I lost my $10,000 hearing aids

[bigmann245]

that sucks. my moms side deafness runs in my family. my grandfather is 80% deaf, my aunts are all going deaf real fast, my uncle is completely deaf and my mom is losing hers fast as well. when i was in the Navy we had to wear hearing protection all the time on the flight deck and because of my family history i always had the foamies and ear covers on at the same time to keep me from speeding it up.

i know that in the near future i will need them because my grandfather on my dads side is very hard of hearing and that side of the family does not get theirs checked for fear of finding out theirs is bad too. sucks but what can you do.

i hope you find them or get them replaced quickly. im about to take sign language in college as an elective here shortly and i think its about time.

 

[javaguru]

java and his fantasies.

want me to dress up like princess leia?

I'm not into doodz....Pick3 might take you up on the offer.

This is my sci fi fantasy...lol.

 

[nefertiti]

At some point they're going to make surgical implants and you could be a cyborg, that would be cool. You could be like the Borg queen or something.

They have them...cochlear implants. But you have to have a certain kind of deafness to respond to them. From what I understand you also have to be SUPER careful of static electricity.

 

[Spartacus]

The ones I bought are still about as good as you get on the market. Can't be seen unless you are looking directly into my ear, I hear better than normal, background noise cancellation, interference cancellation, digital self adjusting volume for noisy places, etc.

mine do all that and I'm not sure I like some of those features
If I play music loud in the car or home they'll be doing all that cancelation stuff and it fucks with the sound field
I go back once a month and the guy plugs the aids into a computer and it can tell how much noise they've been receiving and how often i've been wearing them etc.
and then he makes adjustments
I haven't been too happy with them until recently when I stopped by the store and a woman was there from the manufacturer(has a masters in sound)
and she adjusted them to almost perfect
now I can't be w/o them

 

[nefertiti]

mine do all that and I'm not sure I like some of those features
If I play music loud in the car or home they'll be doing all that cancelation stuff and it fucks with the sound field
I go back once a month and the guy plugs the aids into a computer and it can tell how much noise they've been receiving and how often i've been wearing them etc.
and then he makes adjustments
I haven't been too happy with them until recently when I stopped by the store and a woman was there from the manufacturer(has a masters in sound)
and she adjusted them to almost perfect
now I can't be w/o them

I've never had a problem with that EXCEPT at concerts where they essentially become about as useful as earplugs.

 

[AAP]

They have them...cochlear implants. But you have to have a certain kind of deafness to respond to them. From what I understand you also have to be SUPER careful of static electricity.

Actually the company that "invented" the cochlear implants are not even in business anymore. If you need service or something, you have to visit a designated third party. There were too many problems with the implants. The original ones were implanted with the tiny remote that turned them on and off (so people could sleep at night without the loud noises) and when you lost the remote.... or it broke... well you guessed it.

The next kind was the type that the implant was a better quality, but needed a stronger battery source and you had to insert a tiny batter pak in your ear drum to power the aid. And since you were already inserting something in your ear..... might as well go with an aid.

CIC styles are so tiny that you can't help to lose them. And when you do, the "replacements" usually tend to be the bigger half shell types. Make sure your current model hasn't been discontinued which is usual about 3 years after they are made. If it is, you insist on getting a style that is like your old one and do NOT agree on the general term "suitable replacement" because all they do is load the hearing profile into a generic ear molded shell. And it won't be able to insert far in your ear like the CIC.

They now have a micro aid that goes behind the ear. I think it is made by Phonak and one other company. It goes behind the ear, but unlike the old ones that look like a slug crawled up your neck, this is about the size of your thumbnail. There is a clear tiny tube that runs into the ear canal with a tiny sound head on it. They are basically invisible. Feedback is also nonexistent as well. Also, they have a 4th setting that is programmable for phone use. Although one of the companies I forget which) is automatic. You simply pick up a phone - any kind - and the magnetic coil in the phone activates the aid when you put the phone up to your ear and the aid draws the sound from the phone through it's digital processor and out the sound head at the bottom.

