He had surgery a couple of years ago and the anesthesiologist told me that hearing loss contributes to dementia because the person is not getting enough input into the brain. When I told my husband that he agreed that he would look into it but never did.
This year he kept putting it off because he needed surgery on one of his eyes.
I have been nagging him about it because I want him to have a better quality of life.
After agreeing to get his hearing checked, I made an appointment with an ENT doctor. First, he had to have a hearing test by an audiologist and then the doctor would meet with him to discuss the results. We found out that he has severe loss in one ear and moderate loss in the other. But they said it would cost $100 to have another appointment with the audiologist to discuss hearing aid options.
We decided to wait and see about going through the VA for hearing aids. Consumer reports said that the VA was the best place to get hearing aids. It took several attempts to finally get someone from the VA to tell us that he has to file a claim for hearing loss and that we need to submit evidence. Of course, this could take months (or years?) to get approved.
So, I suggested that he get his first pair of hearing aids from Costco because quality of life is so important. He could get them sooner and start getting used to them. Meanwhile, we will continue to pursue the VA claim and if it ever gets approved, he could get his next hearing aids through them.
The Costco appointment was made quickly and when he arrived for the appointment, he was given his hearing test. Then the audiologist gave him a pair of hearing aids to “test drive” around the store. It was amazing to see my husband’s face light up as he heard sounds that he hadn’t been able to hear before. It didn’t bother his ear and it didn’t weigh as much as he thought it would. So, he agreed to get a pair. They were $1600 which included 3 years of insuranHearingring aids are not taxed either. They ordered him a pair and he will pick them up next week.
It was interesting to know that it would take 3 days for his brain to get over the strange sound in his ear and that it would take up to 3 months to feel comfortable with them. My husband also needs to read aloud to himself at least 10 minutes each day for his brain to relearn how to hear letter sounds. His hearing loss has caused him to have some speech-reception problems that he has to overcome.
I’m so excited for him!
No comments:
Post a Comment