Hearing Aids

My brother has been wearing hearing aids his whole life. He is very active and doesn't like the over the ear ones because he sweats a lot (professional tennis player). He just got new ones, the ran around 5k.

Don't go cheap on your hearing and try before you buy if possible is my advice.

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try before you buy if possible

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My ENT audiologist didn't offer this to me. Might ask. Thanks!

Many types need your inner ear mold to make them fit perfect so try to get as much try before you buy info/demo as possible.

Huh? Say what? Would you mind using all-caps please?

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I've had hearing loss for years, including tinnitus. Went to the ENT today, and I'm worse, not horribly worse, but declining.

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FWIW, you do not mess around with eyes and ears. If you are declining then I would look at the very long term so you have the best possible hearing for the longest time. One of the best ear guys in the USA is just down the road in Nashville and a trip may be worth the effort. Already went through this with several family members and one trip caught something on the CAT scan that slowed and seemed to now have stopped the degrading loss.

LINK Good doc and good people skills as a plus. Getting an appointment may take 3 - 6 months but well worth it.

In the long run what type you get will be more based on your specific issues than someone selling you a cheap or expensive one that does not deal with your specific needs and long term goals. Also, have you ever had your ears cleaned? If you are older like me and scrooster you may need to make this an annual or semi annual thing as your body may not expel the crud as well as you pass 50 or 60 and when you you hit your 70's and 80's it may just become mandatory. Another thought is see what type of insurance policies AARP has or may know about as that may help you with costs long term.

Do you have Meniere's disease as that is a possible cause of the tinnitus? If so there may be something simple you can do to help greatly. Meniere's is usually genetic and runs in families. My grandfather had it and he passed it to all his offspring. It passed down to me but my siblings did not seem to get that gene. If so, a simple long term solution is to greatly reduce or eliminate salt in your diet. Natural salt in foods is fine but most processed food and restaurant food is overloaded. My first attacks showed up in my 20's and the more I limited salt the more it stays under control. Not saying you eliminate salt altogether (your body needs some salt to survive) but become very aware of how much you consume.

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Nope. My understanding, as Hugo said, is that insurance doesn't typically cover hearing aids at all.

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I think blue cross fed may pay up to $2500 for hearing aids

depending on your income level you may qualify for vocational rehab assistance

my best friend has had a hearing aid since she was a child. bless you, i know she's gone thru hell before getting the 'right' one for her in the past. i've been with her on vacation before when it messed up and we had to track down the right doc and i've also heard the evil little squeal sound it made when it's not right, i can't imagine that noise right up in my ear. i don't remember for sure but i'm pretty sure she paid 4 or 5k for the last ones she got.

i'm with the crowd of you don't mess with your ears or eyes, you get the best ones for you and take care of yourself. i also agree with hugo or whoever said try them out if they let you, because you may go thru a few before you find the right ones.

I'd probably go through an ent to get your hearing aids. You'll want to have a good audiologist who can service and adjust them. Most will offer a 30 day trial period.