hearing aid update...

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HOH33stars

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hey all!
so disappointing news...i was denied by the "hear now" program by starkey-i guess being a poor college student doesn't count. the reasoning was i had enough assets to pay for the aids (which i don't...the little bit of money i do have is to support me through the rest of the year at least so i can come back next semester...it's definitely not enough to get a set of aids though!)
anyway...so now i'm stuck. my state's OVR won't help, hear now won't help...so now i'm kinda like...crap. i have the one that my audiologist loaned me to get by, and i can understand in regular conversations better, but it's not getting me through class lectures, etc. since it's not the right power (it's cranked up as high as it'll go...but i need more lol). anyway...
i broke down and went down to disability services at my college...getting a notetaker and then later last week i asked for an interpreter also. i'm really struggling and i've just realized i can't try to pretend that my hearing is "normal" and that i understand everything. it's just not working.
i meet with my audiologist on monday to discuss my options...and to inquire about prices, etc. i'm actually looking on ebay...there are the exact hearing aids i need (set of 2 BTE starkey destiny 1200s) that are on auction...they're "slightly used, 2 years old" as the description states...my audiologist said she'd program them for me for $600...plus i have to get the earmolds made which are $100 for the set of two...
Anyway i'm praying the aids on ebay don't go up too high and on sunday i'll bid at the last minute...i'm kinda all bummed out though-it looks like the bidding is going to go sky high so i'm not getting my hopes up too much.
It's just getting really hard...I've been getting my hopes up since back in July to get aids and each time it's like "nope!"...meanwhile i'm trying to make it work in a brand new college with a full courseload (i'm a double major, triple certification student...need i say more lol?) ::sigh:: i just want to be able to hear half way decent!
 
Sorry for your bad luck. Good luck with your ebay bid. Maybe look for a different audiologist who will program the aids for less?
 
Good luck buddy, I hope you can win the auction at a good price. But I agree with Bottesini, as 600 bucks for something that can be done in a matter of minutes is really sad to see.
 
That is a bummer. Wish there was better way for you. Did you check into payment plans for hearing aids? I know that some audiologists carry hearing aids that you can pay for over time. I know that Oticon has one as does Phonak but I don't know the terms and all that. Maybe you could check into it? Not a perfect solution, but they would be new, and under warranty, and programming would be covered, etc. Ebay is great, but it can be a crap shoot, especially with used items.
I wish you luck, whichever road you take.
 
etalton said:
That is a bummer. Wish there was better way for you. Did you check into payment plans for hearing aids? I know that some audiologists carry hearing aids that you can pay for over time. I know that Oticon has one as does Phonak but I don't know the terms and all that. Maybe you could check into it? Not a perfect solution, but they would be new, and under warranty, and programming would be covered, etc. Ebay is great, but it can be a crap shoot, especially with used items.
I wish you luck, whichever road you take.
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That's what i'm meeting with my audiologist for on monday...to find out what my options are for payment, etc. i am hesitant about getting them used...right now i'm using a loaner from my audiologist and it tends to cut in and out and randomly turn off...i'm guessing that's why it's a loaner.

this is my first time "shopping" for hearing aids...what type of questions should i be asking on monday? i need a powerful set of BTEs...but i'm also a poor college student so i can't pay for something like starkey destiny full price! not that i think my audiologist will do this...but i don't want to get "ripped off" because my audi wants to make money and i've never done this before...ya know?
 
satman858 said:
Good luck buddy, I hope you can win the auction at a good price. But I agree with Bottesini, as 600 bucks for something that can be done in a matter of minutes is really sad to see.
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i agree! i could pay for another cheaper hearing aid for that cost! i wish i knew how to program them myself!
 
"this is my first time "shopping" for hearing aids...what type of questions should i be asking on monday? i need a powerful set of BTEs...but i'm also a poor college student so i can't pay for something like starkey destiny full price! not that i think my audiologist will do this...but i don't want to get "ripped off" because my audi wants to make money and i've never done this before...ya know?"


