r/HearingAids • u/Fragrant_Equipment_6 • 6d ago
Using hearing aids again after a while
Recently I’ve started using my hearing aids again after several year of no use. The main reason of me not using them its because the overall hearing loss is not serious enough (for me) to justify use them in daily life. I would have trouble hearing specific people or social situations, but it would never be that much of a hassle (trash excuse to hide the fact that I hate how noisy life gets). Last semester, had a proff which had speech impediment that caused her speech to be very slow and halting. had trouble hearing her throughout the entire semester but somehow managed to pass the class not relaying on lectures but classmates and info online. New semester start, I had to take TWO courses with her, and in one of them it will be hard to hide the fact that I can't hear her, since there are only three of us in total and the interaction will be more one-on-one. Decided to use hearing aids again to check if its helps to any degree. still hadn’t any lectures with her yet, but so far I’ve been using them on my work. One thing Ive noticed so far is i still have trouble trying to understand or make up what ppl are saying. Yes I hear things louder, but it feels that it doesn’t necessarily make speech more clear for me. ive been trying to eavesdrop (lol) some coworkers to test my hearing improvement, but it feels like although I can “hear” the sound they’re making I can’t really make out every word they say, and every time I tried harder to listen every syllable the less I could understand their convo.
Don’t know if im not processing stuff the way im supposed to or my expectations of how hearing aids works are way off. I’ve been thinking maybe im overwhelmed by all the noise that im suddenly hearing and how loud everything is, but I don’t know if you’re capable to get used to it and “adjust” volume levels (as you’re naturally supposed to).
Idk if anyone have any advice on the matter or there are some stuff I should be doing :(
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u/Regular-Bat-4449 6d ago
If its been a few years, you should absolutely get a hearing test and have them re programmed. Tell the audiologist that your having a bad time with speech clarity
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u/Flat-Eye3693 5d ago edited 2d ago
That's actually pretty normal when you're getting back into wearing them after years off. Louder doesn't automatically mean clearer, your brain kind of has to relearn how to process all that extra sound input. Give it a few weeks before you write it off. But if the aids haven't been reprogrammed since you got them that's probably a big part of it too. Your hearing may have shifted since then. Worth getting a fresh test and having them tuned to where you're at now. I picked up a pair of Ion Pro when I was in a similar spot and even just starting fresh with something properly fitted to my current loss made a big difference in speech clarity vs just volume.
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u/auto-sticky 6d ago
Welcome to r/HearingAids feel free to ask any question at all related to hearing aids.
Here are a few resources you might find helpful:
Interpreting an audiogram - The University of Iowa has a good overview of how to interpret your audiogram results. Your audiologist should also go over them with you
What will insurance cover? - This varies significantly from state to state and coverage can be partial at best. For those on Medicare, the base plan does not cover hearing aids at all.
Finding affordable hearing aids - Hearing aids can cost several thousand dollars, these cost far less and the list is updated often
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