Hearing aids are useless

Ive found that seimens are crap, had issues with mine since day one. I have been without them for over a year now since they quit working and are out of warranty.
Im leaning more now towards CI as the aids dont really work for me, alot of sounds all sound the same to me and it was just amplified and I still couldnt make out the differences. Yes, at first I could hear things I didnt hear before ( birds, frogs..ect..) but once I got used to them I didnt hear that anymore???
Wearing both I could hear better to an extent, but without one or the other I was still "deaf" as it was almost like not having either on, its odd and hard to explain, but if one or the other was out or off, I still couldnt hear with just the one in and on. Dont know if others experience this, but my hearing is so far gone now Im leagally deaf without aids.
 
sonocativo said:
Ive found that seimens are crap, had issues with mine since day one. I have been without them for over a year now since they quit working and are out of warranty.
Im leaning more now towards CI as the aids dont really work for me, alot of sounds all sound the same to me and it was just amplified and I still couldnt make out the differences. Yes, at first I could hear things I didnt hear before ( birds, frogs..ect..) but once I got used to them I didnt hear that anymore???
Wearing both I could hear better to an extent, but without one or the other I was still "deaf" as it was almost like not having either on, its odd and hard to explain, but if one or the other was out or off, I still couldnt hear with just the one in and on. Dont know if others experience this, but my hearing is so far gone now Im leagally deaf without aids.
Click to expand...

I'm exactly the same. Bilateral speech discrim is 32% but I have 0% speech discrim when wearing just one hearing aid. I feel like I don't hear a thing when wearing just one hearing aid, no matter what ear it is. It's weird how it all works etc!
 
NaidaUP said:
I'm exactly the same. Bilateral speech discrim is 32% but I have 0% speech discrim when wearing just one hearing aid. I feel like I don't hear a thing when wearing just one hearing aid, no matter what ear it is. It's weird how it all works etc!
Click to expand...

exactly, just one in either ear and its not gonna help...odd but true.
 
RisinDragon said:
I have medicaid/medicare and my audiologist was able to get both of my hearing aids for $738. My insurance covered the whole thing.

Sorry to hear that you spent so much on those Oticon.

My medicaid gave me a hard time for getting new hearing aids. I've tried 3 years ago when they were 5 years old. Eventually it took Phonak to tell medicaid that they no longer make them and refuse to fix my hearing aids. They finally were able to get me new hearing aids this year, and my old ones were 8 years old.

Best advice I can ever give, test the hearing aids for a trial period. Make sure they would work for you. Also try different types and see which one offers more clarity and power to give you what you need. If the audiologist you are going to don't have other types of hearing aids. Find one that does. A good audiologist knows every hearing aid is different and every person is different. What might work for one person, will not work for another.
Click to expand...
Thank you!
How did you find audiologist that accepts medicare?

I went to the primary care doctor today, and they said they will give me referral...hope to find finally audiologist that accepts Medical/Medicare.

I went to my previous audiologist in the end of 2011, when I didn't have any insurance, and left bunch of my savings for new HA and etc.
Now I have the insurance now, and don't know audiologist, that accepts my insurance.

Thank you for telling about trial period...I always hesitate to use things and change them...maybe too modest and shy...

HOH-ME said:
Look into Cochlear Implants....
Click to expand...
I'm often think about them.
But here are some questions, I can't answer myself

-Expensive, I don't know where I could get $50K
-Rehabilitation period? I can't afford long rehabilitation time, I must go and work anywhere and anytime, in order to be able to pay bills in the end of the month. I have no savings now :(
-Complications? It is a head surgery(?), and there is no warranty that there won't be any complications. I have three dependents and afraid for them, too.
-Sports? I like weight lifting and bodybuilding exercises, stretching and standing upside down...will I be able to do this all after the surgery?
 
You basically have to 'shop' around til you find one that takes your insurance. Plus trying to find one where you will be comfortable with, besides I talk to women better than men. LOL Hell, I got a female primary doctor. *shrugs* I find women tend to listen better and pay attention more. I went through 4 audiologist in 4 different companies over 5 years til I got my current audiologist. The last Audiologist, I got tired of the lies he was giving and excuses from that company and left.

I eventually went to Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center. My current Audiologist, I've met when she was a 'intern' when I was seeing one of my old audiologists. Been going to her for 10 years now? LOL What makes her and I work so well together, we are the same age, she actually listens and if I have some concerns or ideas. I'd ask about something and she'll give me the information. If I was interested in a specific hardware that I want for my hearing aids, she tells me how much her company charges and even suggest me to try to find a company outside of her company that would be cheaper. She goes out of her way to do what she can to make me hear as good as I can. Plus I get to tell her about new hearing aid techs I learned about and given her ideas and suggestions. So in a way, I am teaching her and she's teaching me.

Not only that, since I've joined AllDeaf, I have learned much more about hearing aids and what's out there. So what I learned from here, made me happy with my current Naida Q50 UPs.

Btw, medicare WILL pay for CI. I have heard that from my audiologist. They are very picky when it comes to getting new hearing aids, tho. Which doesn't make any sense to me. HAs are so much cheaper than CI.
 
Ri Sol said:
Thank you!
How did you find audiologist that accepts medicare?

I went to the primary care doctor today, and they said they will give me referral...hope to find finally audiologist that accepts Medical/Medicare.

I went to my previous audiologist in the end of 2011, when I didn't have any insurance, and left bunch of my savings for new HA and etc.
Now I have the insurance now, and don't know audiologist, that accepts my insurance.

Thank you for telling about trial period...I always hesitate to use things and change them...maybe too modest and shy...


