I know this is OT, but bear with me as this effects many of our older members. I am 60 years old and have been dianosed with high frequency hearing loss. This is a common thing for people that worked in noisy factories, I am told. I went to 3 different offices for confirmation and extent of hearing loss. Wow, just like price fixing. $4800 to $6000 for a pair of hearing aids. Do any of our members have recommendations of brands that perform well? Thanks for your patience. Kermit
No suggestions for hearing aids, but I know how you feel. At 32, I've lost about 35% of my hearing, and my ears ring ALL the time. Tinnitus like a mofo. You guys that can still hear, buy some earmuffs for the shop!!!
When I had my bike earplugs were ALWAYS in my ears. Same thing when I go into a shop or any other place I know will be noisy.
I was off for a heart attack 2 months and just off over 2 weeks for deer hunting and no ringing till i went back to work? I wonder if i can claim that on workmans comp and retire early? Dave
I've been playing loud ass punk rock for nearly 30 years on top of everything else and my eyes ain't too good anymore and I'm only 45.....I'm done for.
My hearing is also Focked ! ... 30 plus yrs of drag racing with out good ear protection.. Looks like I am a good candate for the hearing aids too
My sis has been pretty deaf from birth. She got a new set of RESOUND brand and loves em.... I'm pretty deaf, too but I'm too hard on stuff to own anything that aint bulletproof.
I'm in the same boat...........lost a lot of my hearing due to factory work. The wife says I just dont listen................
Ive had good hearing all my life but now that my ears are getting older i'm enjoying the peace and quiet.
My wife says I have selective hearing. Does that count? Seriously, I worked as a roadie for about four years and sitting on stage next to a couple of guitar amp stacks did me in for about half the hearing in my left ear. They played 60's rock, REAL LOUD. I was smart enough to start hearing what 's called Sonic Ears there towards the third year. They're little neoprene ear plugs with little tiny mufflers inside them. They worked great, but I think the damage was already done by then. Vance
Blown gassers and then fuel cars did a number on me...oh yeah,then a year in Vietnam with an artillery unit (8" and 175mm Guns). Young and dumb, I guess. Mike
I'm 38 and the doc told me that i had scar tissue on some big word i cant pronounce....my main problem is when i'm in a place with alot of noise...like a restaurant...i cant hear individual sounds..its all just a roar...when i'm talking with people i have to turn my one good ear to them and kinda read their lips...it sucks...my friend just got his new hearing aides..i'm going to see how they work for him
- 1st guy: "I just got a new hearing aid" - 2nd guy: "Oh, yeah, what kind is it?" - 1st guy (looking at his watch): "It's about 7:45" Yeah......I'm 60 and starting to have problems, too.......
I visit shops, I watch the TV shows, and it bugs me when I see plenty of eye protection (injury is immediate) but no hearing protection (injury over time)..I'm 56 and after a lifetime of go-karts,motorcycles, drag races, Jimi Hendrix concerts, Piper Cubs and chain-saws, tinnitus or ringing in the ears "the sound of silence" is no joke and a bummer. Don't be macho guys, wear hearing protection. Those shooting ear muffs at Academy Outdoors are fine. When your sweetheart whispers "Baby I'm in the mood" you wanna hear it!.....rixrex
Buddy is a drummer in a punk band. I got in his car a while ago and said "wow, that's about the worst sounding wheel bearing I've ever heard, we should fix that sometime soon." "What?" Wear earplugs.
i was going to say the same thing......i have had ringing in my ears since i was a kid.....something about busted eardrums and scar tissue.....oh well ...it gives ya something to go to sleep to at night.....brandon
OK here goes. I was born with High frequency hearing loss. Sucks, but since I never had good hearing to begin with, how can I complain? There are two basic designs; in the ear and around the ear. In the ear is what most of us think of when we think hearing aids. They take a mold of the inside of your ear and fit all the stuff into it. There quite good, but the design has limitations. You can only cram so much inside. The around the ear is nice because its not as limited by size. They make a rubber plug to go in the ear and a tube attaches it to the aid. It can feel a bit weird at first (so can the in the ear), but you'll get used to it. You DO get what you pay for. Some of them can sound like a hollow room of sorts, and as your ear grows, and trust me it'll change, you'll need periodic size adjustments. Being that your 60, you might qualify for some kind of discount or government assistance. Also, check out the local Lions Club. I know they are always taking donations for aids. I've had Qualitone and Seimens brands myself. I'm not so sure Qualitone is still around, but those mothers I had were bullitproof. They had to be on a 4 year old! Also, you may want to check out E-Bay. Who knows, you might find a good deal.
