Recommend your hearing aid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long time hearing aid user here. Like you, I have hearing loss in one ear, AKA single-sided deafness or unilateral hearing loss.

You want a CROS system. A CROS picks up sound from your bad ear and moves it to your good ear. It’s great because you can hear when someone is sitting next you at a table or at a show. The CROS system consists of two parts, a piece you wear in the bad ear [microphone] and a piece that you wear in the good ear [receiver/speaker]. The size/type of these pieces will depend on the kind of loss you have. It is very worth your time to consult an expert [not Costco] to get the right type and right settings for you.

The two leading CROS systems, AFAIK, are Widex and Phonak. Widex claims to have better ability to filter background noise. I havent tried Widex but I will test drive next time I buy new aids. I have used Phonak most of my life and I feel satisfied with everything, performance, service, durability.

Because hearing and hearing aids are so complex, it behooves you to see a professional. I would not go to Costco, based on my experience with aids. Costco is the hearing aid equivalent of reading glasses sold on racks at CVS. those glasses are in essence simply magnifying glasses. Likewise, Costco aids are in essence simply amplifiers. That works for some, YMMV. Me, I want the best performance I can get.

I highly recommend Hull Hearing Aid Service in Virginia. In my whole life of being treated for hearing loss, no one has ever taken as much time as Hull did to explain my hearing and help me find solutions for my specific needs. I do not recommend Professional Hearing Aid Services in DC. They were the opposite of Hull, they told me they couldn’t do anything to address the aid issues I was having. I then switched to Hull and they fixed it all.

I agree with this poster that you probably need a CROS. However, my understanding is Costco sells good quality hearing aids. Unfortunately, if you require CROS aids, Costco isn’t an option. I wear Phonak CROS. It works well in many settings but not at a party or in a loud restaurant. The new Phonak finally has all the bells and whistles (Bluetooth, streaming directly to the ears, iPhone controls) so I’m upgrading mine this week.

I realized the comment about Costco is likely confusing. To clarify, the non-CROS aids they sell are equivalent to what an audiologist’s office sells. However, they don’t carry any CROS aids for some reason.

[Anonymous]

The discussion is bending too far toward CROS, when it isn’t known whether OP’s bad ear is really unaidable. That ear could be “nearly deaf” in non-technical terms yet still able to benefit from a hearing aid. Need to see an audiologist. If money is tight then Costco is worth a try. If roughly $6000 wouldn’t be a hardship then Potomac Audiology will give more personalized service. And they do have more brand choices than Costco.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long time hearing aid user here. Like you, I have hearing loss in one ear, AKA single-sided deafness or unilateral hearing loss.

You want a CROS system. A CROS picks up sound from your bad ear and moves it to your good ear. It’s great because you can hear when someone is sitting next you at a table or at a show. The CROS system consists of two parts, a piece you wear in the bad ear [microphone] and a piece that you wear in the good ear [receiver/speaker]. The size/type of these pieces will depend on the kind of loss you have. It is very worth your time to consult an expert [not Costco] to get the right type and right settings for you.

The two leading CROS systems, AFAIK, are Widex and Phonak. Widex claims to have better ability to filter background noise. I havent tried Widex but I will test drive next time I buy new aids. I have used Phonak most of my life and I feel satisfied with everything, performance, service, durability.

Because hearing and hearing aids are so complex, it behooves you to see a professional. I would not go to Costco, based on my experience with aids. Costco is the hearing aid equivalent of reading glasses sold on racks at CVS. those glasses are in essence simply magnifying glasses. Likewise, Costco aids are in essence simply amplifiers. That works for some, YMMV. Me, I want the best performance I can get.

I highly recommend Hull Hearing Aid Service in Virginia. In my whole life of being treated for hearing loss, no one has ever taken as much time as Hull did to explain my hearing and help me find solutions for my specific needs. I do not recommend Professional Hearing Aid Services in DC. They were the opposite of Hull, they told me they couldn’t do anything to address the aid issues I was having. I then switched to Hull and they fixed it all.

