Hearing aids and a rant

[tallyho8]

I am 78 years old and my hearing has been steadily getting worse for the last 30 years. I can not hear any high frequency notes which eliminates me hearing most of what younger women say. If 2 people are talking at once I can hear neither of them. Not hear, I hear them but I can't understand them. This affects my social life greatly as it makes me avoid crowds and parties.

I purchased some expensive hearing aids online last year that had an option to return for a refund if desired. When I used them they sounded like a computer when anyone talked. Everybody sounded the same and I could not tell who was talking. They had telephone support which I tried to see if I was doing something wrong but the person I talked to had a heavy foreign accent which I could not understand and when I asked to speak to someone else, their accent was even worse.

In frustration, I returned them for a refund after only a few days. I am now wondering if I want to try someone local who I can talk to in person to help me with the hearing aids or if I have a condition that aids won't help.

 

[etpm]

I am 78 years old and my hearing has been steadily getting worse for the last 30 years. I can not hear any high frequency notes which eliminates me hearing most of what younger women say. If 2 people are talking at once I can hear neither of them. Not hear, I hear them but I can't understand them. This affects my social life greatly as it makes me avoid crowds and parties.

I purchased some expensive hearing aids online last year that had an option to return for a refund if desired. When I used them they sounded like a computer when anyone talked. Everybody sounded the same and I could not tell who was talking. They had telephone support which I tried to see if I was doing something wrong but the person I talked to had a heavy foreign accent which I could not understand and when I asked to speak to someone else, their accent was even worse.

In frustration, I returned them for a refund after only a few days. I am now wondering if I want to try someone local who I can talk to in person to help me with the hearing aids or if I have a condition that aids won't help.

The guy who tested my hearing said that I would need to wear the aids for at least 2 months to get used to them. Fortunately I have 180 days to return the hearing aids. He told me that many people find the sound to be unnatural, maybe robotic. But after they get used to them they find that they would seriously not want to be without them. Since I have not yet received my new hearing aids I can't say. But I am gonna give them time. I also have trouble with conversations, especially in noisy places, and especially women's voices because of the higher frequency loss I have. I do not like missing out on what people are saying. Like many people with hearing loss I interpolate what I hear and most of the time I am correct. But often enough, especially when talking with my wife, I am wrong. This pisses her off. So maybe you should try again. If you are a Costco member you should check them out.
Eric

 

[goeduck]

Mine were expensive ones fitted by a local hearing specialist. Everyone sounded electronic to some extent at first, but I still could tell the people apart. Now they sound more natural.