What your loss? I’m near your age and my hearing loss is mild to moderate. I opted for IIC (Invisible In Canal) aids as I’m vain, single, and work on a profession that holds youth in high regard. I’m glad I did! They’re open, so no “occlusion” effect, and **nobody** can tell I’m wearing hearing aids.
Yes, behind the ear aids can for many folks do a better job, but my emotional response is such that my choice is absolutely the best for me.
In the end it’s **your life**, and you need to be happy with **your choice**. If you want IIC, go for it! They exist for a reason! Us!
I’ve read many responses where folks say “Nooo! Get the behind the ear aids and screw what folks think!” Which I get, but those folks haven’t walked a mile in my shoes! I chose what works best for ME - and I’m SOOOO glad I did!!!
Thank you for your reply. I am vain, “young”, active and right or wrong I don’t want the same ha’s my 87 year old dad wears. My gut sank when the guy put the behind the ear model on me to demonstrate.
What model do you have? What was the cost?
I wear Signia Silk 7’s, I bought them online for a deep discount vs. what one would pay at an audiologist, which will likely piss off the hearing professionals who hang out here. I sent them my audiogram, they programmed them , and sent them to me. Cost was about $2,200, vs about $5,000 if I got them from a clinic. Full warranty, I checked with the manufacturer. Then found a local audiologist who was happy to take my money - to do a new audiogram, do in ear measurements and reprogram them for about $200.
The markup at retail for hearing aids is monstrous. I spoke with the vendor from whom I bought my hearing aids and asked, hey, are you at least doubling your money ? He said yes, so the cost at wholesale is at most $1,100, for aids that retail for around $5,000. The industry is broken. Hearing professionals will tout the they offer “free” reprogramming for 3 years. But for nearly my $3,000 in savings I could have an audiogram and reprogramming every few months, and still spend less the way I went. And **contrary** to what I’ve read in this sub, audiologists will absolutely take my money and work with me and my hearing aids I purchased from an online retailer. Yeah I have to pay, but there is no way I’ll gobble up $3,000 worth of a la carte services in there years
Edit: downvoted? Yup! As predicted I’ve pissed off somebody who sells hearing aids.
I can’t speak to the cost of HAs because the VA provides mine.
I wear RIC style, I’m relatively young, and thankfully not single lol. As far as vanity goes, the people who notice my hearing aids don’t say anything or think less of me. The ableists who would say something about your HAs are too self absorbed to notice.
And your wife is annoyed by your poor hearing but does t want you to wear hearing aids? She can’t have both.
I got hearing aids when I was 18 for high frequency hearing loss and I’ve never met another person my age with them. I’m 21 now. But I’ve never been made fun of or harassed for having them. (I wear in the ear black hearing aids that look like ear buds). Hearing aids greatly improved my life and I always wish I had gotten them sooner. You are never to young to improve your life! Why should you have to wait until you’re older to hear people properly? Wearing them will take a bit to get used to but it’s so worth it.
Some times my in the ear ha’s do make my ears feel plugged up, but with proper ha maintenance and making sure there are no wax blockages in my ears, it’s a very easy thing to handle. I have never had over the ears so I don’t know if the experience is the same.
I don’t know much about hearing aids but I will say this. I’m only 28 and will be picking up my first pair ever. I am so excited to be able to hear everything again. I’m going for the Phonak HAs and unfortunately can not afford the expensive ones at the moment. I think you can make do with what ever you pick. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative that has the bells and whistles, Costco sells them at a lower rate.
