Difficulty hearing, but can pass all hearing tests?

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

as insurance pretty much never covers hearing aids for adults except when the loss is caused by accident, many doctors are hesitant to suggest them, for fear of causing financial hardship. (My last set of aids was $10K, cash on the barrelhead; I've worn hearing aids since I was in my 20's.) Do make sure that your doctor is giving you the full picture.

I would probably make it clearer that hearing aid may not be covered for majority of people (outside of things like Medicare and Medicaid, etc) but that does not mean one's health insurance doesn't play a role in reducing the cost.

We have UnitedHealthCare, our plan will cover 1 bone in hearing aid when a removable one is unable to be used. However, there is a hearing aid program that has the following:

"offers high quality, custom-programmed hearing aids at significant discounts, saving members thousands of dollars off industry prices. You can receive hearing aids in-person or through home delivery with personalized support every step of the way including a hearing test, hearing aid adjustments, extra batteries and follow-up care. Benefits of this program:

• There is no cost to use this program
• Access to more than 5,000 providers nationwide
• You can get high quality hearing aids for a fraction of the cost
• Your hearing aid is programmed specifically for you
• We take care of the claim submission process for you"

So IF the OP (or anyone else) finds themselves needing hearing aid just don't count out your health insurance without looking into all that there is. That doesn't mean going through health insurance is cheaper than other places but is something to consider.

 

[can'tgetenufofwdw]

I've been having hearing difficulties for the past 3 years. It seems worse since Covid, but that's probably b/c of masks. My main problem is background noise. If there's a loud air conditioner, or a dishwasher running, TV, restaurants noise, etc, I have a really hard time hearing the person I'm speaking with. It's embarrassing to ask people to repeat themselves. I also notice problems when the speaker had an accent, which is extra embarrassing to have to ask someone with an accent to repeat themselves.

I passed a hearing test with an ENT 2 years ago, and then passed another one today at the Costco hearing center. I can hear when I'm in a quiet room (such as the hearing testing room), it's when there is background noise that I have problems.

Has anyone else dealt with this, and if so, have you found a solution to the problem? I keep hoping that my ears are full of wax or something, but nope, they are all clear. I just want to be able to have conversations and not ask people to repeat themselves.

Any advice is appreciated!!

This is exactly my problem.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I wrote this very early this morning but never got a chance to post it.

I don’t know a whole lot about this subject other than to say that I have been diagnosed with needing hearing aids but I haven’t started the buying process yet. Truthfully, the ENT was a negative nelly and it was a really unpleasant interaction, so that didn’t help. The tech was good, though. I’d had two hearing tests in the past (probably 20 yrs ago, at least) and those were ok, but this time around things were worse in certain situations. (Honestly I forget what they were and I don’t have the results in front of me.) I agree that since masks, it’s made it harder to read lips, and where I work, everyone is masked.

I did happen to have a patient who is an audiologist so she was good to talk to. My understanding is that you really have to spring for the best hearing aids (ie priciest) for them to help, otherwise you risk not really using them. (I’ve had a lot of patients tell me that too.) You spend a lot even on the “cheap” ones, so I’d rather they actually work if I’m going to get them. I also really like the new ones I’ve seen that are barely visible in the ears. So I thought that maybe next year I can max out my FSA and get some. The audiologist told me I can probably get a discount on them from the hospital I work at, and I’ll see if I can find any other discounts around. Our insurance has a hearing aid clause that I have to look more into, too. I really would like to hear people better and not have to ask soft-spoken people to repeat themselves. I sure hope they actually help. It can be very loud and crazy where I work and oftentimes like Grand Central Station with people yelling across the units and such.

OP, I, too, think you should have a repeat test in an ENT’s office who is associated with your medical group, that way your hearing issues can be tracked with changes noted over time, and there can be input about it from your team of practitioners. Good luck!

