Hearing Aids Report #6 Two Years Later-- A Few Tips and HUMOR 😅😊

You may find it helpful to read my previous articles about life with hearing aids, updates #1,  #2, #3, #4, #5, plus mask-tying advice for avoiding COVID and loss of expensive hearing aids.

pre-bedtime routine
glasses and hearing aids

It's hard to believe that over two years have passed since I first got my hearing aids. My audiologist had sent me out that day with them in my ears claiming that there's no gradual getting used to them, but to be honest it did take me quite a few months. During those first few months I returned to the clinic for quick visits, help, different size domes etc. Also, I'd go days without wearing them and find them uncomfortable by the end of the day.

I can't say exactly when things changed and wearing them daily until bedtime became routine. Of course, I wasn't under a lot of pressure to rush it, because I do hear, though not perfectly. Generally I don't put them in until I'm leaving home, or if I need the Bluetooth in order to listen to things when I'm not alone.

One of the The best thing about wearing hearing aids is no longer interrupting people with "What?" or "I couldn't hear that."

A few weeks ago I made an appointment at the clinic where I had bought my hearing aids to see if there had been any changes in my hearing. The audiologist who helped me then had be promoted to head a different branch, so I had someone else. She tested my hearing and adjusted the hearing aids to their new requirements. No complaints.

Our healthcare provider gave lots of choice in places to get the hearing aids but first required an exam by an ENT and a proper hearing test. Every three and a half years we, here in Israel, can buy a subsidized pair.

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Following are a couple of funny things concerning my life with hearing aids. My hearing may be faulty, but not my sense of humor. What do you think?

Has this happened to anyone else?🙃 Tell me in the comments.

1-I sat down by the computer in the den after being in the kitchen and suddenly realized I didn't have my phone, though I could hear it through the Bluetooth. 

So I went back to the kitchen and looked all over. I couldn't find it. 

My husband decided to be helpful and "dialed" me, but of course that didn't help, since the ring is via Bluetooth. I heard the ring through my hearing aids.

So I took out my hearing aids and opened the battery case to turn off the Bluetooth. 

Suddenly sounds came out of a cabinet. Yes, I had placed my phone in a kitchen cabinet. I took it out,  turned my hearing aids back on and returned them to my ears.😉

2-One morning my phone refused to make any sounds. I tried everything, turned it off. Restart didn't help. I psyched myself up to prepare for a trip to someone for repairs. 

Before leaving, I took my hearing aids to insert in my ears and... discovered that I hadn't turned them off before going to sleep. There wasn't anything wrong with my telephone's sound. The sound had been going into the hearing aids which had been in their box. The only thing I hadn't tried was to turn off the Bluetooth. 😏

Never Say "Never," Happens to Us All

“ Emergency Room ”

Well, that's me under that blanket photographing the Emergency Room of the Jerusalem hospital Shaare Tzedek. That's the same hospital where I gave birth to all of my Israeli born kids. OK to be more accurate, the two eldest were born in the old building on Yaffa Street between Machane Yehuda and the Central Bus Station. 

For years I'd been bragging that I subsidize most everyone else in terms of health spending. As a senior citizen, the government pays for basic healthcare, and in addition for more services we pay extra each month. Rarely do we use any of them.

Besides getting a hefty subsidy on my hearing aids, just a few months ago and basic periodic tests and vaccines, I've had no need to take advantage of Israel's excellent healthcare. Think of me as a "cheap date." That is until barely a couple of months ago...

My chronic cough suddenly morphed from a bad cold, runny nose to breathing problems. I began to panic and contacted a daughter who lives just a quarter hour away. She took me to our local clinic where suddenly the entire staff joined in to get me ready, with IV port in my hand in case needed, for an ambulance ride to Shaare Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem. Strapped into the wheeled stretcher, breathing oxygen and Ventolin, watching a screen showing my "vitals" I hadn't a clue as to what awaited me. 