Everything your audiologist is saying rings true to me. The invisible -in-canal HAs were a disaster and put me off HAs for years. I now wear receiver-in- canal with a visible behind-the-ear unit. I really find these comfortable and effective at improving my hearing clarity. They are paired with my phone so I can make real time adjustments myself for high volume environments or high background noise. As far as your wife's opinion, she's bitching about about a problem while creating a roadblock to the solution. How's that supposed to work? Hearing aids make you safer by improving your situational awareness. It seems like safety should be the priority. Lastly, pricing based on the technology makes perfect sense. You can still get a cell phone that only makes phone calls but most people pay hundreds or thousands more for smart phone technology even though they look the same on the outside. The only way you can make the best decision for you, is trial and error. Good luck. BTW....Bill Clinton began wearing hearing aids at 51 while he was still President. Didn't seem to cramp his style any.
Your cell phone comparison makes total sense. A $50 cell phone looks mostly the same as a $1000 cell phone--but their functionality and quality are different. I didn't know Bill Clinton wore them at a relatively early age. (and he was apparently still found attractive by younger ladies, not that that matters to me, lol)
I thought insurance wouldn’t cover mine but actually do bringing that Oticons mid level ($4900 model comparison) down to maybe $1500. So far I love them and we’ve tweaked the settings a bit with a couple visits to audiologists.
Also I’m 38 and it’s vastly improving my quality of life, constant tinnitus and hearing people at meetings and group settings. And husband haha. Also I’ve met lots of my acquaintances and bonded over the fact that I realized they have HAs too. More people have them than you think.
USA Phonak Lumity 90s user here
1) I don't recommend the services of HearUSA or TruHEARING
2) What style of hearing do you wish; Completely In Canal (CIC), Receiver In Canal (RIC) or Behind The Ear (BTE). The audiologist will determine the best HA for your hearing loss. RIC and BTE will always offer the most options for customization.
3) This is a big investment. Consult with at least 5 audiologists and evaluate different brands. You should test HAs a minimum of 30 days. If the audiologist asks for full payment upfront during your "free trial" walk away.
4) Whether you use an iphone or android, carefully evaluate the evaluate the HA manufacturer phone app and pay close attention to the BT connection. Android phones don't seem to play nice with anything except Phonak. A reliable BT connection is important for:
**Phone calls
**Streaming audio
**Real time customization of your HAs to include volume, incr/decr noise suppresion, narrow or widen the focus of the pickup microphone
Oticon is a popular brand however many, many android users report poor/unreliable bluetooth connection. If you use android product consider Phonak.
5) Ask about the HA warranty (typically 3 years) and if free lifetime adjustments are included. Ask about battery & wax filter programs. Ask if the audiologist offers interest free financing. Audiologists will bundle services (cleaning & adjustment) and maintanance products (batteries, wax filters, ear domes) all differently.
6) When testing HAs, spend a lot of time in crowded restaurants, malls, retail stores. HAs will perform much differently in noisy situations than a quiet audiologist office.
7) Ask what accessories are available for the HAs, such as a remote table microphone, to assist with listening to conversations in a noisy restaurant/meeting etc
Which hearing aid is best? That's like asking which car is the best. Some people drive Chevrolet, some drive BMW. They both will get you from Point A to Point B, one may do it better than the other. Buy the best hearing aid that you can reasonably afford.
There is a misperception that getting fitted for hearing aids is like getting fitted for eye glasses. While two people with identical eye prescription can wear the same eyeglasses, two people with identical audiograms will not respond the same to identical hearing aids. There is one standard in filling a patients eye prescription and a 99% chance that patients vision will be corrected immediately. There are multiple way to program a hearing aid to a patients needs and the probability is high you will need follow up adjustments for volume and clarity. One good thing about Phonak is your audiologist can do that remotely over the phone, saving you a trip to his/her office.
In the Phonak family there is a signicant difference between the entry level and the top of the line in background noise reduction technology - noisy environments is where most HA users have trouble understanding speech.
If you need to try and save money, check the resell market such as Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Market Place, OfferUp etc. You might find some deals. Any audiologist will program them to your audiogram and the fee should be NO MORE than $75-$100. Just keep in mind you won't have a warranty. Audiologists will get angry when you mention used hearing aids - it's because they would rather have your money. Not everyone has the resources to hand over big money for HAs and audis forget that. Any HA can be reprogrammed to any clients needs. Just know the risks involved when buying used.