I agree with this poster that you probably need a CROS. However, my understanding is Costco sells good quality hearing aids. Unfortunately, if you require CROS aids, Costco isn’t an option. I wear Phonak CROS. It works well in many settings but not at a party or in a loud restaurant. The new Phonak finally has all the bells and whistles (Bluetooth, streaming directly to the ears, iPhone controls) so I’m upgrading mine this week.

I realized the comment about Costco is likely confusing. To clarify, the non-CROS aids they sell are equivalent to what an audiologist’s office sells. However, they don’t carry any CROS aids for some reason.

As someone who also suffers from severe unilateral hearing loss, I would strongly recommend you see a hearing specialist. First, you need to rule out the possibility of a tumor. Get an MRI! Second, if you’ve lost the ability to decipher words in your bad ear, a hearing amplifier (most hearing aids) won’t help that ear. If you want an aid, the CROS system will transmit the noise from your bad side to your good ear. Cochlear implants are now also an option for single sided deafness - up until a year or two ago, you were only eligible if both ears were bad. Good luck, but please don’t just pick up a hearing aid at Costco without having a doctor examine you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Costco has the same that you get from the local stores for a savings of $3500.

Costco has similar HAs to the base-level HAs (similar in price as well as features and brands) at an audiologist's office (generally one generation older, which is still fine). They have skilled audiologists who will set up the HAs but they don't really want to see you come back again and again and fine tune them, as a private audiologist will do. So if you want better-than-base level HAs or if you want an audiologist who will take time to listen to you, adjust your HAs, and continue servicing them for the short and long term, go to an audiologist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The discussion is bending too far toward CROS, when it isn’t known whether OP’s bad ear is really unaidable. That ear could be “nearly deaf” in non-technical terms yet still able to benefit from a hearing aid. Need to see an audiologist. If money is tight then Costco is worth a try. If roughly $6000 wouldn’t be a hardship then Potomac Audiology will give more personalized service. And they do have more brand choices than Costco.

+1

Depends on how bad OP's bad ear is, and how good OP's good ear is. They need an evaluation as a first step. Both a Costco audiologist and a private audiologist can do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Costco has the same that you get from the local stores for a savings of $3500.

Costco has similar HAs to the base-level HAs (similar in price as well as features and brands) at an audiologist's office (generally one generation older, which is still fine). They have skilled audiologists who will set up the HAs but they don't really want to see you come back again and again and fine tune them, as a private audiologist will do. So if you want better-than-base level HAs or if you want an audiologist who will take time to listen to you, adjust your HAs, and continue servicing them for the short and long term, go to an audiologist.

PP here. I like this take. I will say this instead of being wholly anti Costco from now.

[Anonymous]

My father had a profound hearing loss, and my husband wears hearing aids at 45.

You need to see an audiologist. There is no such thing as best hearing aids - there are hearing aids that are best for you, depending on the extent of your hearing loss, the reason behind it, the state of you remaining hearing, how you are planning to use them, and also what you want to get out of your hearing aids (unfortunately, none of them will restore your hearing to the perfect human state under all circumstances).

[Anonymous]

My dad got his HA from Costco and loves them. He’s got standard age-related hearing loss in both ears. I’m in my 40’s and have severe hearing loss on one side. I go to specialists and have the CROS system. Unilateral hearing loss, especially at an age that seems premature for natural hearing loss, needs to be evaluated by a doctor. Often they can’t explain what caused it, but it’s important to rule things out, such as a mass causing pressure in your ear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Costco has the same that you get from the local stores for a savings of $3500.

Costco has similar HAs to the base-level HAs (similar in price as well as features and brands) at an audiologist's office (generally one generation older, which is still fine). They have skilled audiologists who will set up the HAs but they don't really want to see you come back again and again and fine tune them, as a private audiologist will do. So if you want better-than-base level HAs or if you want an audiologist who will take time to listen to you, adjust your HAs, and continue servicing them for the short and long term, go to an audiologist.

