Got my first set of hearing aids today.

Sun2Retire said:

Wow, that's even more than I thought  . People are just going to have to speak up for awhile longer

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One word, COSTCO.  They have hearing aids starting around 1500 dollars for a pair.  Name brands like Phonak go for around 2500 a pair.  Best hearing aid deal next to the VA.

Jeff, mine are MicroTech and cost roughly the same as yours. Included are lifetime batteries, checkups, evaluations, and a 30 year experienced Au.D, CCC-A, F-AAA doctor.
Love COSTCO but not for this. It is what it is. I simply can't put a price tag on tinnitus relief.

Mine are COSTCO  Phonax with the blue tooth add on . They have worked great for the last year and I like the way the phone works for me now.  $2800 for all out the door.>>>Dan  In a noisy room I can touch a button and all sound disappears except the one I'm talking to..

BinaryBob said:

Jeff, mine are MicroTech and cost roughly the same as yours. Included are lifetime batteries, checkups, evaluations, and a 30 year experienced Au.D, CCC-A, F-AAA doctor.
Love COSTCO but not for this. It is what it is. I simply can't put a price tag on tinnitus relief.

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I get it. Again, these are on a trial basis. They were programmed based on my test results. And they're rechargeable. She did give me backup batteries just in case.
Volume control with a push of a button and Bluetooth access via iPhone if I choose.
It's only money!
My only concern is the crickets....the noise is greatly reduced but I can still hear it if everything is dead quiet.
Did it remove the crickets totally for you Bob or anyone?

Alpena Jeff said:

I get it. Again, these are on a trial basis. They were programmed based on my test results. And they're rechargeable. She did give me backup batteries just in case.
Volume control with a push of a button and Bluetooth access via iPhone if I choose.
It's only money!
My only concern is the crickets....the noise is greatly reduced but I can still hear it if everything is dead quiet.
Did it remove the crickets totally for you Bob or anyone?

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Unfortunately, no magic bullet for that.
For me, it's greatly masked but not gone. Dead quiet is definitely noticeable.

BinaryBob said:

Dead quiet is definitely noticeable.

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I miss dead quiet  :-\

I don't think it is possible to eliminate the crickets entirely. The are generally removed by something like white noise balancing.

BinaryBob said:

Love COSTCO but not for this. It is what it is. I simply can't put a price tag on tinnitus relief.

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so can you explain the tinnitus relief?  How does that work?

I understand that most of the time there is no cure.
but
Do they work sorta like active noise cancellation, putting an opposite frequency sound in the ear?
or is it just amplifying the ambient sounds louder to 'overpower' the tinnitus?

I'm 51 and have had noticeable tinnitus for several years now.  It's more of a steady high pitched tone....not a whistle exactly, and certainly not like crickets...
I blame it mostly on the chainsaw my dad had, the screws wouldn't stay in to hold the muffler on for anything so we'd just run it with no muffler...and of course no hearing protection.  Of course I did a lot of stuff that would affect it.  Started wearing hearing protection in my first job out of college (paper mill) and have worn religiously since.  before that, nothing....shooting, mowing, driving with the window down and the tunes cranked, motorcycles, wood working, and all sorts of stuff. 
I'm convinced that even with protection, I have some loss from my days in paper mills and sawmills, and flying general aviation airplanes, etc...

Mayo did a study about 3 years ago, testing a daily supplement of magnesium (just the 100% dose). I commented to my audiologist that I saw the study had terminated a little early and I assumed that meant something positive. He said nothing earthshaking, but they did feel that they had either noted some modicum of improvement, or at least no further worsening. I asked him what he thought, he responded "I now take magnesium every night".

blw2 said:

Do they work sorta like active noise cancellation, putting an opposite frequency sound in the ear?

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Bingo ;D

blw2 said:

Do they work sorta like active noise cancellation, putting an opposite frequency sound in the ear?
or is it just amplifying the ambient sounds louder to 'overpower' the tinnitus?

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My audiogram looks like a parting of the Red Sea. I blame Pink Floyd... ;D
My understanding, is the tinnitus overpowers your ability to hear the higher frequencies creating a significant hearing loss in (usually) the upper Hz range. (The tinnitus masks the upper range).
The aids are programmed to compensate for that by amplifying that specific Hz with whatever ambient noise around you. So with dead quiet the aids are of no help.

For me, Black Sabbath, Zep and guns.
Had I known....prolly wouldn't have mattered!

I made my living many years ago as a motorcycle drag racing engine builder/tuner (with open pipes) Then of course the 33 years as a pilot/mechanic,,,,that did it.. They call that a Profound loss.>>>Dan  (when I take off the aids,,YOU DISAPPEAR!!

Got my Oticon aids from VA. Flight line work did ears in. They work great. No problem in restaurants or groups.  Truly a life changer.

I got mine in Feb.  Got tired of the wife and grown kids asking me if I heard them.  I told them I heard noise but couldn't understand words.  Anyway, mine go on in the morning and I take them out late afternoon for a shower.  I'm glad I got them.  I do agree with a statement someone said about silverware and dishes "slamming" on the counter.  I do like that I can stream music from my Iphone to the aids and I listen to music to mask the crickets.
Good luck to any and all who are just starting.

I was quoted $5K each.  I need a pair real bad so I guess I should go to Costco.

I highly urge anyone who's a Vet to go to the VA.  They picked up the tab for mine a couple of months ago.  I got the receiver-in-canal type, and even though I keep my head shaved, they are hardly noticeable. 
Tinnitus for me from loud engines, F4 fighters, and Pink Floyd.  Still noticeable, but highly improved.

Seon said:

I was quoted $5K each.  I need a pair real bad so I guess I should go to Costco.

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Take a look at hiHealth Innovations...

Seon said:

I was quoted $5K each.  I need a pair real bad so I guess I should go to Costco.

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I bought mine used for $1000.00 from an audiologist, he replaced the speakers that go in the ear canal. Mine are Phonak Smart lll BTE, and he programmed them for my hearing loss. I was afraid of losing one of them when I golf so I bought another set off of Ebay for a couple hundred and took them to my audiologist, he sterilized them, replaced the buds and programmed them for me for $80.00. The Smart lll have been around a long time and have old technology but they work for me. I've had them now for about 5 years, but to tell the truth I don't wear them much since my wife died last year. I can hear my dogs bark without them, sometimes too good.  I do wear them when I go out most of the time, but do forget sometimes. I only had my  audiologist program them with one program, because I wanted to be able to turn the volume up and down with out buying a  remote control. I do turn them down some times when going to some noisy restaurants, when I don't want to hear what they are saying the next table over. ;D .  The BTE aids are very comfortable for me, but was worried I might lose one, haven't yet. I always thought aids just make everything louder so I never wanted to try them. My wife wanted me get some because she got tired of me asking huh, and having the TV so loud it was uncomfortable to her. Even if you DON'T WANT to spend several grand, go to an audiologist and ask if they have any refurbished ones, might surprise you.