Hearing aids for the first time - I'm worried!

Thanks to all the information and advice given here, I've got an appointment to go back to Specsavers to have the wax in my ears removed by suction and then be re-tested for the hearing aids. But the person I spoke to on the phone told me about a way to use olive oil to soften wax without its making me more deaf for days on end - she recommended Earol. It is fabulous! It gives a small measured dose of olive oil into my ear, doesn't make me deaf and has stopped my ears itching! I hope this is useful to others with issues with wax in the ears.

I was having lunch with some old school friends. Someone mentioned hearing aids and it turned out that I was the only one without one! No one thought it a big deal.

Have been trying to read up on hearing aids, bit sad ? and wish I didn’t have to as they are for DD who is only 34

I was given hearing aids via Specsavers. I am sensitive to silicone and was told if you can't tolerate silicone you can't wear hearing aids. Not true. I found out that if you go to an audiology dept at a hospital they have anti allergenic tubings. I have a hearing test booked and have to get my ears checked at drs in week preceding test. Then hopefully my ears won't itch! I didn't know about the railcard.

My son had a problem with his hearing, tried drops, they didn't work, tried to get a doctors appointment but that would be at least over a week. As he'd been suffering for over a week he went to have the wax removed by suction. Absolutely delighted, had both ears done, I think it was about £70, (charges might be different depending on the company you use) for both but what a difference!

I have one in my left ear. I adapted to it very quickly. I'm hardly aware that it's there, and few people noticed it - not that it matters. You will feel the benefit. Family members had noticed that I needed the TV turned up. Now I also feel more confident in company because I don't have to ask people to repeat what they'd said, or act as if I'd heard! Good luck!

When I first went to the Doctors about my hearing he suggested I use oil to soften any wax ,then go back in a couple of weeks to have ears washed out. Lovely warm feeling , and then see how hearing was for a couple of weeks.If no better get back to him and he would refer me to hospital.Got sorted there in no time at all,definatley NHS all the way.

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Do'nt go private ,you'll pay an arm and a leg for them. I have NHS ones and can honestly say they are fantastic. I had no trouble adjusting to mine,oh what a difference they makGood luck.

I've had my NHS hearing aids for nearly a year now and I love them. There's nothing to worry about. The world will be a lot louder when you first wear them - I notice traffic by the front garden, can hear the cat mewing and the clock ticking. The radio and the telly have been turned down a few notches. They're great, go for it and don't feel worried or embarrassed about them. You practice using them in the clinic. You'll get used to putting them in/taking them out and caring for them. Good luck.

@janeA. Thank you. I was unaware of private clinic clients being able to get a DPR.

The difference as far as I can remember between private and NHS is about a millimetre in size. Definitely worth trying NHS first.

I have NHS ones for high register hearing loss (old age in other words) which was making my tinnitus seem louder. I met someone who’d paid £2000 for hers and they were virtually the same.

I decided that since I wear specs there was nothing wrong with hearing aids so painted tiny flowers on them with nail varnish. The downside of having very short hair is that the aids are more vulnerable and I lost one when it caught in my scarf half way up a mountain. It cost £50 + VAT to replace it.

It took a while to get used to being able to hear distinctly again, it sounds tinny at first, and I do take them out sometimes, such as on planes, where there is a lot of background noise, and do try to remember not to wear them when swimming!

thanks for posting this. I have just had a hearing test which showed significant hearing loss in one ear and minor hearing loss in the other, and now booked in for a scan at the ENT in the hospital. I am worried because I have very small ears - I often find earplugs too bulky. Also, I wonder what the difference is between the NHS ones and the private ones?

I have worn hearing aids for some years. Many of my friends didn't even notice them, although I have short hair.. They are the type that loop over my ear, with a part that goes inside.
I wouldn't say that my hearing has improved 100%. I still have some trouble if I am with a group of people, with a lot of background noise. However they have made a huge difference to my life. You need to persevere with them, though. They feel strange at first. If you have problems, go back to the audiologist to have them adjusted. Don't just throw them in a drawer. I felt very self-conscious when I first got them, but quickly adapted.
I know several people who are somewhat deaf, or whose sight is poor, but they are too vain or embarrassed to get help.