PP here. I like this take. I will say this instead of being wholly anti Costco from now.

Costco has top-level models of manufacturers’ previous generation aids. This is discussed extensively on forum.hearingtracker.com.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Costco has the same that you get from the local stores for a savings of $3500.

Costco has similar HAs to the base-level HAs (similar in price as well as features and brands) at an audiologist's office (generally one generation older, which is still fine). They have skilled audiologists who will set up the HAs but they don't really want to see you come back again and again and fine tune them, as a private audiologist will do. So if you want better-than-base level HAs or if you want an audiologist who will take time to listen to you, adjust your HAs, and continue servicing them for the short and long term, go to an audiologist.

PP here. I like this take. I will say this instead of being wholly anti Costco from now.

Costco has top-level models of manufacturers’ previous generation aids. This is discussed extensively on forum.hearingtracker.com.

You are wasting your breath. The anti-Costco folks are just trying to rationalize paying double for aids, 300 bucks for every follow-up appointment, a crappy return policy, a crappy loss/damage policy. Sure - There are times when a private audiologist might be a better choice. But that is generally not the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Costco has the same that you get from the local stores for a savings of $3500.

Costco has similar HAs to the base-level HAs (similar in price as well as features and brands) at an audiologist's office (generally one generation older, which is still fine). They have skilled audiologists who will set up the HAs but they don't really want to see you come back again and again and fine tune them, as a private audiologist will do. So if you want better-than-base level HAs or if you want an audiologist who will take time to listen to you, adjust your HAs, and continue servicing them for the short and long term, go to an audiologist.

PP here. I like this take. I will say this instead of being wholly anti Costco from now.

Costco has top-level models of manufacturers’ previous generation aids. This is discussed extensively on forum.hearingtracker.com.

You are wasting your breath. The anti-Costco folks are just trying to rationalize paying double for aids, 300 bucks for every follow-up appointment, a crappy return policy, a crappy loss/damage policy. Sure - There are times when a private audiologist might be a better choice. But that is generally not the case.

Depends on the audiologist but no, my HAs included all of that for the life of the HAs. Ymmv

[Anonymous]

Costco has similar HAs to the base-level HAs (similar in price as well as features and brands) at an audiologist's office (generally one generation older, which is still fine). They have skilled audiologists who will set up the HAs but they don't really want to see you come back again and again and fine tune them, as a private audiologist will do. So if you want better-than-base level HAs or if you want an audiologist who will take time to listen to you, adjust your HAs, and continue servicing them for the short and long term, go to an audiologist.

There is real value in this post....when I was first fitted with hearing aids at 35, I chose in-the-ear hearing aids. The number of times I had to go back to get the perfect fit was many, not to mention the various visits it took to get the right adjustment for sound. Modeling for fit (technology) has come a long way since then (12 years ago), and it has been great to have an actual audiologist who participates in the ENT office that I go to for a well-rounded hearing medical experience. I wear Phonak (in ear, I'm forgetting the actual phrase, maybe ITC - in the canal). I am hopeful that by the time I get my next pair, they are bluetooth enabled b/c not being able to wear headphones and such has been a disappointment as ear buds have exploded in the past couple of years.

[Anonymous]

My mom had ones from Costco...that she hated and were pricey, and when she lost one it was a disaster. We switched to Eargo, it works great, she tested it at the audiologist and it works perfectly even though it is set up with an app. I would start here and see if it works for you. I think they have a money back guarantee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is a source for prices. I don’t know if it’s accurate, but it’s a start. Check your insurance, it might cover some or all of your aids.
https://www.hearingtracker.com/

Insurance doesn’t cover hearing aids unless the loss is due to injury or trauma. Getting old doesn’t qualify.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is a source for prices. I don’t know if it’s accurate, but it’s a start. Check your insurance, it might cover some or all of your aids.
https://www.hearingtracker.com/

Insurance doesn’t cover hearing aids unless the loss is due to injury or trauma. Getting old doesn’t qualify.

Speak for yourself, mine does. A high deductible plan from Cigna.