Three days of rest and tests, extra oxygen plus...

Each night I slept in a different room- first a "private room" in the Emergency Room "annex." Just a year or two earlier these rooms were for isolating COVID patients. Now lucky patients like me waiting for space in the wards are assigned rooms. Doctors and nurses visited from the various wards.

Second night I was in the "Waiting Room" of "Internal Medicine." My daughter managed to convince them to give me a window spot in the six-patient "holding area." From the looks of the other patients, I was in some advanced Geriatrics ward. This was reinforced when the following morning an aid asked if I needed a "diaper change." Really, I couldn't have made such a thing up! It didn't help that I was given a "soft meal," as if toothless. Considering that I love the crust of bakery bread and still chew bones...

Dawn from my window in 
Shaare Tzedek Hospital, Jerusalem

Thankfully, that afternoon I was transferred to a nice room for two with a roommate younger than most of my children. Soon after that, a lung specialist MD came in and told me that my oxygen levels were acceptable and I no longer needed to be "hooked up."

"Get up, and walk around" she ordered. That was really good news.

After that I couldn't be kept down, thank Gd. But I had been  labeled "asthmatic," and the staff kept asking me about my oxygen supply/equipment at home. They had taken for granted that I have a history of asthma, which I don't. 

Finally, three days after entering Shaare Tzedek I was released, though with a supply of inhalers plus some fizzy pill to attack that cough. I think that my return home is best posted as Baile Rochel. So stay tuned...

Finally leaving Shaare Tzedek thanks to their great care and 
also my local Kupat Cholim Leumit Clinic 

Hearing Aids Report #5, Just Because The Battery Works Doesn't Mean It "Works"

You may find it helpful to read my previous articles about life with hearing aids, updates #1,  #2, #3, #4, plus mask-tying advice for avoiding COVID and loss of expensive hearing aids.

For many reasons, I've really been enjoying my hearing aids, and not only because I hear much better. I love the fact that Bluetooth streams music, lectures, phone calls, etc. directly into my ears, and I can also control the volume and check the battery percentage via a simple Oticon app on my cellphone. At least I was able to do it until a week or more ago. 

Suddenly one day after I replaced a dead battery the phone and hearing aids stubbornly refused to "pair." I tried everything I could think of, following the advice on the Oticon app, including turning on and off the phone, Bluetooth, WIFI and putting in fresh batteries.

About batteries...

Just when I got my hearing aids I was offered some unused, though old hearing aid batteries of the same size, but an expired date. I showed them to my audiologist who said that as long as they're clean I can use them:

"They may not last as long as new ones, but they won't damage the hearing aids."

That was good news for me, since they didn't cost me anything. And not long after I got those, someone else offered me a few packets with a much later expiration date, also for free.

This morning when my left hearing aid began that "all out of juice" tune in my ear, I replaced the battery with the very last one of the "expired" ones. Before reinserting it in my ear, I noticed that the "light" hadn't gone on. So I opened and closed the battery yet again. Still dark. So I opened a card from the newer batch. You can see the card in the photos above. 

Again I replaced the battery, but this time with new one. My phone had been on the table with the Oticon app open. Imagine my surprise when suddenly I saw it announce that phone and hearing aids were pairing. Quickly, I replaced the other hearing aid's battery with a new one, too, and like magic, the Bluetooth connection had come back to life.

Such a relief. I feel grateful and also dumb. Shouldn't I have thought of that solution much sooner?

Hearing Aids Report #4 Data Usage Warning aka Good News-Bad News

You may find it helpful to read my previous articles about life with hearing aids, updates #1, #2, #3 plus mask-tying advice for avoiding COVID and loss of expensive hearing aids.

It has been awhile since I've written one of these reports about living with hearing aids. You probably thought that I had figured it all out and written all that's important; I sure did.

Recently my phone has been nudging me with these Data Usage Warnings, and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I hardly use any apps, just one game, which isn't very addictive. I even changed "providers" hoping that would help. It's now saving us money, thank Gd, but the warnings retuned.

