I was a 'Bit Deaf'

I agree with all the posters who said wear your aids all the time as soon as you get them. I clean mine with alcohol wipes and if my ear is itchy I give that a swipe too. I've found the little interdental brushes handy for cleaning too. (The aid, not my ear!)

I too got mine from Specsavers but free, as they are NHS agents here, as they are in many areas. I got my aids immediately - ears tested, aids in and off I marched!

Can you turn the volume up and down?
My family are always onto me to get one. I had a test 4 years ago and he said my hearing was deteriorating, but not bad enough for aids yet. I'm 82.
So many other medical problems (minor TG) this one comes way down the list.

I've had NHS hearing aids for about 18 months now and wish I'd got them sooner. They make such a difference. I put them in as soon as I'm washed and dressed and take them out at bedtime. I always put them in with a magnifying mirror so that I can see that they're in place properly. A travel mirror obviously helps if you're away from home.
If they ever chafe (rarely) it's because I haven't pushed them in properly so I take them out and pop it in again. Lots of welcome advice at audiology and remember to get the pipes changed every six months as the plastic can get brittle over time.

Do persevere, MissAdventure as it takes a while for your brain to adjust to the changed hearing ability. Wearing my aids I went into the loo at a supermarket and a child started screaming - I had to leave instantly as I thought my eardrums were going to explode, and traffic noise almost made me leap in the air. It settled down very quickly. My aids seemed more of a hindrance initially. Itching almost drove me crazy but after a few weeks my ears seemed to accept the small plastic inserts and I don't have problems any more. I have mild to moderate hearing loss (otosclerosis) and the aids have been a big help - I had the TV so loud that the family couldn't stand it!

Most hearing aids these days come with a volume control, and if you think they are too loud just adjust the volume while it is in your ear.. there should be no feedback ( high pitched noise when you put your hand near your ear) if there is then you need to turn the volume down one notch or two....

Thank you all for your input.
My hearing became a problem whilst working in a busy, loud environment.
I couldn't hear a word that was being said!
(I don't work there anymore)
Also, I find some voices shockingly difficult, despite saying "pardon" two or three times.
My aids apparently adjust by themselves to the situation I'm in, didn't cost anything, and I wasn't pressured.
I was advised that it can take a month or so to get used to them.
PS - my hair is silky, eglatine I did wonder if it could be my hair, because its annoyingly messy.

cabbie 21 I was told the same and got some hearing aids but I just couldn't bear the noise! it sounded as if my husband was shouting at me and hearing my shuffling feet and other noises that I didn't like. I turned the tv down but then my husband couldn't hear it!! you just can't win! So they are sitting in a drawer perhaps ready for when I just can't do without them!!

My dear friend wears hearing aids (& has for many years - including during her working life) and she stresses that you must wear them all the time, every day in order to get used to them. (We've an elderly family member who won't do this, and in consequence she constantly asks us to repeat things. She was always nagging her husband - now-deceased - to wear his hearing aids!)

I have 2 hearing aids and wore them from the 1st day. Made such a difference. My TV volume setting was 26 but after using my aids it is turned down to 11, big difference. I got mine free on NHS. had to go to doc to get ears checked to see if wax was prob then doc sent referral. Had test Monday, got hearing aids Thurs. Not looked back since. Got mine from Specsavers.

I am quite deaf in one ear and have h aid now for 3 years. Apart from difficulty in social groups or visiting someone with background noise, it was safety issue that prompted me to get it. I was driving and heard an ambulance siren but was unable to locate from what direction so I braked rather than join main road. Minor tip from car behind..... also as a pedestrian I might not hear a bike in time and now we have silent cars.

I was brought up to prescription level over 4 visits... so gradual introduction. I was told to wear for at least 5 hrs a day.

I have a few spare cases even a used pill bottle to store same. You might be caught out with hairdresser or swimming.

If noise of something bothers, it is easy to turn off.

The batteries are fiddly but now the new ones are rechargeable.

A friend of mine 'tried out' her hearing aids for the first time when we went out for lunch. We have been friends for many years and she said she 'knew I would be honest with her'.

I didn't really understand that but it was funny. We went to our usual place. A plane went over and she almost ducked. She heard birds and all in all our normal chat was very disjointed as she heard things she hadn't heard for a long time.

This is an interesting thread. I had a hearing test about a month ago. Whilst there was absolutely no pressure to take it further, I was told that I would benefit from hearing aids. The only problem I find is not being able to hear well in a crowded room, but as I am not often in that situation and can hear birdsong etc, I have decided to wait another year. I certainly don’t want to be bombarded with sound like some of you are describing.
I am inclined to agree that there is too much commercial pressure from certain high street companies to get tested, but as I said, there was no pressure to buy anything.
On the other hand I don’t want to be one of those silly people who will happily wear spectacles but not hearing aids for vanity reasons.
It seems to me that it should be perfectly possible to get aids which you can adjust to the right levels, but maybe not on the NHS? I hope somebody can enlighten us?