The first thing I would ask is does he/she let you try different ones for a trial. There are many brands out there, and each one has it's top of the line, but they also have less expensive ones that can work just as well, IMO. But then, I am not an expert. Find out what brands he/she carries and research each one. Find out what the makers have to say about their own products, then compare. Bypass any that say they are from moderate to severe, and go straight to the ones that can handle profound hearing loss, and that is advice I would give to anyone having learned the hard way (on my second ha as first one wasn't powerful enough for later hearing loss). If you can't try out different hearing aids with this audi, find another audi. After all, this is your hearing, not theirs, and you need to find the one that is right for you.
I hope that helps?
 
etalton said:
"this is my first time "shopping" for hearing aids...what type of questions should i be asking on monday? i need a powerful set of BTEs...but i'm also a poor college student so i can't pay for something like starkey destiny full price! not that i think my audiologist will do this...but i don't want to get "ripped off" because my audi wants to make money and i've never done this before...ya know?"


The first thing I would ask is does he/she let you try different ones for a trial. There are many brands out there, and each one has it's top of the line, but they also have less expensive ones that can work just as well, IMO. But then, I am not an expert. Find out what brands he/she carries and research each one. Find out what the makers have to say about their own products, then compare. Bypass any that say they are from moderate to severe, and go straight to the ones that can handle profound hearing loss, and that is advice I would give to anyone having learned the hard way (on my second ha as first one wasn't powerful enough for later hearing loss). If you can't try out different hearing aids with this audi, find another audi. After all, this is your hearing, not theirs, and you need to find the one that is right for you.
I hope that helps?
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Thanks, that does help quite a bit! The ebay ones are only up to $200 still...::crosses fingers:: and i'm under the impression that even if i get them from my audiologist, i'm still going to have to pay the $600 whether i buy them from ebay or from her! thanks for the advice on going with ones for a profound loss...my hearing is deteriorating quickly, so i wouldn't be surprised if i end up there soon...didn't even think about that. thank you! do you know of any brands to stay away from?
 
That does not sound right at all. Since day one, I have not been charged by my audi for any visits that I have made. I bought my first hearing aid from him and was a constant visitor as my hearing deteriorated quickly. He tweaked it over and over again till there was nothing more he could do. Then I bought my second from him, same thing, never paid for a visit or any tweaking. It comes with the hearing aid, that was my understanding. Heck, I don't even pay for the batteries with this one. They are free for 3 years. Just drive by and pick up a pack as needed.
 
Hmmm...I would have to say from just observing, to stay away from Beltone. More due to customer service than anything.
I have heard good things about Phonak, and mine is Widex, before that was Oticon. As long as you have an audi that lets you try before you buy, or at least has a really good return policy (make sure you check for that), I would just try out what you think fits for you, cost and adaptability wise.
Research as much as you can on your own so you have a clear idea of what each brand offers.
Do you have an ENT that you see? Does he/she have an audi on site? That is something I wish I had done, but being a military dependant, I had to go off base for the hearing aid. Just from viewing posts in channel, I think the audi's that work in a ENT clinic are less biased.
 
responding to need for hearing aids

Hi- I am responding your your post regarding needing help with hearing aids. I work for Starkey Labs. Are you in the Minneapolis area? If so, please make an appointment at the Center for Excellence on the Starkey campus! They can figure out a way to help you with your hearing aids and with the cost as well. Call our main number at 952.941.6401 and ask for Melissa in the Center for Excellence. Good luck!
 
klklemme said:
Hi- I am responding your your post regarding needing help with hearing aids. I work for Starkey Labs. Are you in the Minneapolis area? If so, please make an appointment at the Center for Excellence on the Starkey campus! They can figure out a way to help you with your hearing aids and with the cost as well. Call our main number at 952.941.6401 and ask for Melissa in the Center for Excellence. Good luck!
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No I'm not in the Minneapolis area...:(
 
You can try to ask your audiology for loan. You can loan for new aids until you have enough money or insurance cover to pay you new HA. How about your parents' insurance?
 
