All I can say is I had no idea how deaf I really was! Had to ask wifey not to yell at me.

Really nice pair of Phonaks, there's more computing power in that little brown thing behind my ear than they had on the Apollo spacecraft. Over the next few weeks, they'll "learn" my surroundings and tune themselves accordingly. Things like blocking wind noise, muting loud noises, adapting to crowds, etc. The left one amplifies more than the right (more loss in that ear) but bumping the volume control one either side changes both sides by the same amount so they stay in sync. Plus there's a little audio cue when I tweak the volume back to the original setting. Doc says try to to fool with the levels until I get used to them. They're set at the optimal point for my type and degree of loss. She says there's an app for my phone but advised STRONGLY against getting it because it's clunky and people wind up screwing things up so bad they have to go back to the VA to have the baseline reset.

They pair directly to my phone so I might actually be able to hear a call on my cell, which has always been extremely frustrating. They're wirelessly rechargeable so I'll never have to buy batteries, and all the consumables and cleaning supplies and such I get free from the VA. Just have to order ahead of time and they mail it direct.

Doc says to just tough it out for 4-8 weeks while my brain re-learns how to hear, especially sibilants and hissing noises that I haven't heard in 20 years. Single biggest aggravation is that my own voice sounds like I have my head in a bucket but she says that'll go away with time too.

Also found out that I can get all my eye care and glasses from the VA. Only catch is they provide a complete pair of glasses, frames and all when your prescription changes. I'm not particularly vain (nothing to work with anyway...) but the military issue glasses are beyond ugly. I'm hoping they'll have a little more fashionable choice, that'd save me some serious cash too.

All in all, I'm VERY pleased with the aids AND with the folks at the clinic. Bright, cheerful, helpful and accommodating. Pretty much the antithesis of what you usually hear about VA care.

They don't just stock the military issue BC (birth control) glasses (cause you ain't getting any action wearing them).

They have many styles of frames (no not all styles) available to put your lenses in.

As to the hearing aids I say congratulations.

I have a doctor visit with the VA here in Temple at the end of the month. I have to have a physical before they will refer me to their audiologist. Seems stupid. I have good insurance and don’t need another physical, but I guess it’s the hoops I gotta jump thru.

10% for tinnitus, and back when I made the claim 5ey said my hearing was military related but wasn’t bad enough for hearing aids yet. We shall see.

Being around cannons and small arms has left me with the “eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” of freedom ringing in my ears

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
10% for tinnitus, and back when I made the claim 5ey said my hearing was military related but wasn’t bad enough for hearing aids yet. We shall see.

Being around cannons and small arms has left me with the “eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” of freedom ringing in my ears

That 10% is your ticket in the door. I should've been evaluated when I retired but didn't want to take the time/trouble. Dumbass...

That's why it took me almost 2 years to get my aids. Had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get certified "service related". Once I got that, the rest was just going through the steps, delayed to some degree by COVID.

And I hear ya (arrrrr...) on the "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee of Freedom". Had it so long, I rarely even notice it any more.

BTW, just found out I have a "clicky" keyboard. Did not know that.

quote:

Originally posted by lizardman_u:
They don't just stock the military issue BC (birth control) glasses (cause you ain't getting any action wearing them).

They have many styles of frames (no not all styles) available to put your lenses in.

As to the hearing aids I say congratulations.

Good to know. I asked the Information Lady (new at the job) if all they had was the BC glasses and had to explain what I meant. She giggled...

Took me about 6 weeks to get used to them. My phone app works well (not Phonak) and I use it daily. And phone calls are great. I also have a feature to turn my phone into a microphone transmitted to the hearing aids, so I put it next to the TV and I can hear but the wife doesn't get blasted.

Great news, esp about the VA being great to work with. Convinced my mom to get hearing aids, she still refuses to wear them....

quote:

Originally posted by irreverent:
Great news, esp about the VA being great to work with. Convinced my mom to get hearing aids, she still refuses to wear them....

Doc made quite a point of toughing it out and wearing them CONSISTENTLY for the first 4-8 weeks. An hour here and an hour there won't get it done, the brain just starts over every time you put them in.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
Took me about 6 weeks to get used to them. My phone app works well (not Phonak) and I use it daily. And phone calls are great. I also have a feature to turn my phone into a microphone transmitted to the hearing aids, so I put it next to the TV and I can hear but the wife doesn't get blasted.

I asked about the TV. There are 3 options and the Doc said try all three and see what works best.

1. Take the aids off and use the wireless headphones like before.

2. Leave the aids in and use the TV speaker like a normal hearing person. (This option is the least appealing)

3. Get a device that connects the TV direct to the aids via bluetooth.

I'll start with Option 1, but I suspect Option 3 is going to be the long term plan.