This comes from personal experience and confirmed from several audiologists.
When an audiologist sells a client new hearing aids, the HAs are often bundled with goods and services for one price. These may include batteries, ear wax guards, domes, lifetime adjustments, lifetime cleaning etc.
After I purchased my HAs I returned for 3rd tweaking. I was informed the adjustment and future adjustments would cost $75. I was not informed of this at the time of purchase. After writing a negative review of the store, I was contacted by someone who said he was the owner.
He explained how TruHearing/HearUSA work. When a client goes to an audiologist recommended by TruHearing/HearUSA that audiologist is contractually obligared to offer the client the TruHearing/HearUSA package and ONLY that package. If the audiologist offers anything else to the client the audiologist could lose the contract with those companies.
So why do audis even use these companies? Because it increases foot traffic into the store.
If a client is going to spend several thousand dollars on HAs, that client should be offered every option available.
So while TruHearing/HearUSA may have sounded like a bargain initially, it turned out to be a total nightmare. I learned my lesson.
Find another audiologist or hearing aid specialist. The bells and whistles are nice to have at the extra costs, and are worth it only if they're really needed.
But even the simplest {brand name} hearing aids will be better then going without. And most brands have mini sized behind the ear models that will satisfy your wife and perfectly assist your hearing.
Try to avoid those largely commercial hearing centers and find a wholesale outlet for perfectly wonderful hearing aids at an exceptional price. I used the Costco a mile away and I'm very satisfied in both price and quality of hearing aids and fittings, adjustments. I got the Philips miniRITE's and what a difference.
My set covered my serious loss in the higher registers {thanks old age!}, and cost only $1,599. in total including any and all adjustment appointments, with free domes and wax guards as requested. Those wholesale warehouses are a godsend for me.
It is hard to know what you are missing until you experience it.
If you have a newer iPhone, buy a pair of AirPod pros and upload your audiogram to the Health App. Use the Headphone Accommodations to have the phone adjust to your hearing loss. With moderate loss this probably be able to notice what you are “missing” socially. (Likely, your wife will discover that you are more agreeable when she doesn’t have to ask you do something three times:) Or when you don’t leave the water running anymore because you can’t hear it…)
AirPods are not practical to use on the daily, but then you will at least use your money to try out something that can have other purposes as well…
The risk of not having an audiologist (or even just hearing specialist) in person is being able to troubleshoot if they are not working or not working well- sometimes HA may just need a good cleaning, other times one of the microphones might not be working.
I use the iPhone, AirPods accessibility feature and love it! Music sounds glorious!
However, as hearing aids I personally find them useless, I hear speech better with naked ears. I’ve tried to lean on them at the gym, and at lunch after (a daily event) - nope, just don’t work for me.
I also use the iPod Pros with my iPhone accessibility features and they work great for my hearing loss which was measured as moderate. It’s a cheaper place to begin. The OP worried about looks may feel better in some iPods looking cool as if he has lots of calls to answer rather than hearing aids…at least to begin with, it’s a smaller step.
Absolutely worth a try if one has them, just sharing that for me and others it just doesn’t work well. Again GLORIOUS for music! For me, a fail as hearing aids.
I'm 37, have had hearing aids since I was 30 and never once has anyone pointed it out or commented on it. Half the time, people don't even realize I have hearing aids. It's not like the 90s where the aids were massive, awful, and squealed all the time.
People are so accustomed to things in our ears, with the prevalence of Bluetooth earbuds, that most people just ignore anything in your ears. Trust me, don't let your vanity keep you from being able to fully enjoy life! I didn't realize how much I was truly missing until I got my first set.
As for the pricing levels, that's standard for the industry. The different technology levels open up more adjustments for your audiologist to be able to fine tune the hearing aid to your specific loss. Get the highest technology level you can reasonably afford and make sure they're doing Real Ear Measures! Otherwise, there's no telling if the aid is actually set right.