I wore mine all day from Day One. It did not take long to get used to the amplification of sounds that I had got use to not hearing - about a week. I can turn mine down to other settings if needs be - e.g. in an echoey hall, or in the pub when I might want to cut out some of the background noise.

It is quite fun as, when I go to a concert, I can choose whether to listen to it with a bright crisp sound, or something a bit more mellow.

I can't see the point in having aids and giving up after the first day - it really does not take long to get used to them. And the birdsong! - brilliant!

Mine are NHS - I have not paid a bean for anything - even more brilliant!

I take mine out for peace and quiet too!

On a practical note you can buy a teeny tiny bottle of olive oil from the chemist, just for the purpose of lubricating your ears before you put the aids in. It stops the itching. The audiologist said the big bottle of olive oil I used for cooking was fine, but I couldn’t fancy it somehow?

The crisp crackling sound might be your hair brushing against the receiver if you have coarse thick hair like mine. Pin it back and see if it makes a difference.

Apologies if your hair is silky.............

Daft I know but sometimes after wearing mine all day I’m just glad to be able to take it out for some peace and quiet. I’ve been an aid wearer for many years and the one I have now is the most comfortable.

An 89 year old friend of mine spent three thousand on hearing aids only to be told by her doctor that all she actually needed was a good syringing of the ears. Try that first.

Do you think some people are being encouraged to wear aids when their hearing it’s just a bit lower than normal owing to age I certainly don’t mean anyone definitely low on hearing and I don’t mean you Missadventure but there are so many adverts encouraging us all to get hearing aids around now My daughter tells me I need them as I sometimes have the tv louder than she thinks is norm however, I say sometimes, as when the grandkids come and put the music video on, it goes way higher than my channels ever are ?. I have no problem talking to friends or in a group or on the telephone so although I ll admit my hearing may not be as acute as when I was young I personally think it’s just A normal age regression

I have worn Hearing Aids for 15 years now and I couldn't manage without them.

I think you need to keep persevering as your brain will get used to the increase in sound and it will not seem so bad after a few weeks.

I never had a problem with itchy ears until a couple of years ago, when every few months I had an ear infection, which meant a trip to Doctors for a spray. This went on for a couple of years, and now seems to have settled down again.

My Aids have a button which I can press to decrease the sounds, or another button where I can cut out some of the background noise when in a restaurant or pub for example.

My partner was given Hearing Aids about 6 years ago, tried them once, decided everything was too loud and never wore them again. He is 68 now and I constantly have to repeat myself

I recommend you wear them constantly, or it will be hard to get used to them.

Oh yes, the 'dreadful crisps' sound.
I've been trying to tell myself I can ignore it.
I'm not sure I can though.
Its louder in one ear than the other.

I know the woman said they aren't perfect, but there seems to be a lot to put up with..

I use mine mainly for the tv. I don’t like the amplified crashing and bashing sounds like drawers being opened, door closing which sounds like slamming and the dreadful crisps. I know I should wear them all the time but I just can’t. They seem to amplify the sounds that you don’t want and I still. Can’t understand the tv.

I get the best out of them when in a setting with lots of people as before Maybe I too will resolve to wear them more.

My DH got his aids last year and has stopped shouting (when he wears them) as he didn’t believe he was doing it. It is bliss to have a quieter house, no unbearably loud music, blaring tv, too loud talking in cafes. I love them and I am not wearing them! I suppose what I am saying longwindedly is that we are all benefiting from the aids. The initial itch he has is improving but perhaps you could phone the auditory clinic on their “repair” days and ask about any teething problems. If the itch continues maybe they can change the bit in contact with your skin. The nose supports on spectacles can cause an itch and the plastic can be swapped for silicon. I do hope you get used to them. About to get my own ears tested as I realise how insidious the development of the problem. Good luck.

Oh yes, I have the rustling sound!
I walked past my kitchen bin yesterday and the rustling got louder as I passed it.
Could I have created that much wind that the bin bag rustled??

Well, I'm going for the 'wear 'em and get it over with' approach, because otherwise I think i'll end up not persevering.
Its so weird though. I'm wondering if they've been set too loud?

I was fitted with two hearing aids last year, but I still don’t wear them regularly, and I know I should. At first the ‘rustling’ sound, like a packet of crisps being scrunched up, was more than I could bear, and I am still not completely happy, but am resigned to wearing them more often these days.
Perhaps I should make it my New Year Resolution.