I began to suspect that the "good news," one of my favorite things about using my hearing aids could be the cause. So I went to the phone shop that had recommended the new company and told the helpful young man working there that I had one of my "dumb questions." 

"Could my use of Bluetooth to hear my phone straight into my ears via the hearing aids be using up all the data?" I asked him, hoping/praying for a negative reply. 

I really enjoy being able to hear things clearly and not bothering others. Well, you probably guessed it. The "bad news" was that my suspicion was correct. The Bluetooth uses up a lot of data. 

Next year when I start negotiating with a "provider" for our cellphone service I'm going to have to try to triple the usage in the deal. 

And to think I had to replace a wonderful phone just because its Bluetooth wasn't compatible with my hearing aids.

Hearing Aids Report #3 Be Prepared & Not Cheap

 

Hearing Aids case & batteries

You may find it helpful to read my previous articles about life with hearing aids, updates #1 and #2, plus mask-tying advice for avoiding COVID and loss of expensive hearing aids.

This post will have three topics, which I hope you'll find helpful. The first topic concerns us hearing aid-wearers all.

Be Prepared

As per Murphey's Law, one of the first times I left the house wearing my hearing aids, figuring I wouldn't be gone long, and since I wasn't far from home, I didn't take the kit with spare batteries. Yes, I got the battery model and not the rechargeable. That's what was recommended for Sabbath observers, since a new battery is supposed to last longer than a newly charged hearing aid. 

Obviously you guessed it. Almost half the time I was out, I was forced to listen to low-battery-warning rings in stereo. Since I didn't have my case with me, I couldn't take them out, either. But the good news is that even as they kept nudging that it's time to change the batteries, they still magnified the sounds. I should have at least checked the battery percentage which can be done pretty simply on my phone. Yes, they're connected via Bluetooth. Volume can also be adjusted very easily on my phone.

Hearing Aid Expenses

After purchase of course, which I'll talk about later, I have to buy batteries. They can certainly add up in terms of expense, and as I noted above, they rarely last as long as you were counting on. I asked around and was told that it's cheapest to buy them in large quantities online. Just as I was about to bite the bullet and put in my first order, one of my sons told me that he found a whole bunch of packs in a home he was renovating. The former owner has no need any more... Once we ascertained that they're the same size I need, he passed them on to me. I checked them out with the audiologist, who said that even though their date had passed, they seemed OK. He also told me what to look out for as a sign to throw them out. So now I'm set for the next few months.

Facebook Hearing Aids Support Groups

When I had my third meeting with the professional who tested and fitted my hearing aids he mentioned that I'd probably enjoy being part of hearing aids support groups on Facebook. Some are even specific to the brand Oticon, which I have. I quickly whipped out my phone and opened Facebook. Then I searched "Oticon hearing aids support," and suddenly there were a slew of groups to join. There aren't too many notices per day. Usually I ignore them after a quick read, and sometimes I even chime in with some advice. Hah! Me the expert! But to be totally honest I'm shocked at what American have to pay for hearing aids, thousands of dollars in many cases. People even get second hand hearing aids, which I find pretty sad, frightening and pathetic. 

Here in Israel we're all members of a "sick fund," and once we're recognized as needing hearing aids, they highly subsidize one pair every three and a half years. I paid just a few hundred dollars for the pair. And I have friends who got theirs for nothing from special "funds." They were new, not second hand.

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I hope this has been helpful and am looking forward to your responses in the comments. Hoping to hear from you....

Hearing Aids Report #2

I guess everyone knows by now that I sport hearing aids. A couple of weeks ago I wrote Report #1, so now here's Report #2.

The deal here in Israel is that we "try out" the hearing aids for just over a month. If they are disastrous we can return them and won't be charged. During that time we are scheduled for a couple of appointments to help us with the hearing aids. 