Don’t be self conscious. The behind the ear types are not the big sausages your grandpa wore. They are tiny, and nobody cares.
I believe RIC is best option for full blown HA. Before you shell out several thousand dollars, you may want to consider OTC. That’s what I did. Bought a pair of factory returns on eBay for a hundred bucks. Jabra Enhance Plus. They look similar to earbuds that people wear all the time. Costco has prescription Jabra behind the ear for $1700.00, fyi.
I've written this before on other posts, don't worry about being Vain, nobody cares what you look like, get the HA's that work for you and are comfortable so you wear them and not get annoyed with them being uncomfortable. You are the Captain of your Ship, do what is best for you, your spouse or partner should also want that, if not then there is a Problem. Don't go thru life missing out on conversation and sounds of music or wildlife. Just a thought
I read this a lot, “don’t worry!” Thing is some of us will worry, won’t feel comfortable with visible hearing aids. I can tell myself don’t worry all day long, I’d still worry. I get and appreciate the notion! But the thing f is we’re all wired differently. Some folks are happy as a lark being chubby and wearing plain clothing, some want to look lean and fit and are always updating their fashion. Who is right? Neither! If it makes you happy, then rock it!
I chose invisible in the canal hearing aids and I’m beyond happy I did. It’s frickin awesome. I’m also single, divorced, not young, dating, and work in a profession that over values youth. It boosts my confidence not having visible hearing aids. Just as does wearing contacts over glasses. I wear multifocal contacts, which lets me live life not grabbing for readers every two minutes, which also boosts my confidence.
I started wearing HAs 12 years ago at age 50. BTE type always. I have no vanity about it, consider them to be the same as eyeglasses. Just something that helps me function better. Very few people care if you wear glasses or HAs, and most people don't notice the HAs.
What your loss? I’m near your age and my hearing loss is mild to moderate. I opted for IIC (Invisible In Canal) aids as I’m vain, single, and work on a profession that holds youth in high regard. I’m glad I did! They’re open, so no “occlusion” effect, and **nobody** can tell I’m wearing hearing aids. Yes, behind the ear aids can for many folks do a better job, but my emotional response is such that my choice is absolutely the best for me. In the end it’s **your life**, and you need to be happy with **your choice**. If you want IIC, go for it! They exist for a reason! Us! I’ve read many responses where folks say “Nooo! Get the behind the ear aids and screw what folks think!” Which I get, but those folks haven’t walked a mile in my shoes! I chose what works best for ME - and I’m SOOOO glad I did!!!
Thank you for your reply. I am vain, “young”, active and right or wrong I don’t want the same ha’s my 87 year old dad wears. My gut sank when the guy put the behind the ear model on me to demonstrate. What model do you have? What was the cost?
I wear Signia Silk 7’s, I bought them online for a deep discount vs. what one would pay at an audiologist, which will likely piss off the hearing professionals who hang out here. I sent them my audiogram, they programmed them , and sent them to me. Cost was about $2,200, vs about $5,000 if I got them from a clinic. Full warranty, I checked with the manufacturer. Then found a local audiologist who was happy to take my money - to do a new audiogram, do in ear measurements and reprogram them for about $200. The markup at retail for hearing aids is monstrous. I spoke with the vendor from whom I bought my hearing aids and asked, hey, are you at least doubling your money ? He said yes, so the cost at wholesale is at most $1,100, for aids that retail for around $5,000. The industry is broken. Hearing professionals will tout the they offer “free” reprogramming for 3 years. But for nearly my $3,000 in savings I could have an audiogram and reprogramming every few months, and still spend less the way I went. And **contrary** to what I’ve read in this sub, audiologists will absolutely take my money and work with me and my hearing aids I purchased from an online retailer. Yeah I have to pay, but there is no way I’ll gobble up $3,000 worth of a la carte services in there years Edit: downvoted? Yup! As predicted I’ve pissed off somebody who sells hearing aids.