I'm often think about them.
But here are some questions, I can't answer myself

-Expensive, I don't know where I could get $50K
-Rehabilitation period? I can't afford long rehabilitation time, I must go and work anywhere and anytime, in order to be able to pay bills in the end of the month. I have no savings now :(
-Complications? It is a head surgery(?), and there is no warranty that there won't be any complications. I have three dependents and afraid for them, too.
-Sports? I like weight lifting and bodybuilding exercises, stretching and standing upside down...will I be able to do this all after the surgery?
Click to expand...

If you qualify for CI's, insurance covers them, including Medicare and Medicaid. Depending on your clinic, you get 2 processors for each ear so, if you go with Advanced Bionics, you can get a Neptune which is waterproof and great for sports along with a Naida for every day.

Rehab will depend but in under a year I'm hitting high 90% on speech discrimination scores....so it's well worth it!! I was far better off with my hearing, even though it was odd sounding to start, from day 1 then I was with my HA's. It depends on what your hearing memory is but for those that have had at least some usable hearing, rehab generally is shorter. Do you have a disability policy at work? If so, the surgery could possibly qualify you for short-term disability pay depending on your policy but you will probably need to be out of work for at least a week, maybe 2 depending on your job--but, keep in mind, better hearing will mean you will be able to do more types of jobs for better pay down the road too.

Complications--yes, it is surgery and you could have complications but, if you take care of yourself and do what you are supposed to do, those chances are small. I've had 2 implant surgeries and have had no complications, others have had infections and whatnot but it's still pretty rare.

Weight lifting-you will be on restrictions for a while but there is no reason you could not do that in the future. Any surgery you will have restrictions on what you can lift until your incision is healed.
 
Thank you both for detailed posts!

RisinDragon have you thought about CI?

HOH-ME another question, will the Medicare cover CI maintenance, doctor visits and etc the rest of the life?


90% on speech discrimination scores
Click to expand...
WOW!
 
I was told I am a good candidate for it.

But, my hearing loss has been pretty much the same my entire life. Hardly ever been any changes. I can hear well with my hearing aids, I speak extremely well. Between my mother and my grandmother, along with going to speech therapist for years. I do well. Hearing people can't even tell I am deaf.

I do struggle with some people, because of their accent or they slur or talking too slow or too fast.
 
Butterfly92xo said:
I wear two hearing aids for Severe Sensorineural Hearing Loss (Siemens Reflex DP) and I really cannot hear at all with them in. I cannot follow a conversation if there are background noises, such as the TV or radio and when I am at work - buzzers go off and emergency ones which is very important, I missed so many of them and have been brought up by my manager because of it. I have not told her I am hard of hearing so it is my fault, and I have told her I am getting my hearing tested but I have been HoH for 11 years, and even before that (because I was diagnosed at 10 years of age). Hearing aids are not helping with amplification of sounds and conversations are so hard to follow, I feel depressed with wearing them than I do without, and my audiologist is not very helpful either :( Is this normal for others - how 'good' is your hearing with hearing aids?
Click to expand...

If hearing aids no longer works so you may need consider to get CI.

I have very, very little benefits with Phonak hearing aids and didn't pass the hearing test with HA.
 
Ri Sol said:
Thank you both for detailed posts!

RisinDragon have you thought about CI?

HOH-ME another question, will the Medicare cover CI maintenance, doctor visits and etc the rest of the life?

WOW!
Click to expand...

You only have Medicare? What about secondary private insurance?

I believe that Medicare will pay 80% of CI device/operation but you have to pay 20%.

Medicare + private insurance = 100% covered and they will cover CI upgrade every 5 years.
 
sonocativo said:
Ive found that seimens are crap, had issues with mine since day one. I have been without them for over a year now since they quit working and are out of warranty.
Im leaning more now towards CI as the aids dont really work for me, alot of sounds all sound the same to me and it was just amplified and I still couldnt make out the differences. Yes, at first I could hear things I didnt hear before ( birds, frogs..ect..) but once I got used to them I didnt hear that anymore???
Wearing both I could hear better to an extent, but without one or the other I was still "deaf" as it was almost like not having either on, its odd and hard to explain, but if one or the other was out or off, I still couldnt hear with just the one in and on. Dont know if others experience this, but my hearing is so far gone now Im leagally deaf without aids.
Click to expand...

Yes, it happened to some of my friends - they were HoH when I was teen so some of them are profoundly deaf now, so they complained that hearing aids don't give enough sounds.
 
Its simple, it is all about the sense itself. Once it is gone, there is no way anyone can achieve using that sense.

Its like blind that can't see nothing, trying to wear glasses won't solve problem, it is because the sense of sight is gone, period. Same with sense of hearing, once it is gone it is G O N E!

I have not wear hearing aid since I was teenager, that is due to the fact that I can't understand or able to discriminate single tone of sound, so whats point of hearing aid that blast into my ear and still unable to understand.

Accept that loss and move on, otherwise there will be years of struggling without fruition and once your realize, your about to be dead by that time. Why waste years struggling only to achieve nothing? Could have use other way which could be more productive.
 
Foxrac said:
You only have Medicare? What about secondary private insurance?

I believe that Medicare will pay 80% of CI device/operation but you have to pay 20%.

Medicare + private insurance = 100% covered and they will cover CI upgrade every 5 years.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have only MediCal/Medicare
and don't have private insurance
 
Ri Sol said:
Yes, I have only MediCal/Medicare
and don't have private insurance
Click to expand...

It means you should be 100% covered if you have MediCal + Medicare, also CA has contract with Cochlear to get MediCal to cover CI operation.
 
Back
Top