A couple of weeks ago, when I really wasn't feeling comfortable with them, I was given an extra appointment. I kept the one for today which I had scheduled earlier on, and I'm glad I did.

At my first Medton-Hedim appointment I made sure that I could ask for extra appointments whenever I felt the need. That was one of my conditions for choosing them over the competition. And BTW there's lots of competition. I'm sure that some of the other places also give good service, but not all work with my kupat cholim, sick fund. I chose them, because a neighbor recommended them, and I trust his judgement.

Today my main question concerned what I felt was the short life of the batteries. I had been expecting them to last much longer. As we discussed my use of the hearing aids, it ends up that my favorite thing, listening to music, Torah classes etc. is what uses lots of battery power. It may be worth using my old headphones sans hearing aids at various times. The Bluetooth headphones are easy to charge.

I was wracking my brain to think of something else to report when I felt the hearing aids sort of "moving around." They don't always stay in my ears properly. So I mentioned that to the technician. He quickly took a look and said:

"You may need larger buds/tips/plugs/domes." 

So he took out a different size and replaced the ones I had been using. He was right. They are better. They stay in place, so I hear even better than before.

Honestly I was surprised, but I'm glad that the staff knows their stuff. 

There was no need to make another appointment, though I was told that I'm always welcome to call and they'll fit me in.

Hearing Aids Report #1

 

I've had my hearing aids for almost a week, but I must admit that I skipped wearing them Friday and Shabbat. 

In all honesty, the first few days I wore my hearing aids, it was a relief to take them out at night. My ears had begun to hurt. Besides that, I had to keep checking where they were. I had discovered that they had "exited" where they should have been. Of course, bli eyin haraa the part with the battery was still behind my ears and under my scarf.

Friday morning I had gone to swim in the Ariel Pool and forgotten to insert earplugs. That's another new routine I must adopt, earplugs for swimming to keep my ears dry. So I just decided to take a break from the hearing aids. On Shabbat there was no real need to wear hearing aids. My study group was "cancelled for corona," and I haven't been to shul for almost two years. We also didn't have guests. My husband speaks loud enough. Besides that on Shabbat I can't turn off and on hearing aids, so they'd use up a lot of battery power. My ears definitely needed the two day break.

Sunday mid-morning I reinserted my hearing aids, and my ears felt better, though they still seem to pop out, though less. I made an extra appointment for tomorrow to check them out. One of the reasons I chose Medton Hedim is that they had promised I could nudge as much as I felt I needed.

Besides all that, you want to know:

Do I really hear better with my hearing aids?

1. I keep lowering volume when I have them in, the tv, my phone...
2. Suddenly I hear strange sounds. For some peculiar reason when my husband takes something from plastic bags from the kitchen, and I'm in the den, I hear what sounds like someone's grinding glass.  And even worse are the sounds that come out of his phone. I can't make out what's being said, but it sounds louder than the television. And this is when I'm in a different room.
3. 
   
   Inexplicably, one battery finished before the other. Due to the "magic" of Bluetooth communication before the hearing aids and my phone, I was notified that the left one was about to go "empty." So I changed that battery for a new one. So now the left is full, and the right at half.
4. Pre-hearing aids I always had to make the TV louder or I couldn't understand what was being said. I'd ask my husband: "Can you really hear that?" And he'd answer "Yes." Suddenly this evening I saw him grabbing the remote and pressing volume. "Are you really making it louder?" I asked in shocked surprise. He was, so I guess my hearing has improved.

Do you have any questions for me about my experiences with hearing aids? If so, please ask in the comments.

Better Mask-Tying Makes Better Protection

 

I'm not exaggerating to say that a very high percentage of those who wear masks as protection against catching of possibly inadvertently infecting someone with COVID corona wear their masks so loosely that they are almost totally useless.

Even those whose noses are covered, sometimes wear their masks very loosely. One weak sneeze and it's gone. There's another problem with loose masks, fog. Yes, since there's no real barrier between one's nose and glasses, for those who wear them, especially in cool weather we find our glasses fogging up.