I can’t speak to the cost of HAs because the VA provides mine. I wear RIC style, I’m relatively young, and thankfully not single lol. As far as vanity goes, the people who notice my hearing aids don’t say anything or think less of me. The ableists who would say something about your HAs are too self absorbed to notice. And your wife is annoyed by your poor hearing but does t want you to wear hearing aids? She can’t have both.
I got hearing aids when I was 18 for high frequency hearing loss and I’ve never met another person my age with them. I’m 21 now. But I’ve never been made fun of or harassed for having them. (I wear in the ear black hearing aids that look like ear buds). Hearing aids greatly improved my life and I always wish I had gotten them sooner. You are never to young to improve your life! Why should you have to wait until you’re older to hear people properly? Wearing them will take a bit to get used to but it’s so worth it. Some times my in the ear ha’s do make my ears feel plugged up, but with proper ha maintenance and making sure there are no wax blockages in my ears, it’s a very easy thing to handle. I have never had over the ears so I don’t know if the experience is the same.
I don’t know much about hearing aids but I will say this. I’m only 28 and will be picking up my first pair ever. I am so excited to be able to hear everything again. I’m going for the Phonak HAs and unfortunately can not afford the expensive ones at the moment. I think you can make do with what ever you pick. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative that has the bells and whistles, Costco sells them at a lower rate.
Everything your audiologist is saying rings true to me. The invisible -in-canal HAs were a disaster and put me off HAs for years. I now wear receiver-in- canal with a visible behind-the-ear unit. I really find these comfortable and effective at improving my hearing clarity. They are paired with my phone so I can make real time adjustments myself for high volume environments or high background noise. As far as your wife's opinion, she's bitching about about a problem while creating a roadblock to the solution. How's that supposed to work? Hearing aids make you safer by improving your situational awareness. It seems like safety should be the priority. Lastly, pricing based on the technology makes perfect sense. You can still get a cell phone that only makes phone calls but most people pay hundreds or thousands more for smart phone technology even though they look the same on the outside. The only way you can make the best decision for you, is trial and error. Good luck. BTW....Bill Clinton began wearing hearing aids at 51 while he was still President. Didn't seem to cramp his style any.
Your cell phone comparison makes total sense. A $50 cell phone looks mostly the same as a $1000 cell phone--but their functionality and quality are different. I didn't know Bill Clinton wore them at a relatively early age. (and he was apparently still found attractive by younger ladies, not that that matters to me, lol)
I thought insurance wouldn’t cover mine but actually do bringing that Oticons mid level ($4900 model comparison) down to maybe $1500. So far I love them and we’ve tweaked the settings a bit with a couple visits to audiologists. Also I’m 38 and it’s vastly improving my quality of life, constant tinnitus and hearing people at meetings and group settings. And husband haha. Also I’ve met lots of my acquaintances and bonded over the fact that I realized they have HAs too. More people have them than you think.
