The most important thing to do for tinnitus is to lern how to ignore it. It creates anxiety if tuned into.
If find and there is research showing that the sound of water running helps the brain to ignore the ringing.I especially love the sound of a creek and “almost” have a type of silence when near one. A good fountain can do the same.I use a white noise machine with a brook soundtrack for sleeping.
My audiologist also told me about a new training called Acoustic Coordinated Reset that is for tinnitus. I have not follow through with this information. There is only one clinician in the entire Metro area practicing in this training.
deb922, that is good to know about. I do not know if my state offers that aid. My insurance did not cover any of the cost for my first pair but did pay 1/2 of my second. I can also get that amount of money
every 5 years for a new set.
H and I attended a fair for the non hearing community. It was so interesting, and other than laughter, so quiet. I loved that environment. We arranged for a TDAP phone which is free with our state.
I have to admit that I rarely use it. The funniest was when I called to make a reservation and
as soon as I mentioned I was on a TDAP phone the hotel clerk suddenly spoke up loud and clear.
My tinnitus is kinda like a white noise machine–you learn to tune it out. Worst thing about single sided deafness is that in crowded situations, since directional hearing is gone, having a conversation is just about impossible–all the voices blend together.
About 6 years ago, I realized that it was imperative for me to do something about my very apparent hearing loss. I got hearing aids, put them in and never looked back. What I got became my new normal.
My dad had them and complained that “they just make everything louder, it’s annoying”. I decided well okay, so they make everything louder, so what. With normal hearing do you have the ability to raise and lower background noise? I don’t think so. So, that sentiment didn’t make sense to me. I simply decided that this is what I have so cope with it. I have changed once from in the ear canal aids to a pair that sits behind my ear with a less obtusive ear canal portion. I cannot imagine my life without them. And I pray that I never go totally deaf where aids would be useless.
I have behind-the-ear aids, and they’re a lot more comfortable than the in-the-ear kind for me. My hearing loss is genetic, so I know it will get worse over time.
I am very direct in situations where seating is concerned – if it is self-seating, I look for the best seat for me. If it isn’t (like in restaurants) I tell the hostess/reservations person that I’m deaf (which is more understandable than hearing-impaired, in my experience) and want a booth or a table along the edge of the room. It doesn’t make noisy environments easy, but it is much better than being in the middle of a noisy room. Generally restaurants have been very good about this. Some restaurants are unworkable, and I don’t choose to go there unless it is summer and there is a patio.
At lectures or talks I approach the speaker before the session and explain that I’m deaf, and ask where the speaker will be standing. I also request that he/she repeat questions since there is no chance I can hear them if they came from well behind where I’m sitting. Frankly, that is something more speakers should do on their own since it is a problem for many. Generally speakers have been great about this. It is easy to get a loop system if it is a meeting at my library or city council, and some theaters or auditoriums have some cool new devices as well.
It is tiring, and I often pull them out as soon as I’m done with people for the day.
It was really jarring when I first got the aids, even though they start the amplification at 50% of target and ramp it up over several weeks. I heard all sorts of noises (wheels on the cart in the grocery store, refrigeration units, squeaks in my floor,…) and it was exhausting. My brain mostly decided that I didn’t need to hear those things after a couple of weeks, but it wasn’t at all easy. After the first grocery store trip I came home and popped them right out.
My current search is for the best headphones to use with my cell phone for longer phone calls. (iphone 5) I am willing to pay up because a 30 minute or one hour call is tiring, and with no lips to read I need all the help I can get.
My husband has tinnitus, but not much hearing loss. He was having a lot of trouble coping with tinnitus, and was doing the exact wrong thing of paying too much attention to it and focusing on the problem. The perceived volume went up and up. He started Tinnitus Retraining Therapy this past summer, and most days the perceived volume of his tinnitus is much lower than previously and he seems to be coping much better. (Knock on wood) “Tinnitus Retraining Therapy” is probably similar to the “Acoustic Coordinated Reset” mentioned above. Only certain people are authorized to offer it.
I had to look up the lyric HA information. Looks interesting.
My audiologist told me a few years ago that a new HA was around the corner–though this is not the one–where the HA is put into your canal for around 6 months at a time. It will have to be put in and taken out by an ENT or audiologist (maybe).
VB, I never looked back either. At first I did not bring it up, esp. with clients, but now I tell most anyone who I needto really talk to as I think it helps both of us.
arabrab, oh my! the screeching wheels in stores still bothers me. This is why I love my Oticon. While they adjust to cancel noise I can rock the sound down, even to off, while in a store. Also do this when first in a restaurant to adjust to the insane level of sound. At least the restaurants here are super noisy.
My Oticon has a streamer for my cell. I did not like it when I tried to use it as it picked up all background soundswhich meant I could not multitask (unload the dishwasher, laundry). I have decided to give it another try.I could hear the speaker much better and my listeners did not even realize I was on a streamer.
But watch out for background sounds.