And using the elastic behind the ears can be be quite problematic. Earrings and even hearing aids can get dislodged and disappear. 

Now that I've joined the hearing aids set, I have to be very careful in how I wear my mask. I now tie the mask with a long shoelace or jersey yarn from my crocheting projects.

I find this the best way to keep my mask on. It's not all that difficult to do. 

Experiment.

Let me know of your successes.

Hearing Aids All The Rage With The Senior Set

I've been enjoying multifocal glasses which double/triple as sunglasses for a number of years, and now I've gone "hi-tech" with hearing aids. 

If you look really, really carefully you can see a pale wire entering my ear from under my scarf. 

After too many years of saying "What?"  "What? I cant hear you." or missing out on important information or just tuning out, since what's the point....

Yesterday I finally got hearing aids. As I type this, I'm in shock that my gentle taps on the keyboard actually make noise. It's a whole new world out there for me. Since I got home, I've been lowering the volume on the television, my cellphone etc. 

Last year when I sort of mentioned to my doctor that I thought my hearing had badly deteriorated she disagreed, since I could hear her. But this year I insisted. So many of my friends who seemed to hear much better than me have begun wearing them. It was embarrassing at people's homes having to raise the volume on their TV's. Now I can easily raise or lower the volume of my Oticon hearing aids via my cellphone. 

To be approved for hearing aids and a subsidy to cover much of the cost, I needed a hearing test which I did in a clinic in Ariel University. Then I needed to be examined by an ENT Ear, Nose and Throat specialist to make sure that my hearing loss wasn't due to a curable illness. Finally I went to the Jerusalem branch of מדטון הדים Medton Hedim. It had been recommended by a neighbor; there are many different places I could have gone to.

At Medton Hedim I had a more detailed hearing test plus a talk with the "technician," or whatever he is. Then my Kupat Cholim, sick fund had to approve their subsidy. I paid much less than the "real" price. The subsidy is for a pair of hearing aids every three and a half years. Then I can get new ones if needed at the lower price. I paid less than I had paid for my latest multifocal eye glasses about a year and a half ago. They had also been discounted by the sick fund.

Yesterday was the day. I was taught how to insert the hearing aids and care for them. I set up the app on my phone to control the volume via Bluetooth. There's a lot to remember. Just like after getting new glasses, I was told to keep them in from now on except for sleeping, bathing, swimming etc. Of course there's a follow-up appointment in a couple of weeks, and I can always call to ask questions.

When I left the office, I was amazed by the sounds I hadn't been hearing. Then I went by lightrail to the other end of Rechov Yaffo to buy earplugs in the Speedo store. The good news there was that my points --really thanks to friends who use my membership when buying in the Ariel Pool branch-- covered the price of the earplugs. 

Next I have to get another new phone, because the Bluetooth in the one I bought recently isn't compatible with my hearing aids. One of my descendants will certainly enjoy that recently bought phone.

The joys of growing old....

New Hearing Aids Help

I guess I shouldn't have taken such a close-up.  This picture isn't very clear.  My father got new hearing aids.  I had been very cynical, doubting as to whether it was worth the investment, since his previous ones didn't seem very effective/helpful.

But as time passed since his old ones broke, I could see the strain of trying to hear what people said causing a depression.  Since my father has been living with us in Shiloh, we have visited HaOzen a few times, and that's where we went for the new hearing aids.  They recommended a model with the mechanism behind the ear and a transparent plastic insert in the ear.  As you can see from the picture, it's barely noticeable and even less noticeable when he's wearing his usual "baseball cap."

The only problem with these new ones is that he can't insert them, remove them or see them.  And of course, there's no way he can change the batteries.  I have to do all those things.  They are among the new skills I've learned since bringing him home to Shiloh.

We no longer have to shout, and the television is at a normal volume.