 

[PlainJane]

I’ve had trouble understanding someone if they don’t enunciate since I was a child. I’m mostly writing to say I understand your embarrassment when you can’t understand someone with an accent or I’ve also had the issue if someone had a speech difficulty due to disability. I feel terrible asking people to repeat themselves in those situations

I can’t stand screaming metal bands because I have no idea what they are saying.

On the other hand, I can hear noises most people can’t perceive and determine what the noise is.

 

[tvguy]

I have noticed I have trouble pulling conversations out of white noise type background noise. Especially in the frozen food section of the grocery store with all those freezers humming. Of course, then I notice that my wife was in the habit of starting to say something to me and after one word turning away from me. I got in the habit of telling her " I know you started to say something to me, but only the ice cream heard the last part of what you said". And of course, now with mask mandates, it is even tougher.

 

[NotUrsula]

Just wanted to throw something else out here. Since masks have come into use, I find that with business transactions, at least, using my phone's voice-to-text transcribe feature is really helpful. In a store or restaurant I will put it on the counter between me and the person I am speaking to, and it will transcribe what is said & scroll it on the screen in large type. It doesn't always get every word, but it's very helpful for filling in gaps. Takes the store folks a bit of getting used to, though.
It's just like closed captioning for a live conversation.

PS: Something to be aware of if you are shopping for aids: the ones that are fully in the ear canal sometimes can drive you nuts for all-day wear because they also pick up the sound and pressure of your jaw movement. I got rid of them because of that; eating & drinking was particularly uncomfortable, & the discomfort added more distraction. I switched to small behind-the-ear models with a clear earbud on them, and those are much better for me. The casing is colored to match my hair, & is essentially still invisible. The earbud wire is clear and about 1" long, so I can wear glasses with them if I need to, though I normally wear contacts. My MIL, who was older when she got in-ear models, insisted on them for vanity, but she had some arthritis, & she ended up never wearing the aids b/c she could not grasp the tiny pull-stem with her fingers to remove them.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

This sounds like my problem. I think I have an auditory processing issue or something like that. I seem to pass tests but then if my wife it talking to me and isn't facing me I catch maybe 60% of the words.

This has become a very big issue at my work with Indian colleagues. I have a hard time with their accents.

 

[tvguy]

Just wanted to throw something else out here. Since masks have come into use, I find that with business transactions, at least, using my phone's voice-to-text transcribe feature is really helpful. In a store or restaurant I will put it on the counter between me and the person I am speaking to, and it will transcribe what is said & scroll it on the screen in large type. It doesn't always get every word, but it's very helpful for filling in gaps. Takes the store folks a bit of getting used to, though.
It's just like closed captioning for a live conversation.

The masks and the plexiglass dividers do tend to block sound. Good idea with the phone.

 

[rwdavis2]

You need a better test. I recently had one that included back ground noise, whole test took about 45 minutes. I passed but, at the bottom of the normal range. Showed I also had trouble with th and ph words in the back ground noise portion of the test. Recommended I test again in a year. My insurance (Medicare Advantage) covered the test and would have covered up to $1000 of hearing aids per year.

This. Find a good audiologist. I have the same problem and the hearing aid boost only the frequencies with which I’m deficient. Works well and my wife loves them.

 

[fab1976]

Is there any chance you have sleep apnea? My ENT told me it’s likely due to sleep deprivation that I am not “hearing” well. He said that it was my brain not processing it. He maybe right about it for some of it, but some is also genuine hearing loss. I also don’t trust him much and haven’t been back in several years because of his diagnosis. Why? Because he said a hearing aid wouldn’t help, then backed up and said oh well maybe it will help (!) when I clarified some of the hearing issue. It was really not a good appointment, but I can see the apnea being a cause. Oh and tinnitus goes hand in hand with that kind of hearing issue, just FYI if you have that as well.

 

[jerrywilliams]

Anyone tried online hearing test? Is it something worth to do? I've been planning to visit an audiologist for a long time and always find something more important to do. I guess it is only my fear. That's the reason i would like to start with the online test maybe. Is is a good idea?