Ynotgo, yes they sound the same. Good for your H trying to get training.
arabrab, wondering–when you say you are deaf does the restaurant or speakers assume that you cannot hear at all? I often say that I wear HA’s and need a quiet table and always try and stay away from tables next to the open kitchens.
I started wearing hearing aids about 5 years ago and LOVE THEM. Both my parents wore hearing aids, but I kept putting it off, thinking I was too young. I wish I had purchased them earlier. My first set was by Rexton (lost one after 4 1/2 years) and my latest set is by Phonak. Both were purchased at Costco. They are behind-the-ear with open domes.
I am so sorry to hear many of you have tinnitus. That must be so difficult.
I have been experiencing what I would figure is slight hearing loss over the past few years. I can’t hear well while standing under the kitchen fan, for example. Other situations with a lot of background noise have the same effect. But most of the time I have no problem hearing at all.
This weekend my H, who was in a mood, snapped at me about getting my hearing tested when I missed a word that he said while turned away from me and muttering downward while doing something that also made noise. This does happen more frequently than it used to, but frankly I think he was just being unpleasant.
Anyway, I need advice on what to do. I don’t have any problem with getting my hearing tested, but I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg OR be pressured into getting a device of any particular type, or at all, for that matter. (The free testing things I’ve seen are all associated with marketing a single type of device, unsurprisingly.) We do not have Costco here, so that is not an option.
Do you have an ENT? If so, many have an audiologist that they work with…even share space. Start with them. If you don’t have an ENT, I would get recommendations, then call and adk if they have an audiologist there.
The hearing test should be composed of listening to various pitched beeps when you are inside a sound proof booth…you will be wearing headphones. Since I have tinnitus, I ask them to do the beeps 3 times, so I can differentiate that sound from the tinnitus. I think it’s good just to ask them to do that anyway. Then they will say a variety of words softly and askyou to repeat them. This will give you your word recognition score…the more words the better, bt many times they just do 10 on each ear.
I can’t tell you that you won’t be pressured, that just depends on the person. A good one will just tell you the facts and truth and just say to think about it. I wouldn’t wear one for 7 years, until it got to the point where it really could be helped, then the doc sort of told me I better get one or I’d lose my word recognition.
It was amazing how much it helped. Just tell whoever you want to think about it.
Adk them to give you your results, come back and we can help you decipher it and give our opinions!
The only advice I can offer is to ask about a return policy. Costco’s policy is very generous, giving you 90 days to decide if the aids will work for you. If not, they offer a full refund. Some other places have restocking fees, but that still might be a bargain versus having to keep something you’re not happy using.
This weekend, H asked me many more times than usual what people (me, others, TV) said. It was pretty irksome but it is worse when a fan or other noise is running in the background. He has grudgingly agreed to go to Costco and get a free hearing test and even consider a free trial of hearing aids. He read an article in the Costco magazine about how people with hearing loss and exert 50% more energy hearing while normal people only devote about 5% energy to the task. D is on board with me and will help encourage him to proceed.
I agree that it’s useful to see if there is any free trials available so you aren’t unhappy that you bought an expensive gadget you won’t use. One of the good things about Costco is that they will replace ONE pair of hearing aids if you lose them.
It is a federal law aids can be returned within 90 days. It was set up to protect the elderly.
Some places have a restocking fee while others don’t.
I will consider Costco for future pairs. I did like having an audiologist in the private sector–could get in quickly with the same person. Now mine are through Kaiser and while I see the same audiologist I have to wait days or weeks to get in. I use Kaiser because they pay 50% by using them via my health plan.
One reason I did not choose Costco is that you cannot wear them out of the store for a trial.
I was able to wear my first pair for up to two weeks without payment --they were models–before I decided to order them. I could not imagine figuring out what I thought in the Costco store. Now that I have owned a few pairs I would be ok with that.
Just some things to think about–i.e. if you H will be ok with the Costco scene or if he would do better with more privacy and a mre hand holding environment to start with…
We don’t mind paying, as long as we can return without any penalty or restocking fee within 90 days (as Costco allows), that’s fine with us. Best thing for us is that Costco is 5 minutes from our house, so pretty convenient. They seem to have 2 different models available.
@oregon – I say I’m deaf because it seems to be alert people need to understand that when I’m asking for special seating, it is for a reason, and not because I’m looking for the most desirable table. Hearing impaired is more accurate, but lots of people don’t seem to understand that, so I make their lives more simple by using language they do understand.
re Costco: by far the cheapest place to get hearing aid batteries no matter where you bought your hearing aids. I feel really guilty that I didn’t figure this out when my dad was alive – he spent a bloody fortune on batteries.
I do buy my batteries at Costco. Did you know that for period of time a few years ago they had a bad batch that kept dying early. The ones now are normal.
arabrab, I can be so literal. I would think that if you were deaf then it would not matter where you sat! Unless you needing lighting for sign language.
I do know that when I say I am hard of hearing that it is not as effective as saying I wear hearing aids.