Sorry for your misfortune, hope they do turn up. One thing someone should always do at some point of time is "lose" their hearing aid. That way your insurance gets you replacements and you still really have the old ones. So if you ever do lose them or they break, you have an alternative ready and don't have to wait a month inbetween.

 

[nefertiti]

Actually the company that "invented" the cochlear implants are not even in business anymore. If you need service or something, you have to visit a designated third party. There were too many problems with the implants. The original ones were implanted with the tiny remote that turned them on and off (so people could sleep at night without the loud noises) and when you lost the remote.... or it broke... well you guessed it.

The next kind was the type that the implant was a better quality, but needed a stronger battery source and you had to insert a tiny batter pak in your ear drum to power the aid. And since you were already inserting something in your ear..... might as well go with an aid.

CIC styles are so tiny that you can't help to lose them. And when you do, the "replacements" usually tend to be the bigger half shell types. Make sure your current model hasn't been discontinued which is usual about 3 years after they are made. If it is, you insist on getting a style that is like your old one and do NOT agree on the general term "suitable replacement" because all they do is load the hearing profile into a generic ear molded shell. And it won't be able to insert far in your ear like the CIC.

They now have a micro aid that goes behind the ear. I think it is made by Phonak and one other company. It goes behind the ear, but unlike the old ones that look like a slug crawled up your neck, this is about the size of your thumbnail. There is a clear tiny tube that runs into the ear canal with a tiny sound head on it. They are basically invisible. Feedback is also nonexistent as well. Also, they have a 4th setting that is programmable for phone use. Although one of the companies I forget which) is automatic. You simply pick up a phone - any kind - and the magnetic coil in the phone activates the aid when you put the phone up to your ear and the aid draws the sound from the phone through it's digital processor and out the sound head at the bottom.

Sorry for your misfortune, hope they do turn up. One thing someone should always do at some point of time is "lose" their hearing aid. That way your insurance gets you replacements and you still really have the old ones. So if you ever do lose them or they break, you have an alternative ready and don't have to wait a month inbetween.

Good info...I might look into that other kind. They do still make mine, thank goodness. There's no way I'll do anything but CIC or something equally invisible. I'm too (admittedly) vain.

Interesting what you said about the cochlear implants. I believe it. All I remember is one girl at my mom's school had to use a desk with tennis ball halves on the feet. I'm fine with the CIC, I just need to really be better about not taking them out unless I have the case handy. Now I have to be deaf girl for like a month.

 

[Raptorex]

I'll say a prayer for you to St. Jude and St. Anthony; I truly hope you find them - my Aunt is dependent on hers also.

This is why whenever I get engaged I am telling my fiance to return my nice ring for a piece of junk from claires.

I can function fine without them till I can get replacements (which will probably take about a month) as I didn't get them till I was 21 and in that time learned how to block out background noises and focus my hearing on a specific voice as well as reading lips, but it still BLOWS. I am SO PISSED at myself for being so careless.

 

[AAP]

Here is the Phonak brand.

http://www.phonak.com/com_028-0730-xx_professional_brochure_micropower.pdf

scroll down towards bottom of file and you can view the actual size.

The other one is very more tiny. I think they start at like $2000 each.

I am not sure why yours cost $10,000.

Also, if you have health insurance they (sometimes) will pay a small percentage. Not much, but every little bit counts.

 

[nefertiti]

Here is the Phonak brand.

http://www.phonak.com/com_028-0730-xx_professional_brochure_micropower.pdf

scroll down towards bottom of file and you can view the actual size.

The other one is very more tiny. I think they start at like $2000 each.

I am not sure why yours cost $10,000.

Also, if you have health insurance they (sometimes) will pay a small percentage. Not much, but every little bit counts.

My health insurance covers 1000 towards hearing aids. Not much, but something. Do you work in this area? You know an AWFUL lot about it (which is awesome, I'm coming to you with any questions I ever have about it)