Definately if you can reach out to your parents, local churches, ect, for money. Also apply through lions club and see if you can get their HAs (they're used ones)

Keep us updated.. I hope you get those hearing aids soon.
 
~♥~Pinky~♥~ said:
You can try to ask your audiology for loan. You can loan for new aids until you have enough money or insurance cover to pay you new HA. How about your parents' insurance?
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I ended up charging a set to my credit card...I'm just praying that I can somehow make the payments. I got one scholarship from my school to pay for part...trying to get another to help out with the payments...I couldn't wait any longer though. I ended up going with the cheapest set that would work for my hearing loss...the Starkey Destiny Extra Power 200s BTEs...now i'm just waiting for the phone call that they're in.
My parents insurance doesn't cover any of it...and I've pretty much run out of other options so I just charged it...hopefully I can make it work. I'm getting behind in my classes (i'm still waiting for an interpreter-supposively i'm getting one starting on monday)...my audiologist said that even with the aids i should probably keep the interpreter anyway. but anyway...i'm falling behind because i've gone 4 weeks without hearing in the classes...and my notetakers suck. so yeah...that's why i just bit the bullet and charged them without really knowing how i'm going to make the payments lol...i can't go much longer without them...
 
That truly sucks about you having to charge it. I know..I had to do the same with mine. Most insurance policies don't pay for hearing aids and that doesn't seem fair, but then..life is not always fair. And it is tough at your age. Old enough to be considered an adult by all, but still tied to your parents income.
At least you are getting the aids, and I hope they work out for you. Let us know how you are doing once they are in and adjusted for your ears.
 
When did you learn to sign? I was under the impression that you are recently HOH...Or are you talking about Oral Interpreters?
 
JennyB said:
When did you learn to sign? I was under the impression that you are recently HOH...Or are you talking about Oral Interpreters?
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I was just recently diagnosed as HOH yes...
umm the interpreter thing-it kinda just fell into place. my sign language level is at a point where i can carry on a good conversation with someone. anyway the interpreter...i'm in a class with another Deaf student and i ended up watching his interpreter instead of the teacher because i could understand the interpreter better than trying to lipread my teacher! I wasn't going to ask for an interpreter though (because my ASL skill level definitely isn't THAT great) but then i found out that i can even ask for an interpreter to just "lip" what is being said by other students in the class if i wanted! ANYWAY...i've found as the semester has gone on that i prefer using the interpreter in that one class...and my comprehension level of ASL has gone through the roof...so since i don't know if i'm going to go completely deaf, AND i'm trying to at least pass my classes...i broke down and asked for an interpreter (wasn't the easiest decision). so now my interpreter is supposedly starting on monday for the two classes i requested her for...so we'll see how it really goes! my audi said though that even with aids...i should probably stick with the interpreter at least for the time being...
this interpreter "lips" the words and signs at the same time...so the words that i miss lipreading, i catch with the signs...it's really good...
 
etalton said:
That truly sucks about you having to charge it. I know..I had to do the same with mine. Most insurance policies don't pay for hearing aids and that doesn't seem fair, but then..life is not always fair. And it is tough at your age. Old enough to be considered an adult by all, but still tied to your parents income.
At least you are getting the aids, and I hope they work out for you. Let us know how you are doing once they are in and adjusted for your ears.
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i'll be honest...i'm petrified to get the aids. i'm excited because i want to hear, but i'm also petrified because i know i'm going to realize how much i'm missing. also language...to start hearing certain parts of language again...i'm just really afraid. i don't know how to take care of the aids either...i mean i'm sure my audi will explain it a little...but this is all so new to me!
now i'm just waiting for the phone call that they're in...i'm afraid i'll get sick the minute i get the phone call though from nerves! LOL!
 
Don't fear the aids..they are just a tool. You mastered more ASL than I have by a long shot, and lip reading too, it seems. If you can do both of those, an aid is a piece of cake! Plus, if you don't like the sounds you are hearing, you can turn the aids off, but give them a fair shot at helping you. After all, we are talking about your education, something very important. :fingersx:
 
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