Old age is creeping in

[George R. Lane]

Old age and rock concerts have finally caught up with me. My family has been after me for a couple of years to get my hearing checked and today I went to the audiologist. After the exam she told me I have moderate to sever loss (20%) in my right ear and (10%) in my left. My loss is in the higher frequencies. I have had trouble hearing conversations for the past couple of years, especially if more than one person is speaking. So, I will have to get hearing aids. She explained about the new digital technology and she said it will great improve my range of hearing. Has any of you gone to hearing aids and how does it effect hearing the tone from your instruments?

Golden years my a*#. I just turned 62 in October.

[Doug Edwards]

Right there with you George. I feel your pain. Been putting off getting it checked out for some time now, but not too much longer.
I can't hear crickets anymore.

[George R. Lane]

Doug,
Thanks for the kind words and the great armrest you made for my Weber.

[Bob Clark]

Hi George,

Yeah, I should get mine checked, too. Too many years of running farm equipment, even with hearing protection most of the time. I can't hear what people are saying when there's background noise anymore, plus I can't tell which direction sounds are coming from. I just don't want to get checked, because hearing aids would be one more thing I don't have time to mess with. I'll put it off as long as I can, but it's surely coming.

Good luck. Please let us know how you make out with yours. Let us know if they are a problem when you're playing/listening to music. If you make out well, maybe I'll be inspired to get checked out, too.

Best wishes, Bob

[Texas]

Old age and rock concerts have finally caught up with me. My family has been after me for a couple of years to get my hearing checked and today I went to the audiologist. After the exam she told me I have moderate to sever loss (20%) in my right ear and (10%) in my left. My loss is in the higher frequencies. I have had trouble hearing conversations for the past couple of years, especially if more than one person is speaking. So, I will have to get hearing aids. She explained about the new digital technology and she said it will great improve my range of hearing. Has any of you gone to hearing aids and how does it effect hearing the tone from your instruments?

Golden years my a*#. I just turned 62 in October.

I have a severe hearing lose around the 2k hz range and mine is almost complete. In noisy areas or when more than one person speaks I miss the majority of what is said. I have a difficult time keeping up with dialog on TV and movies, especially if the dialog contains a foreign accent.

I went through the tests about a year ago, but the cost is outrageous for the aids I need so I'm holding off until I can't make-do any longer.

I remember my mom yelling at my dad when he did not hear correctly; she always said he could hear what he wanted to hear and now I completely understand what he was and was not hearing.

[mrmoonray]

I have been wearing hearing aids (oticon) for about five or six years, and say without hesitation to get them. Mine are digital and "blue tooth" enabled, so I can listen to my iPod or radio without wires and no one else hears it.

Be sure to check into a pair with "open domes" so sounds are more natural. The kind of hearing aids that close your ear canal are. Are more prone to feed back, and are like sticking your fingers in your ears.

You will be surprised as to how much you miss due to hearing loss, and how much better music sounds. And they are so small, most people don't even notice them.

[George R. Lane]

I have a severe hearing lose around the 2k hz range and mine is almost complete. In noisy areas or when more than one person speaks I miss the majority of what is said. I have a difficult time keeping up with dialog on TV and movies, especially if the dialog contains a foreign accent.

I went through the tests about a year ago, but the cost is outrageous for the aids I need so I'm holding off until I can't make-do any longer.

I remember my mom yelling at my dad when he did not hear correctly; she always said he could hear what he wanted to hear and now I completely understand what he was and was not hearing.

I am getting mine from Costco. They are digital and open ear (no bluetooth). The cost from Costco is $2,750.00. If I bought them from the local hearing shop the cost was over $6,000.00.
I will get them, in about a week. I was told to use them for 7-10 days then they will do the final adjustments. I sure hope this is money well spent. I will update my experience in a couple of weeks.

[CES]

My father in law was amazed at what he had been missing when he finally broke down and got his...he's had no complaints, really, and still has the option of taking them out if he feels the need . I think you'll be happy you made the move...

[SincereCorgi]

I have been wearing hearing aids (oticon) for about five or six years, and say without hesitation to get them. Mine are digital and "blue tooth" enabled, so I can listen to my iPod or radio without wires and no one else hears it.

Man, my ears are still basically okay but that sounds awesome.

[Bertram Henze]

We're all becoming cyborgs with age. However, I always wondered why seeing aids are regarded to be cooler than hearing aids - maybe because the latter are a much older concept?

[Beanzy]

My piano teaching wife has had them now for a few years (now 51) and they do help a lot. One thing to be aware of is how what you're not hearing affects how others interact with you. While you may think you're managing, it can put a real strain on things for those who are trying to interact with you. Things I've had to work on are; Being aware that she doesn't always have them in so; not just giving up and dropping conversations because she's not catching things, not getting annoyed when she appears to completely ignore me, make the effort to face her when I talk so she's got the best chance of getting up to speed on what I say. Anyway be aware it's tough on those around you, and we need to adapt for you too.