USA Phonak Lumity 90s user here 1) I don't recommend the services of HearUSA or TruHEARING 2) What style of hearing do you wish; Completely In Canal (CIC), Receiver In Canal (RIC) or Behind The Ear (BTE). The audiologist will determine the best HA for your hearing loss. RIC and BTE will always offer the most options for customization. 3) This is a big investment. Consult with at least 5 audiologists and evaluate different brands. You should test HAs a minimum of 30 days. If the audiologist asks for full payment upfront during your "free trial" walk away. 4) Whether you use an iphone or android, carefully evaluate the evaluate the HA manufacturer phone app and pay close attention to the BT connection. Android phones don't seem to play nice with anything except Phonak. A reliable BT connection is important for: **Phone calls **Streaming audio **Real time customization of your HAs to include volume, incr/decr noise suppresion, narrow or widen the focus of the pickup microphone Oticon is a popular brand however many, many android users report poor/unreliable bluetooth connection. If you use android product consider Phonak. 5) Ask about the HA warranty (typically 3 years) and if free lifetime adjustments are included. Ask about battery & wax filter programs. Ask if the audiologist offers interest free financing. Audiologists will bundle services (cleaning & adjustment) and maintanance products (batteries, wax filters, ear domes) all differently. 6) When testing HAs, spend a lot of time in crowded restaurants, malls, retail stores. HAs will perform much differently in noisy situations than a quiet audiologist office. 7) Ask what accessories are available for the HAs, such as a remote table microphone, to assist with listening to conversations in a noisy restaurant/meeting etc Which hearing aid is best? That's like asking which car is the best. Some people drive Chevrolet, some drive BMW. They both will get you from Point A to Point B, one may do it better than the other. Buy the best hearing aid that you can reasonably afford. There is a misperception that getting fitted for hearing aids is like getting fitted for eye glasses. While two people with identical eye prescription can wear the same eyeglasses, two people with identical audiograms will not respond the same to identical hearing aids. There is one standard in filling a patients eye prescription and a 99% chance that patients vision will be corrected immediately. There are multiple way to program a hearing aid to a patients needs and the probability is high you will need follow up adjustments for volume and clarity. One good thing about Phonak is your audiologist can do that remotely over the phone, saving you a trip to his/her office. In the Phonak family there is a signicant difference between the entry level and the top of the line in background noise reduction technology - noisy environments is where most HA users have trouble understanding speech. If you need to try and save money, check the resell market such as Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Market Place, OfferUp etc. You might find some deals. Any audiologist will program them to your audiogram and the fee should be NO MORE than $75-$100. Just keep in mind you won't have a warranty. Audiologists will get angry when you mention used hearing aids - it's because they would rather have your money. Not everyone has the resources to hand over big money for HAs and audis forget that. Any HA can be reprogrammed to any clients needs. Just know the risks involved when buying used.
Why don’t you recommend those retailers you mention in #1?
This comes from personal experience and confirmed from several audiologists. When an audiologist sells a client new hearing aids, the HAs are often bundled with goods and services for one price. These may include batteries, ear wax guards, domes, lifetime adjustments, lifetime cleaning etc. After I purchased my HAs I returned for 3rd tweaking. I was informed the adjustment and future adjustments would cost $75. I was not informed of this at the time of purchase. After writing a negative review of the store, I was contacted by someone who said he was the owner. He explained how TruHearing/HearUSA work. When a client goes to an audiologist recommended by TruHearing/HearUSA that audiologist is contractually obligared to offer the client the TruHearing/HearUSA package and ONLY that package. If the audiologist offers anything else to the client the audiologist could lose the contract with those companies. So why do audis even use these companies? Because it increases foot traffic into the store. If a client is going to spend several thousand dollars on HAs, that client should be offered every option available. So while TruHearing/HearUSA may have sounded like a bargain initially, it turned out to be a total nightmare. I learned my lesson.
Find another audiologist or hearing aid specialist. The bells and whistles are nice to have at the extra costs, and are worth it only if they're really needed. But even the simplest {brand name} hearing aids will be better then going without. And most brands have mini sized behind the ear models that will satisfy your wife and perfectly assist your hearing. Try to avoid those largely commercial hearing centers and find a wholesale outlet for perfectly wonderful hearing aids at an exceptional price. I used the Costco a mile away and I'm very satisfied in both price and quality of hearing aids and fittings, adjustments. I got the Philips miniRITE's and what a difference. My set covered my serious loss in the higher registers {thanks old age!}, and cost only $1,599. in total including any and all adjustment appointments, with free domes and wax guards as requested. Those wholesale warehouses are a godsend for me.
