Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Question

nunn

I had a visit with a hearing aid seller today.  Tested my hearing and found a high frequency loss in my left ear.  He said the loss is likely the cause of the tinnitus I have had for many years.  He wants to sell me one hearing aid for $1200.   Says if I use it, I will no longer notice the tinnitus.

So, have any of you had experience with such a gadget?

I should have asked, and I didn't, if I can return the device for a refund if it doesn't work for me.

Anyhow, my insurance doesn't cover hearing aids, and I didn't have $1200 on me, so I told him I'd get back to him.   This was sort of an impulse, in response to an ad I saw on TV.  "We need 85 people to participate in a test..."  

Thanks!

toad67

Is the seller of the hearing aids a licensed audiologist?

nunn

I reckon.  It's Livingston Hearing Aid Center, a big outfit.

select-fire

Go see a second audiologist. Without the single aid. Let them diagnosis the issue. 

JamesRK

I don’t like always being the naysayer but I’d be very surprised if your tinnitus isn’t caused by the same thing as mine and all the other Gunbroker members; gunfire, jet engines and other loud noises.

 

It has been over thirty years since I even asked questions about my tinnitus.  The short version is when I came out of the booth the doctor told me I’m screwed.

 

He said he could get me 10% disability but it’s just a paperwork drill.  It wouldn’t get me another dime in my retirement check, just two different checks from two different places.  I passed on the disability.  He said nobody who doesn’t have tinnitus believes tinnitus is a real disability.

spasmcreeksrun

both ears  3 octaves screaming tinnitus 24-7-365......no cure this side of death.....all the years of motors, guns, and i think some arthritis stiffens the inner ear parts and one is screwed.....sure has ruined music and  other listening  

chiefr

No hearing aid will stop tinnitus. The seller is full of it.

nmyers

I find that background noise (TV, radio, music, traffic, etc) throughout the day masks the tinnitus.  Everyone is different.  If the hearing center is willing to give a 30 day trial (i.e., you pay only when you are satisfied that the hearing aid helps), it may be worth trying.

hillbille

 I have aids in both ears, without them I notice the tinnitus as a loud screach/cricket type noise I can hear but it is allway in the background. The VA did my testing and gave me the aids, with them in the screach/cricket noise it there but not as loud or noticable in day to day enviroment, if it gets real quite I can still near/notice it but if watching tv, or talking in crowd it sort of fades into the background and I almost forget about it till it gets real quite again. don't know if this helps or not Dave, also mine are the resound brand, come with a small carrying case that recharges them like cell phone, no batteries to change,,  good luck

Rocky Raab

Ditto what hillbillie said. My "tea kettle scream" is hardly noticeable when I have my VA Resound aids in. (And it is screaming now, because this thread made me think about it.)

Go ahead and try that aid out - for three weeks. Wear it every day, because it takes about that long to get accustomed to one. Then decide. BTW, $1,200 isn't bad for a decent aid. At retail, my Resounds would run $5k for the pair.

grdad45

Whistling, squealing in both ears 24/7. Too many hours spent in duck blinds, loud factories, etc.
I paid over $4K for hearing aids several years ago, were supposed to "help" my tinnitus. Not enough help to notice, now I only wear them if I REALLY need to hear and understand whoever I am listening to (like the 
Doctor). The microphones are on the back of my ears, so I can hear what's going on behind me better than in front.  There are lots of snake oil salesmen out there selling "cures" that don't work, I have tried a few.
Good luck to you, Nunn! And, if you find a cure, let us know.

He Dog

Most audiologists sell hearing aids, and they are way over priced.  In July new hearing aids for "most" will be on the market in the $800 to $1000 range that will do about as well as the $5000 units.  What you mostly get for more money is smaller size.  I tested two top of the line aids two years ago, one would blue tooth to an iPhone and the other to an android.  I had them for two weeks each.  I found neither diminished the ring and pinging of tinnitus and neither seemed to improve my hearing loss either.   I am waiting until July to try the over the counter types.  If it helps $1200 as Rocky said is not bad.

Rocky Raab

It's true that we are about to finally see the equivalent of drug store reading glasses in hearing aids. There really is no reason why they can't mass produce "generic" hearing aids, set to counter the most common loss range (right at 3kHz) and sell them over the counter. If they were refundable with a 30-day trial, lots more people would give them a try. And if they found that the generics helped, they just might go in for a real professional fitting. Hearing aid pros fought this for decades, but they might actually see more business because of them. I applaud it.

Rocky Raab

Addendum: For years, you may have seen "listening devices" that look like hearing aids but sold for as little as $20. Do NOT buy those. They are simple, all frequencies amplifiers that just make everything louder. Meaning they make the annoying background sounds louder as well as the voices you are trying to hear. Worse, they are analog circuits that actually add to noise.

The generic aids we are about to see are magnitudes better. They are genuine digital hearing aids, but with generic tuning instead of individualized settings. MUCH different.