So I'd say get on and get at least one of the trumpets done. It's not just how you're coping with what you think you're missing, if everyone seems crabby all the time or people are always in your face shouting at you and you haven't just joined the marines, it may be a sign you're hearing's past the sell-by date.

[Bertram Henze]

Anyway be aware it's tough on those around you, and we need to adapt for you too.

Hey, that answers my question: blind people are cooler because they successfully get along on their own. Deaf people let others do the getting along for them - makes them lonely in the long run, too.

[Randi Gormley]

not a personal observation, but the last time this subject came up, people were being advised to tell the audiologist (or whomever was fitting the aids) that you are a musician because you can adjust the devices to include the ranges needed for mandolists, something that isn't just SOP.

[Wolfmanbob]

I have pretty significant hearing loss too, but strangely, only at home. Funny about that.

[belbein]

I'm there with you too. I had the same findings, particularly with the high range. I've been avoiding getting hearing aids, too, because I'm too damn young (only 57/100s of a century old! But ... I am missing stuff.

Maybe when I get my first knee replacement done, and after I get my second one done, and before I get my hips replaced, I'll break down and just consider myself sufficiently seasoned to be able to do it.

It's amazing how stupid this reasoning is when you see it in black and white, huh?

I think I am finding that it is affecting the way I hear my mandolin. Particularly the E string. It sounds unbearably tinny to me, but ok to everyone else. So either it's my hearing loss, or it's God's way of telling me I need to buy another mandolin (or finish my Octave mandolin? His messages are so darn ambiguous!)

[Bertram Henze]

Maybe when I get my first knee replacement done, and after I get my second one done, and before I get my hips replaced, I'll break down and just consider myself sufficiently seasoned to be able to do it.

Keep a wrench within reach...,

[Rroyd]

A friend of mine, who has played rock and roll for nearly 50 years, and is an internist to support his music habit, has chosen to go with Cabela's Archer's Ear, described as being suitable for "baby boomer noise-induced hearing loss." It boosts upper frequencies, and he is very pleased with the results. He still practices mandolin, reso guitar and tenor guitar daily, and says it works well with those instruments. He has admitted that he has tried nothing else, but at this point, feels no need to. He does not feel that this is a compromise, and at a price of less than $200, it might bear checking into for anyone wanting to see if some sort of aid would be worthwhile. Perhaps not being able to hear the nagging might be preferable.

[George R. Lane]

[QUOTE=belbein;1108736]I'm there with you too. I had the same findings, particularly with the high range. I've been avoiding getting hearing aids, too, because I'm too damn young (only 57/100s of a century old! But ... I am missing stuff.

Maybe when I get my first knee replacement done, and after I get my second one done, and before I get my hips replaced, I'll break down and just consider myself sufficiently seasoned to be able to do it. [QUOTE]

I already had the right knee replaced and the left isn't that far off. Rotator cuff surgery on the the right shoulder. Now hearing aids. Like I said "Golden years my A##".

[JeffD]

Don't try and save money on hearing aids. Its a quality of life thing. If additional money buys some additional value that you could appreciate, I would say go for it.

My mom has new hearing aids, and it has made a gigantic improvement in her quality of life. She likes banjo music now! I think its a special setting or something.

[Spencer]

I've had hearing aids for about 5 years (I call them my portable in-ear monitors), and they are a big improvement, especially for singing. There are some really interesting options in the latest models. If affordable, I would recommend something with at least a couple programs. My current version has 3 and a pocket remote control with which I can further adjust the volume. That is great in a noisy cafe or other public area. I took my mandolin along when I got my new set adjusted, to make sure that the sound was acceptable. Typically, they really boost the high frequencies, where most of us have hearing loss, and stringed instruments can easily sound very harsh or tinny.

Good luck with them!

Spencer

[George R. Lane]

Spencer,
Thanks for the info. I never thought of taking my mandolin along for the adjustment.

[Denny Gies]

Welcome to the club, George. There are two things about getting old; one is you can't remember stuff and the second one is ................Oh, I forgot.

[Jesse Harmon]

Old age creeps in when you are in the 60's, when you are in your 70's he barges through the front door and wipes his muddy boots on your best rug!

[Papa K]

George,
I had the expensive hearing aids from the "Hearing aid Doctor"($5100) and ended up returning them and getting the HA from Costco (same range as yours). Not quite as sophisticated in the high end filtering and they don't talk to each other, but they work great. Once you get used to them you may have to ask them to setup a "Music" mode for playing. I found I had a ringing (I think it is called Sibilance or something like that) above the 3rd or 4th fret on the E string (and sometimes elsewhere, probably a harmonic). I had them roll of the top freqs a little at a time until it pretty much disappeared. You may or may not have this issue but my Costco guy is great to work with...K

[George R. Lane]

Papa K,
Thanks for the info. I plan on asking my audiologist if I can bring my mando in when they do the initial adjustments.