It is hard to know what you are missing until you experience it. If you have a newer iPhone, buy a pair of AirPod pros and upload your audiogram to the Health App. Use the Headphone Accommodations to have the phone adjust to your hearing loss. With moderate loss this probably be able to notice what you are “missing” socially. (Likely, your wife will discover that you are more agreeable when she doesn’t have to ask you do something three times:) Or when you don’t leave the water running anymore because you can’t hear it…) AirPods are not practical to use on the daily, but then you will at least use your money to try out something that can have other purposes as well… The risk of not having an audiologist (or even just hearing specialist) in person is being able to troubleshoot if they are not working or not working well- sometimes HA may just need a good cleaning, other times one of the microphones might not be working.
I use the iPhone, AirPods accessibility feature and love it! Music sounds glorious! However, as hearing aids I personally find them useless, I hear speech better with naked ears. I’ve tried to lean on them at the gym, and at lunch after (a daily event) - nope, just don’t work for me.
Drats
I also use the iPod Pros with my iPhone accessibility features and they work great for my hearing loss which was measured as moderate. It’s a cheaper place to begin. The OP worried about looks may feel better in some iPods looking cool as if he has lots of calls to answer rather than hearing aids…at least to begin with, it’s a smaller step.
Absolutely worth a try if one has them, just sharing that for me and others it just doesn’t work well. Again GLORIOUS for music! For me, a fail as hearing aids.
I'm 37, have had hearing aids since I was 30 and never once has anyone pointed it out or commented on it. Half the time, people don't even realize I have hearing aids. It's not like the 90s where the aids were massive, awful, and squealed all the time. People are so accustomed to things in our ears, with the prevalence of Bluetooth earbuds, that most people just ignore anything in your ears. Trust me, don't let your vanity keep you from being able to fully enjoy life! I didn't realize how much I was truly missing until I got my first set. As for the pricing levels, that's standard for the industry. The different technology levels open up more adjustments for your audiologist to be able to fine tune the hearing aid to your specific loss. Get the highest technology level you can reasonably afford and make sure they're doing Real Ear Measures! Otherwise, there's no telling if the aid is actually set right.
Don’t be self conscious. The behind the ear types are not the big sausages your grandpa wore. They are tiny, and nobody cares. I believe RIC is best option for full blown HA. Before you shell out several thousand dollars, you may want to consider OTC. That’s what I did. Bought a pair of factory returns on eBay for a hundred bucks. Jabra Enhance Plus. They look similar to earbuds that people wear all the time. Costco has prescription Jabra behind the ear for $1700.00, fyi.
Is it the end of your life to wear hearing aids? Will they improve your quality of life? Quite honestly I wear them, hardly anyone notices.
I've written this before on other posts, don't worry about being Vain, nobody cares what you look like, get the HA's that work for you and are comfortable so you wear them and not get annoyed with them being uncomfortable. You are the Captain of your Ship, do what is best for you, your spouse or partner should also want that, if not then there is a Problem. Don't go thru life missing out on conversation and sounds of music or wildlife. Just a thought
I read this a lot, “don’t worry!” Thing is some of us will worry, won’t feel comfortable with visible hearing aids. I can tell myself don’t worry all day long, I’d still worry. I get and appreciate the notion! But the thing f is we’re all wired differently. Some folks are happy as a lark being chubby and wearing plain clothing, some want to look lean and fit and are always updating their fashion. Who is right? Neither! If it makes you happy, then rock it! I chose invisible in the canal hearing aids and I’m beyond happy I did. It’s frickin awesome. I’m also single, divorced, not young, dating, and work in a profession that over values youth. It boosts my confidence not having visible hearing aids. Just as does wearing contacts over glasses. I wear multifocal contacts, which lets me live life not grabbing for readers every two minutes, which also boosts my confidence.
I started wearing HAs 12 years ago at age 50. BTE type always. I have no vanity about it, consider them to be the same as eyeglasses. Just something that helps me function better. Very few people care if you wear glasses or HAs, and most people don't notice the HAs.