I had no idea...

[Downeaster]

how deaf I was!

Picked up my hearing aids from the VA today. Holy Frijoles!

I know we have a few retired military and veterans here, I surely do hope your local VA clinic is as cheerful, helpful and efficient as mine was. Totally opposite of everything I was told to expect.

 

[kshansen]

Not a vet here but my brother is and he seems to have nice things to say about the local VA.

I think it's like a whole lot of things, most are good but the few bad apples get all the attention.

Glad you have one of the good ones to deal with.

 

[azman857]

I've been getting yearly vision checks and my glasses for years and earlier this year my hearing aids. Every visit has been a positive experience. I go to the VA here in Tucson.

 

[motormike]

After the wife turned to the dark side and her shrink said she got married for all the wrong reasons... I get booted... heck, what's 26 years anyway..... so I used the VA for several years before the new and improved Mrs. B. put me on her insurance. No complaints.. good service... Recently had the ears checked.... left one just helps hold my glasses.... Ear doc ask'd if I was in the military a long time ago. ( 90mm recoilless rifle.. not the noise, the concussion ) Seems based on the scar damages he was able to determine the inquires dated from years ago and he recommended I visit the VA.... So next week I make a appointment and see what they can offer.

 

[650Skull]

When i first got my hearing aid i could hear the grass crushing under foot when walking over the lawn.........

 

[jetmechmarty]

My dad gets high tech hearing aids from the VA. They’re free to him. He won’t wear them. He tortures my mother with the TV cranked up loud all day long. It’s hard to talk to him because....
Anyway, my wife is not a veteran. She’s hearing impaired. The last hearing aids we bought were $9,000 and my insurance does not help with that. She’s due for new ones. She uses them. I hope I never need them because I’m not a protected veteran. I have to buy mine.

 

[Mailman]

I have hearing loss also, mostly high frequencies. I have a great deal of difficulty hearing conversations if there is a lot of background noise, for instance I went to a family birthday dinner at a restaurant once and the restaurant was noisy. Everyone was chatting away and I couldn’t hear a word of it.
For me though the worst part is the tinnitus,
It is relentless and at times maddening. I always wear ear plugs when riding, there was a time that when I put ear plugs in, all I heard was silence, now all it does is intensify the ringing!

 

[Jim]

Went to the VA here in KC about 6-8 yrs ago, Not for medical reasons but because out of the blue they asked for additional documentation on my disability pay that I'd already been receiving for over 20 yrs.... complete deafness in my left ear ironically. Anyway, the place was an overcrowded mess. 3 days later I came down with the flu... go figure. Ain't been back since.

 

[Downeaster]

When i first got my hearing aid i could hear the grass crushing under foot when walking over the lawn.........

Yeah, I walked through the back yard under the big Maple tree and the leaves were deafening! Driving home, I could hear my nylon windbreaker rubbing against the upholstery. Who knew?

I've known I needed hearing aids for a long time but like a dummy, didn't take the time to get evaluated right after I retired and $7000-$9000 out-of-pocket wasn't going to happen. (You can get a pretty nice motorcycle for that kind of gelt!) Getting service connected 30 years later took a little doing.

 

[Downeaster]

Went to the VA here in KC about 6-8 yrs ago, Not for medical reasons but because out of the blue they asked for additional documentation on my disability pay that I'd already been receiving for over 20 yrs.... complete deafness in my left ear ironically. Anyway, the place was an overcrowded mess. 3 days later I came down with the flu... go figure. Ain't been back since.

Damn, Jim, that sucks. I hear the VA Hospital down in Augusta (120 miles away) is like that. That's one reason I didn't do anything earlier. The "local" clinic in Bangor (60-ish miles) is actually nicer and more efficient than my PCP's office.

 

[xjwmx]

Went to the VA here in KC about 6-8 yrs ago, ...3 days later I came down with the flu... Ain't been back since.

That shit changed in 2016, and not because of any former vice presidents

 

[RustiePyles]

Not a specific VA location, but I was SUPER surprised at how fast my disability claim was processed. I put it off for quite a few years because I didn't want to deal with the VA after hearing all the horror stories. But my claim was processed and finished within 3 weeks. Apparently hanging out in main propulsion engine rooms around giant marine diesel engines is not good for ones hearing. Who'd a thunk it?

 

[jetmechmarty]

I have over 40 years of screaming jet engines in extremely close proximity. It's been a few years since my last test, but I believe I still hear perfectly for someone my age. I was always good about protecting my hearing.

For those of you new to hearing aids, those bothersome noises you're listening to will move back into the background after you wear the hearing aids for a while. You have to wear them full time and your brain will handle the task.

 

[Downeaster]

For those of you new to hearing aids, those bothersome noises you're listening to will move back into the background after you wear the hearing aids for a while. You have to wear them full time and your brain will handle the task.

Yup, the Doc emphasized that point a couple of times.

Initial thought on Day 2 is that I may want them turned down a notch. On our walk this morning, cars and trucks passing on the road were uncomfortably loud. I'll give it the full break in period first tho.

 

[jetmechmarty]

Yup, the Doc emphasized that point a couple of times.

Initial thought on Day 2 is that I may want them turned down a notch. On our walk this morning, cars and trucks passing on the road were uncomfortably loud. I'll give it the full break in period first tho.

Yes, based upon what I know from having a hearing impaired wife, you need to leave them alone and wear them from the time you wake up until you go to bed. Once your brain handles the noise you don’t want to hear, you’ll know if they need adjusting.

 

[GLJ]

Just called the tinnitus help line....

But, it just kept ringing.

 

[Downeaster]

That's not tinnitus, that's the "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee of Freedom!"

 

[azman857]

I can't remember when I didn't have ringing in my ears. Living near jet airports. Unmuffled Cox .049 airplanes. Being a fighter aircraft crewchief for 20yrs. Still living near an Air Force base... Oh yeah, riding and wrenching motorcycles..

 

[Downeaster]

Well, here it is nearly a year later.

Had a little incident just now that illuminated just how much I've come to depend on my hearing aids. Got a phone call while I was in the shower that needed to be dealt with. Wife was trying to relay the message to me and practically had to yell to make herself understood.

Of course, some of that was background noise from the shower, but even after I got out I had to hold up the "wait a minute" finger and put them back in before discussing the phone call. Hard to believe I was really that hard of hearing all those years...

 

[Kevin Werner]

how deaf I was!

Picked up my hearing aids from the VA today. Holy Frijoles!

I know we have a few retired military and veterans here, I surely do hope your local VA clinic is as cheerful, helpful and efficient as mine was. Totally opposite of everything I was told to expect.

Stepping into this thread late, sorry. Our news inputs told us how bad the "VA" was with the various "attrocities in the news". Thankfully some unfortunate incidents (or worse) painted the whole of the VA system with a broad brush. I take a friend to many of his appointments 1 hour away and he has always recieved exceptional and timely care. My care and treatment too has been what I thought was top notch. You gotta temper MY input because I have not been a healthcare consumer for most of my life. Annual check comes every six or ten years for me.