I wonder whether it's the sort of thing where, as your brain gets used to the new input, it will be able to process that input better? I read a book once about cochlear implants where that was true, but I have no idea whether or not it is true with something external like a hearing aid. bayleaf will probably know. *g*
Yeah, there's definitely some adjustment over time, both to the physical "there's a thing in my ear" sensation and to the audio. I also need to try them in more situations -- a big crowded party would be ideal...
They are shockingly expensive, aren't they? But I'm glad you've made the step to try them. My mother once predicted (and dreamed of) a generation that wasn't self-conscious about hearing aids, and this is just a little example of that that makes me happy.
As for their effect, naturally bayleaf would know more, but I gather this is a pretty common reaction to hearing aids, and that your brain and ears will adjust somewhat -- I watched mom take days (or more) to get accustomed to a new tuning -- but if they're not amplifying the right tones to make it easier to hear speech, they might need retuning.
I don't feel self-conscious about them at all -- if anything I wish they were a little bigger, so they could've included a volume knob and an off switch. I think with so many people running around wearing those bluetooth headsets all the time, hearing aids hardly register as unusual.
Shockingly expensive is the word. It's like, yeah, I think they're helping, but are they helping $3000 worth? For that much money I want them to be able to do more stuff -- noise cancellation would be cool, or, like, simultaneous translation or something. They ought to be able to play MP3s at the very least.
real-time translation would be awesome... and for that money, they really should support bluetooth, that would open up all sorts of possibilities.
I never really thought of hearing as being so much more complex than vision, and yet you can go from almost blind to near-perfect vision with a $50 pair of glasses, but spending $3000 for hearing aids apparently doesn't produce the same obvious result.
There actually are bluetooth-enabled hearing aids; I'm planning to ask the doctor about them next week (the things I still seem to have the most trouble with are understanding what people are saying on TV and on the telephone; if I can hook those up to bluetooth transmitters and control the volume for myself, that might be worth some extra money... plus the idea of possibly being able to listen to my ipod through the hearing aids gives me some Nerd Joy.)
That's a good analogy with the cost of glasses; I hadn't thought of it that way. Lenses are certainly less complex than hearing aids, but still I wonder how much of the expense is just because it's a "medical" device -- really all it is is a very fancy pair of headphones hooked up to a miniaturized equalizer; it's really hard to see how the price tag is justified.
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In any event, I am fascinated!
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As for their effect, naturally bayleaf would know more, but I gather this is a pretty common reaction to hearing aids, and that your brain and ears will adjust somewhat -- I watched mom take days (or more) to get accustomed to a new tuning -- but if they're not amplifying the right tones to make it easier to hear speech, they might need retuning.
Best of luck with them!
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Shockingly expensive is the word. It's like, yeah, I think they're helping, but are they helping $3000 worth? For that much money I want them to be able to do more stuff -- noise cancellation would be cool, or, like, simultaneous translation or something. They ought to be able to play MP3s at the very least.
Reply
I never really thought of hearing as being so much more complex than vision, and yet you can go from almost blind to near-perfect vision with a $50 pair of glasses, but spending $3000 for hearing aids apparently doesn't produce the same obvious result.
Reply
That's a good analogy with the cost of glasses; I hadn't thought of it that way. Lenses are certainly less complex than hearing aids, but still I wonder how much of the expense is just because it's a "medical" device -- really all it is is a very fancy pair of headphones hooked up to a miniaturized equalizer; it's really hard to see how the price tag is justified.
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