They didn’t mention the speech banana, or do the speech test. It was just looking in my ears to check for obvious issues, and the listening to beeps… There was an online form I had to do in advance, asking me about my health history and writing about my concerns, but I don’t think the audiologist actually looked at it at all, to be honest.
I’ll gladly try it, even if it’s just to know for sure that hearing aids will/won’t work- but I’m worried that I’ll just get dismissed again, based on the audiogram not being that bad. It’s not very easy for me to go to these appointments, even though they’re free- I’m physically disabled and it usually costs $40 or so just to get to and from a nearby suburb. (and yes, I’ve tried for government subsidies and accessible taxis- that’s as cheap as I can get transport unless I become best friends with someone with a car. which is a bit hard when you can’t hear them )
If you have a specific clinic you’d recommend, I’m all ears, otherwise I’ll just gradually try different places as money allows. I worry that I already come across as “too poor for fancy hearing aids”, since I can only afford the appointments by getting them for free by being a pensioner… The joys of healthcare!
That’s a good point! I haven’t spoken to my GP about it yet, and I’ll bring it up at my next appointment. I recently got a new one since the last GP quit, and we’re still doing the whole “okay, who are you, what are your needs, what did the last GP forget to do that’s now my problem” conversation.
If you can’t afford hearing aids. You can try to buy an older generation of hearing aids. Like the Phonak Marvel series, i.e. unused hearing aids that have not yet been sold. You can try clinics or stores in your area that sell Phonak for example. … I don’t recommend DIY if you have severe hearing loss so you will need an expert to get the most out of your hearing if you have a very hard time understanding speech.
Hi.
I’m going to assume that your hearing aid professional removed the wax from your ears? I had wax removed last week and cannot believe the difference. I’ve been a hearing aid wearer for 4 years and get my ears de-waxed every 6 months.
Get another audiologist and get a pair or hearing aids regardless of what they say.
Hearing aids will help you hear better in all situations. But if you have a choice do not get hearing aids with built in rechargeable batteries. Go for the disposable battery version as battery life is from 4 to 10 days depending on battery size whereas rechargeable hearing aid battery life is less than 24 hours in the real world.
Get hearing aids they will transform your life.
Sometimes a problem like yours (I have had a lifelong situation like yours since my early 20s also, and I BECAME a speech/language specialist) can be helped through a thorough language evaluation done by a well qualified speech/language pathologist who is familiar with the many facets of adult communication.
I have a low frequency/high frequency hearing loss, and now, at retirement age, I wear an excellent (very expensive) hearing aid, and needed to seek out a second audiologist before having my equipment set correctly for my needs.
If you are near a university with an audiology department and also a speech/language you may be able to find more help there, at lower cost.
I hope you will continue to seek answers for your situation.
Here’s a suggestions that may provide some temporary help in understanding phone calls. My I-phone has a capability to provide closed captions of your caller’s words. You’d probably need to use speaker phone settings to see the print out. For me, i went into settings, selected accessibility, then scroll down and click on accessibility mobile (closed captions). I believe an android phone may have a similar capability.
Well AI is also suggesting auditory processing disorder as a reason for your issue. I guess your audiologist needs to learn how to use AI using Bing’s search engine.
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