thought I was just outside the door. I was in the computer room and heard her perfectly.
We immediately changed the volume of the TV. Also, some were clear for the first time. -- The elevator music channel went from 24 to 11 -- The News channel from 56 to 36 -- The movie channel was clear for the first time instead of fuzzy -- Volumes vary by channel.
I could hear the music channel clearly from other rooms, even at the lower volume.
At the Restaurant and Karaoke Nights
We go to City Fire most nights for dinner and dancing. The first night after getting them, we had the softest-speaking server working there.
We both usually had a terrible time hearing her, if at all, even before the band started. We both heard her perfectly while she took our order. I even heard every word she said as she walked away and was behind me.
The wife heard two missed notes from the band while dancing. The band was not as loud as expected but was much clearer.
I thought that changing my hearing might cause balance problems while dancing, but none have occurred.
I do karaoke on Wednesday nights. I could still hear my voice, but it was so much clearer that I could adjust. My wife said I sounded much better than the prior week.
Real hearing improved!
I noticed specific improvements over time with my hearing in general.
I had not inserted my hearing aids yet. From the kitchen, I could hear some of the TV news from the living room at the 36, the hearing aid sound level. I could never hear anything before, not even at the 56 level.
After the second week, I could hear the News channel perfectly without the aids at the 46 setting, down 10 points from before. Is that due to a brain adjustment or something else, and is it across all frequencies?
By the 4th week, I could hear the news channel at the 36 settings, down another 10 points from before, the setting we used the first week with the hearing aid. My wife has noticed less of a change.
Additional Observations
I noticed other things that had nothing to do with people talking or the TV.
I wondered about high frequencies since my graph was so low at the upper range. While fixing oatmeal, I hit the side of the glass pan with the spoon. Usually, I would hear a clunk. This morning, I heard a high ringing, almost like a bell.
I never noticed background noises. Now, I hear the squeak of my shoes on our tile floor and the noise while turning the pillow over in bed.
At first, I noticed an echo while I was talking. The voice echo was normal and expected to disappear in a few days — it did.
I use earphones to listen to music from the computer. Surprisingly, the music sounded no different. When looking back, it’s not surprising since the earphone speakers were an inch from the eardrums.
Maintenance
We take the hearing aids out at night for recharging. The volume is adjustable or can be turned off if it is too loud. They reset themselves when they are put in the charger. They are nearly invisible and unfelt if installed right. It was much different doing it yourself! I had to look in the mirror to install them at first.
Always clean the cones that reside in the ear before inserting them in the morning. Instructions called to brush the outside of the cones gently to remove loose ear wax, but I had increased ear itch.
I developed a procedure that worked much better without damaging the cone. I wet a Q-tip with warm water, squeeze out as much water as possible, rub the cone from the center to the edge without actually touching the center to remove all wax, and then dry it with the Q-tip at night.
My wife’s new manufacturer uses a different insert for the ear canal. My cleaning method did not work with it, so she is using the original cleaning method.
As for itching, it mostly disappeared and didn’t need to be scratched when it did happen. I just move the cone a microscopic amount from outside.
Putting them on - Left vs Right: I look in the mirror to insert the hearing aids. The right side is easy. Being right-handed, everything on the left is backward! When I turn it in what feels like the right direction, it goes the opposite way in the mirror. One day, I had to use my right hand to guide the left.
It was easy to do without the mirror by the third week
One was a misfit!
The one my wife used did not physically fit properly. The connecting wire cut into the ear and skin, thus causing pain. Her glasses were also pressed down on the aid. The doctor could not adjust it to fit. Fortunately, the patient isn’t stuck with one brand with Dr. Waldo.
The doctor gave her a ReSound Nexia as a loaner. Since the hearing aid on the ear is an entire computer, the doctor could set it up for my wife’s prescription immediately. It was too loud! My wife turned it down three notches every morning. The doctor reset it on the next visit, and now it works perfectly.
It was different. The new ear canal inserts were much more comfortable and fit much better. The wire from the hearing aid to the insert fit perfectly. There was no more pain. The volume control was on one ear only, but it still controlled both.
The 2-week trial was successful, so we ordered the Nexia.
Analysis and Speculations
Alzheimer’s: They claim that hearing aids help reduce the chance of getting Alzheimer’s. I suspect that poor hearing might cut the input stimulating the brain by 50% or more, so the brain has less to do. No wonder part of the brain shuts down. It’s like the reduction of coordination and stamina when athletes cut their training schedules.
Not Viewable: Our hearing aids are nearly invisible to other people. We had friends at our table last night when we started discussing hearing problems. Neither one could see ours even after we told them that we had them on. We had to turn to the side and lean forward so that they could see the tiny device sitting on top of the ear.
Cost: What do you do if you don’t have insurance or the money to buy expensive hearing aids? There are cheap alternatives. Some just change the volume up to 80 dB, like those with adjustable hearing support.
That might work if the test results show roughly the same loss across all frequencies, like my wife’s. It would not be much help in my case, where loss varies by frequency. However, anything is still better than nothing.
Conclusions and Takeaways
These hearing devices are worth every penny. Our arguments due to hearing-based misunderstandings have dropped more than 95%.
The sounds around us are much better. I now notice so many things in nature and our environment that I didn’t even know existed. Most were completely unhearable or wildly distorted. The improved hearing may even prevent mental capacity from deteriorating.
Life has become so much more interesting and enjoyable. We probably should have gotten them years ago, but we never thought of it.
Here is a summary of benefits that you may consider based on our experience:
1 — Getting tailored hearing aids transformed our communication experience, allowing us to hear each other clearly from different rooms and enhancing our interactions.
2 — Tailored hearing aids revolutionized our communication ability, enabling clear conversations even from separate rooms.
3 — With the new hearing aids, watching TV became a more enjoyable experience as we could adjust the volume to our liking and hear dialogues and music more clearly.
4 — Our dining experiences improved significantly, especially in noisy environments like restaurants, where we could now hear our server clearly and enjoy live music more clearly.
5 — The hearing aids boosted my confidence during karaoke nights, as I could hear my voice more clearly and deliver better performances.
6 — Beyond conversations, the hearing aids heightened our awareness of environmental sounds, allowing us to appreciate subtle noises like footsteps and background music.
7 — Despite initial adjustments, the maintenance routine became manageable, and the comfort level improved over time, contributing to a positive overall experience with the hearing aids.
Thank you for reading my story. I wish you a healthy life.
References
Hearing Aids Help Slow Cognitive Decline, Study Finds | alz.org
Hearing aids, information on hearing loss and tinnitus | Oticon
Digital hearing aids — discover the features and how they work
Tressie Waldo — Audiology — Specialty Care — The Villages Health