Appleseed - thanks for the solid info. I have some hearing loss too but as of now I don't need any hearing aids and I'd like to keep it that way. Had many ear infections as a child and worked in some loud places unprotected. I'll echo what others have said too, wear that hearing protection. I do anytime I use loud tools or have to see my ex in-laws.
I'm 59 and have about 45% hearing loss. I use a pair of Phonak digital programable in the ear canal hearing aids. Cost $4,400 about four years ago. Have five settings and can be changed with a push of a button. Normal, kill background noise, talk on telephone, automatic switch from normal to kill background noise and mute. More complex than I really need. I normally only use the normal setting and mute. The smaller the more fragile. I've had mine repaired several times. Dust won't hurt too much. Just have to clean them frequently. Moisture is the hearing aid killer. That includes body sweat. Don't wear them doing strenuous activity. I put mine in a commercially made small storage box every night that has a heater and a small stone looking block that sucks up any moisture. There's also a small blue bulb in there that comes on for several seconds to kill bacteria. I'm retired now, so I use them as needed. They'll improve your life style and improve the life style of everyone you talk to. Trust me, I know.
I've had ringing in the ears since the last time I went to the Leake Auction in Tulsa about 5 yrs ago. I was sitting too close to the loud speaker. Couldn't sleep good for weeks. I'm used to it now but I wear ear plugs in the garage now, to help it from getting worse.
I've worn hearing aids for 39 years now, every since I was 18, as my hearing is only about 25% of normal, with almost total deafness in my left ear. It is absolutely amazing the advances that digital technology has made in just the last couple of years. At my last audiometric exam, I could hardly believe it, using the new technology, I was actually hearing, and comprehending what I was hearing, through my left ear for the first time in nearly 40 years! The last time I had actually heard in stereo was way back during the Viet Nam war. My most durable and longest lasting aid has been my present Siemens, going strong for 7 years now, but rapidly becoming obsolete.
I've had next to nothing in the right ear (about 5% at best) since birth, and then lost about 70% in the left ear when I was 12. Been wearing a hearing aid in the left ear ever since (right ear doesn't do any good b/c it just amplifies to the point of discomfort). Seimens makes pretty good hearing aids as does Argosy (which is what I have). I wear mine all day long in all kind of conditions, and they usually last 5 - 10 years. You just need to take care of them. A basic in the ear aid should be about $1000 to $1500.
I'm 33, my ears ring almost constantly, and I can't hear high pitch noises. Also, if someone has any accent, even the slightest, I can barely understand if I can at all. Sucks, cause the kids usually have to repeat themselves to me at least once.
Racing, motorcycles, airplanes, heavy equipment, machinery, concerts, guns, etc - never wore hearing protection until in my late '20s - by then, I'd done a lot of damage. I get tested every year courtesy of my Uncle Sam - I've managed to stop the loss, but I'm less than 50% in the upper freqs....
Had hearing loss & ringing in ears for over 5 years now. The specialist told me the ringing can get so bad for some people that they are driven to suicide by it - don't know if she was yanking my chain on that. Hope so. Bottom line - wear hearing protection when required and make sure the kids have some hearing protection for when they are helping you out in the shed (or dragging every tool out of your toolbox!!)
I'm 59, and have ringing and suffer from background noise masking the speech of someone talking to me. Playing in loud bands probably caused it, I just live with it. It's true about people committing suicide from tinnitus, but usually from the waves crashing kind, not the high pitched ringing.
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