When I started going deaf(ish) and then suffering some attacks of vertigo, I thought about getting my ears syringed. Went to the chemist as last resort and she suggested Otex. It has not only oil but something to float the wax to the surface where it can be gently wiped away with a tissue. You don't need to dig in your ears, and you shouldn't anyway. Give it a whirl, you may not need anything else doing.

Meanwhile, the TV is a bit louder than my children like it, and when the GC have used the Playstation headphones we need to turn the volume up again, but no need for aids yet.

I have worn nhs aids for twenty years. I trust our nhs audiologists as they are not selling a product. Hearing aids are very cheap to produce so I wonder why we are conned into paying so much for “private” hearing aids. Are we comfortable with so many of our services being outsourced? What will we do when our precious nhs is completely lost.

I have two NHS hearing aids - magic. Not difficult to get used to at all. Just keep wearing them, they really make a difference. I did have to have new moulds made as I was allergic to the acrylic. It's all about perseverance. Lots of luck for the future.

I have had hearing aids (NHS through Specsavers) for about 2 months now. I had was in my ears and my GP said that had to be addressed before they would accept me for a hearing test as the reading would be all wrong and it might appear I had a hearing problem when in fact it was the wax. He gave me drops and then my ears were syringed at the doctor's. Specsavers were fantastic and I was given the hearing aids at the first consultation set at the lowest setting as unfortunately at that time anything higher made me feel sick, probably hearing noises Itnhwdnr heard in years, lol. There was a follow up call in 2 weeks to see how I was getting on and a more or less immediate appointment to have them turned in fully so I could adjust them. I find them difficult in crowded places or where I am near heavy traffic but can hear beautiful birdsong again, every bite of music and one to one conversation is now bliss. I have nearly lost the one several times, have one funny ear and if I wear them constantly I do get an Itchy ear so take them out when I am on my own. Just to for it.x

Just a bit worried re all this advertising for hearing aids. Especially, "you need two". It seems a money making game. I am 78 and can hear extremely well and worked in a noisy factory at one time. My friend is 82 and certainly doesn't need one. I do wonder about these hearing tests.

When I worked in the factory we had them regularly. Problems, if any, were flagged then. We did not wear hearing defenders either.

I've been wearing NHS hearing aids since 2002. It took a time to get used to them but well worth the effort. Initially they irritated my ears and also the world seemed to be a much noisier place. That was because I was hearing things that I hadn't been hearing for years. It does all settle down. I have a programme for noisy environments and a telecoil setting which is truly brilliant. My main advice is you have to persevere to give your brain time to adjust to all the new information that it is receiving. Good luck!

My problem is TV. I can hear the news and documentaries its the mumbling actors in drama's and films who were it not for seeing their lips move could assume their lips had been stitched together.

Here the hearing tests and prescription of hearing aids has been outsourced to Specsavers and Boots (not sure if that's just in Bucks?) I chose Specsavers and got private aids as they showed me the NHS aids were much bigger and bulkier. I used them while I was still working (only had hearing loss in one ear due to an old untreated ear infection but still had to pay for the pair, very expensive!) My GP thought they would be good for my tinnitus which they were. However my tinnitus has almost gone since retiring so I don't bother with them now - having perfect hearing in the other ear, they mainly helped pinpoint direction of sound, which was more important at work. I am puzzled by references to altering sound levels etc. though - mine were set by computer and was told never needed to be adjusted by me? I did mention to my GP that I was not really offered the NHS aids and he said he would look into it as that was not really what Specsavers were supposed to be doing - I just thought it was unfair on people who could not afford the cost of over a thousand pounds.

GrannyBettie - Private Hearing aid wearers do qualify for a DPR and this includes the person accompanying them.

I have been thinking that I needed a hearing test but when I saw the Dr he looked in my ear and couldn’t see the ear drum because of wax. So I have an appointment for syringing but in the meantime It seems I have to soften the wax. Bought some stuff from Boots as it claims to do away with the need for syringing so we will wait and see. Once it’s all done then the Dr will look at whether I need a hearing test. Feels like my ear wants to go pop.