So, we took the car in for the 10,000 mile check-up and tire rotation thingy, then went to IHOP for breakfast and a test drive of the hearphones.
The hearphones…are problematical on two fronts.
Front One: I can’t keep the damned things charged. Admittedly, this files under Operator Error, but I’m not usually an idiot about keeping the toys charged, so there’s some subtlety I’m missing. And it doesn’t lessen Operator Aggravation to arrive at the Test Location and find that the ‘phones are, ahem, critically low on power.
Front Two: Hearing my own voice in my ears is gonna drive me bugs. And this may actually be a deal-breaker. Steve urges me to give it another run, to see if I get used to it, which is fair, but at the moment what I’m doing is whispering in an attempt not to hear my own voice, which is…not really much better than sitting like a stump at a group dinner because I can’t hear what anyone else is saying.
The plaque (and check) which together comprise “Wise Child’s” Readers Choice award arrived yesterday. The check we deposited in the bank today while we were out and about. Here is a photograph of the plaque, being modeled by the delightful Mr. Miller.
So, my next order of business is to read another 50ish pages of the Neogenesis page proofs. Lunch is on the schedule, and, very possibly, a nap, because we not only got up at stoopid o’clock to take the car in, but we got flu shots (the high-test flu shots reserved for those of us who are temporally elongated), too.
Everybody be good.
“temporarily elongated” ??
Why not go directly to hearing aids? I got mine at Costco (if you have one reasonably close) at a very good price with knowledgeable and professional audiologists. Mine have 4 different modes with a remote for changing modes on the fly, capability to link to an iphone (if I had an iphone…my cell is an old flip phone which just…phones.) Even though they “say” you don’t need hearing aids, if you can’t hear dialogue on the tv and can’t follow the conversations in a social setting, you need hearing aids. And my hearing aids don’t give me the sensation that I am shouting in my own ears. Ugh, that would make me rip them out of my ears after the first two minutes.
Anne in Virginia
Oh, and I forgot to say the batteries are easy to install and are cheap. Mine last for 10 days if I remember to open the battery compartment at night when I take them off. And you get a polite little ding-dong when the battery is going dead, 15 minutes before it actually expires. Easy-peasy.
Anne in Virginia
Temporally elongated – I love it! May I steal it for personal use, as I seem to be temporally elongating at a rapid pace myself?
In other news, SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY and TECHNICAL DETAILS have now arrived at the library and only await the return of our cataloger from vacation in order to satisfy your fans here.
Sure; use it. Have fun.
No, not “temporarily”; “temporally.”
I agree with what Anne said. My experience too. I love my hearing aids, and even though they are the kind that loop over your ear, they are pretty near invisible, even my kids didn’t notice them the first time I wore them — and you have seen how short my hair is!. And I get 4 years of free batteries from my audiologist — but I’ve heard good things about peoples’ experience at Costco, too. Anyway, go for it Sharon, I think you will like them. Definitely worth it.
Do I not need a prescription to get hearing aids?
No, Costco will run their own hearing test on you. Depending on what state you live in, you may be required to get a doctor to certify that you don’t have any other medical problem that would be at fault (your GP can look in your ears for this). Costco can tell you if this is required. I’ve had my aids from Costco for about 13 years. One went bad two years ago and they repaired it (or maybe replaced? the cover was new) for $138. My batteries last a little under a week. YMMV. Battery costs are also cheap at Costco. Costco will clean and test your aids at no cost, also will retest you periodically and adjust the settings if needed. Also, they have a 90 day full refund return policy, as well as the best prices in town. Unfortunately, the initial cost is in the neighborhood of slightly less than 2 grand locally.
You need a hearing test to plot out how the aids will be programmed to deal with your individual hearing loss. I had my testing done by my ENT MD, since I was seeing him for an NT issue, but I believe it can be done by the audiologist who fits and programs the aids. Call and ask.
Costco asked me to see an ENT just to check that there was no underlying problem, but that’s their standard request since their audiologists are not MDs and you don’t actually have to do it if you sign a waiver. They give you a thorough hearing exam, as rigorous as the one I got from the ENT, and then go over all the different kinds of brands they offer, so you can decide which meets your needs. They don’t have the really gee-whiz stuff at umpty-umph dollars (my ENT quoted $7,500 for one type) but I don’t need that much high-tech. And no you don’t need a prescription since insurance won’t cover the cost of the hearing aids. The programming to the hearing aids is done based on your amount and type of hearing loss and the audiologist works with you as many times as you need until they are balanced and adjusted to your satisfaction. I have used Costco for both the hearing aids and for my new glasses after cataract surgery and have been very very pleased with the professionalism and cost I got from them. There are other places to get good quality hearing aids and I discovered that ENT offices tend to price higher…maybe the cachet of medical involvement… but as far as I can see you can get just as good results at a much reduced cost by going to other options. Of course if you have a hearing problem that would benefit from medical intervention, that’s a whole ‘nother issue. And remember, the hearing aids are tax deductible as medical devices even though you can’t get a prescription to help defray the cost. That helps a bit if your medical expenses are sufficient to reach the threshold.
On another topic, just downloaded the NEOGENESIS EARC and alerted my daughter that it’s available so I know what I’ll be doing this weekend. Yay.
Anne in Virginia
My audiologist has me get a referral from my primary care physician so Medicare will pay for the “hearing exam”, but Medicare won’t pay for the hearing aids themselves. The audiologist will “prescribe” what you need after testing you. I went straight to hearing aids too.
My mom had hearing aids with rechargeable batteries and they acted the same way your hearphones do; they wouldn’t last all day for her. My hearing aids are in-ear and batteries last for 2 or 3 days (they are tiny). I used one of the over-the-ear ones when one of mine was out for repairs and liked it just fine except that every time I tucked my hair behind my ear it was noticeable since that’s where the microphone is. I’ll probably go over the ear when these guys wear out, which should be at least another 5 or 10 years.
I’m glad you guys love your hearing aids, but I gave up after a year. Kept going back multiple times for adjustments, but they drove me nuts! In a social setting, all the background noise was so loud that I couldn’t hear anyone talking – and these were adjustable to screen out background noise. And it hurt to use a phone with them in. Since my job entailed being on the phone most of the day, that was a problem. But the deal-breaker for me was they aggravated my vertigo and I had more episodes, not that the doctor believed me. That was $4k down the drain. The best advice I was given and it is true – wear them constantly or you will never adjust to them. I couldn’t because of the phone issue. My co-workers appreciated it when I wore them though!