I'm not VA but I got a set of Phonaks about 7 weeks ago. I'm still getting used to them but I really like them; even after paying for them. I also knew that I was struggling with hearing loss, I just didn't realize how bad it had become. My guy said that I was at about a 20% loss. I was constantly asking folks to repeat themselves or trying to read lips or both. It's amazing what all I can hear now even though several sounds are still very bright (tinny, somewhat artificial) due to the hearing aids. One of the neat things is hearing birds again. Music is better, too. I can actually hear a lot more of it and I don't have it cranked up.

My Phonaks are paired with my phone and it helps so much for phone calls. It pumps them right into my ears. You don't have to hold the phone up anymore; in fact, it can be in the next room and you can still answer and speak just through the Phonaks. I also got the gizmo that hooks up to our TV so that I can hear shows again. I don't watch much anyway but I couldn't really watch anymore because we had to really crank it up. This device sends the sound through the Phonaks and has an independent volume control so that if my wife messes with the TV, it doesn't change my volume. It was very interesting when we watched an episode of The Boys - the one where Butcher tried to get his wife out of the compound. It was filmed in the woods and I could hear birds chirping and whatnot while my wife didn't. The Phonaks even give some spatial direction to the sound. I can hear things behind or to the side of me while watching programs like that.

The guy that is working with me started me at 80% of my target. That means that things are toned down about 20% until I get used to them and then we start ratcheting up. I'm supposed to be at target within a year. My brain is trying to re-learn but it seems that as you take two steps forward, you go back one. I'm impatient, for sure. I have wondered if I will ever get completely used to my own voice but I just have to trust that it will happen with enough time.

Welcome to the club. You're going to love them.

PHPaul, congrats.

Sound is such a huge part of my life, especially music. I know I've suffered a moderate amount of hearing loss so far. I'm working extra hard now to protect what is left.

It is good knowing that there are some good alternatives if I need to look for them.

Mark

I got hearing aids from the VA, but they are the insert kind and are very hard to wear for more than 4 hours. I have a buddy who has the Phonak ones and he loves them ! I am going back to the VA and get these plugs replaced with Phonak. I get sore ears and headaches from the bricks in my ears.

I have Phonaks from Costco and they are wonderful.

After you've settled in with them, you may find the smartphone app useful. It may be a bit much when you get started but among other things with that you can set different levels for each ear. You may think, why bother, but there are some good use cases.

For example, imagine riding in the car going down the highway in the rain, and trying to listen to the driver while road noise is beating against the other ear. Pop up the app, cut down the gain on the outside ear and '-aaahh' no more road noise.

I am glad you got your hearing aids and you like them.

My dad finally got his pair from the VA and he is less than impressed. Now that he is in Florida, he has been going to the Gainesville VA and seems a lot happier with the services and personnel.

One side note about the BCG's.
They are hard to get. I know because I have been trying to get a new pair or two of them. Even in basic training the Army is issuing (to some troops) the new thin line and small frame glasses.

I hate them because when I am shooting/qualifying with my M4/M16A4 I look over the top of the glasses. That is why I always have my BCG's with me when I am on the range.

Good to hear. I also have the 10% for tinnitus and hear the “freedom weeeeeeeeee”. Pretty much never get away from the noise. Also was told the hearing wasn’t bad enough when I got tested for hearing. I’ve been surprisingly happy with the VA. The folks at the hearing clinic in Johnson City TN were very compassionate.

I tried a 4th option for the TV last night. "My" TV is in the "sitting room" of the Master Bedroom seeing as Mrs. PHPaul is addicted to news and I only do streaming. I have a nice Comfy Chair (cue Month Python...) and can adjust the lighting to my preference.

Anyhoo...I just slipped the Sennheiser wireless earphones over my hearing aids and turned the volume down accordingly. Worked great, and I could turn off captioning and still understand what was being said! Some of that may be the program I was watching, but without the aids I needed captioning on for pretty much everything so as not to miss something.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:
I have Phonaks from Costco and they are wonderful.

After you've settled in with them, you may find the smartphone app useful. It may be a bit much when you get started but among other things with that you can set different levels for each ear. You may think, why bother, but there are some good use cases.

For example, imagine riding in the car going down the highway in the rain, and trying to listen to the driver while road noise is beating against the other ear. Pop up the app, cut down the gain on the outside ear and '-aaahh' no more road noise.

Good point. My aids are asymmetric as I have more loss in the left ear. Which, of course, is right next to the car window. I did notice an increase in wind noise (and here I thought the new RAV4 was MUCH quieter than the Corolla...) so down the road a bit (arrrr...) I may do that. The aids are linked so that turning down the volume with the on-ear switch changes both sides the same amount to keep them "in sync".

Thanks for the tip.

Does having them help with tinnitus or does it amplify that sound?

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Does having them help with tinnitus or does it amplify that sound?

I think it helps to mask it, but I've had it so long I rarely even notice it any more. It definitely doesn't make it any worse.

Thank you sir.