Should they stay or should they go

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I must make a final decision about the hearing aids shortly. I can still return them for a full refund but that runs out in a week or two.

I bought them last November because I have difficulty hearing (why else would you buy hearing aids?) Technology has improved greatly since I last tried them. They are now rechargeable, so I don’t need to fidget with tiny batteries. I suppose the hearing is better too. Somewhat anyhow. Not completely.  It’s not like my old ears were. Sharp and crisp.

I don’t wear them. I don’t need them for small groups. They don’t help much in large groups. They help the most in watching TV programs that are dramas, comedies and anything with dialog and actors. I don’t need them for news shows, Jeopardy or late night talk shows. Mostly I need them to clarify the vocabulary from the background noise.

There are people who speak softly and the aids didn’t help that at all. I still have to say “Hey, I’m half deaf so speak up!” Sometimes I add Bozo in there but I usually try to be nice. Maybe. Sometimes.

The aids are cheap relatively speaking but I wouldn’t recommend the place I bought them. Getting appointments is difficult and I have shown up several times only to find out my “tech” called off. No one bothered to call me.

Yet, there is something nagging me to keep them. It’s certainly not logic.

Funny fact, ear canals smell slightly like feet. Maybe it’s a yeasty scent because of the moist closed area. You can’t smell it on people, but I could smell it on the silicone cup the goes into my ear. Weird but it has nothing to do with my decision.

Stay tuned.

Editor’s Note: I wrote this yesterday. My follow-up appointment was today. After a heartfelt conversation with a new tech, it was decided that I would return them. He suggested I try again in two years or maybe go with an over-the-counter pair. I don’t need them for much of my day-to-day living and couldn’t justify them for watching TV programs (especially those with accents). The original tech I had (who was a real bozo) is gone. Although I like the new guy I had, he is transferring to a different store. Good staff at this place is an issue. 

45 thoughts on “Should they stay or should they go”

  1. Sometimes the marinating & decision swing points before the decision is made that is the most work! I like that the new tech guy didn’t pressure you into keeping them – being able to try again later is a good choice. All the best! MJ

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  2. So many decisions – for remodeling and your ears and well being. I know everyone isn’t the same, so blue tooth for one person may work or maybe not, but I have a high school friend who likes her blue tooth and listens to her TV shows through them to avoid disturbing her work-from-home husband.

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  3. It’s nice that the tech wasn’t pressuring you to keep them. It doesn’t seem like they are doing what you need them to do. Have you looked into blue tooth ear buds for watching tv?

    I’ve had trouble with understanding speech with background noise since my 20s. Your experience with hearing aids doesn’t make it seem likely that they will help me in the future. I don’t mind most of the time and sometimes I use CC, especially for programs with accents.

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    • My husband has headphones for TV and he loves them. I’d prefer ear buds to clunky headphones. I’ll look for that. We looked at sound bars for the TV that filter the background noise but they are cumbersome and some have an extra piece to sit around. Don’t need more stuff.

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  7. Smell like feet! 🤣🤣🤣 The closest I’ve had to any ear apparel are ear plugs which I bought in the stupid hope that I would sleep better. I didn’t. The large ones gave me a whooshing sound in my ear, like holding a sea shell to them, and the small ones just fell out and I was chasing them around my pillow all night.

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  9. Good this decision is done and out of the way. Things are getting lighter, Kate. Give you more energy to finish up decisions for the master bath! After reading your thoughts, if it would have been me I would have passed on them too and waited a bit longer.

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    • I’m at peace with my decision for now. The place had terrible customer service. When I’m ready to tackle again, I’ll try my health insurance options some of which are as inexpensive as this was.

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  10. I usually follow my gut now days, but if you don’t really use them, why waste the money? I hate places with bad customer service. So, basically, I hate all places.

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    • It was a harder decision than I expected. The price was considerably less than most places and the aids had a lot of bells and whistles. At the end of the day, I’m at the “cusp” of needing hearing enhancement but not enough to make me be consistent with wearing them. For TV viewing there are options like a special sound bar or headphones (that’s what my equally hearing impaired husband does) or perhaps less $$ over the counter aids. We’ll see.

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  11. Well as I read through your comments I was already thinking “return them” and found out at the end that your “good” tech advised the same. You’re right about progress being made in the technology – the better they are the more you will like them when you decide to give it a try again. 

    Hugs, Pam

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    • Driving there I was on the fence. As usual, my appointment ran late. That started to tipping me in the “return” mode. There were 3 other people (walk-ins) who had minor issues that needed to be fixed and they had to wait. That gets frustrating. I have found that with my health insurance I can get less $$ aids. Maybe I’ll investigate those but right now I’m so done with hearing aid decisions.

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  14. I’m pretty sure I need them, but I can’t ever determine if the ones I am interested in are compatible with headphones I use at work. So, I will just continue to struggle with not hearing callers properly.

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    • Most of the new ones are. Mine were compatible with one thing. I had them tied into my phone. If I wanted to use them with my computer I had to unconnect with the phone and connect with my computer. I don’t know if they are all like that.

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  15. I don’t wear my hearing aids very often either… but sometimes I regret not having them when I’m out with a group of people.

    I have wireless headphones (mine are Sennheisers, but I know there are others) for watching TV. They make a huge difference. Highly recommended.

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    • My husband (equally hearing impaired but more stubborn than I am about trying aids) has headphones and loves them. I tried them and they do improve the dialog. He was looking into a sound bar for the TV that would do the same thing but the guy we use for our AV stuff didn’t recommend it. I get annoyed that TV programs feel the need to have background music going on to create suspense. Argh!

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  16. Heartfelt conversations usually make our decisions clearer. Before I got to that point in the post, I was going to ask what your husband’s thoughts are regarding your hearing aids. At times, Richard’s hearing loss seemed harder on me than on him (I believe he would completely agree). 
    Reviewing your decision in two year’s time sounds like a wise plan.

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    • My husband did not offer any opinion on the aids. He is equally hearing impaired but doesn’t use anything but TV headphones. The tech I got this round was the department manager and when he looked at my usage (he could track it on-line), he suggested I return them. He also gave me a tip on an on-line pair for around $500-$600 that may be all I need.

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  18. You could put the closed captioning on the tv. We do that mainly for shows made in England because we can’t understand the accent.

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  19. A woman’s got to do what a woman’s got to do. Only you can make the choice. I do have to reply about them being ‘relatively cheap.’ Mine are Starkey and cost $4,000, which I consider relatively costly improve my hearing all around, and don’t smell. 🙂 It’s good that you have a remote for the TV so you can crank it up, at least that’s what I use to do especially when they had British accents. 🙂

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    • My aids were less than half that which was a good price. The first time I looked at them at a doctor’s office, they were $6K. The aids themselves do not smell. I can smell something on the silicone cups but I have excellent smelling. If only my eyes and ears were that good.

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  20. Hearing aids eh!Tried them all more or less for twenty years .For volume they are indispensable at any price range but beyond that there is no perfect solution.

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