When running those tools --- Protect your hearing!

I now have hearing aids. I knew I had poor hearing but did not know how bad it was.

When I was maybe 7 or 8 years old a family visit resulted in a show and tell and maybe 1 or 2 shots of a very big pistol.

Of course no hearing protection was used. Ears rang for days and I learned years latter that I had lost a lot of high frequency hearing especially in my right ear.

I have said for many years ( like 40+ ) that I do not need hearing aids.

Well I finally looked into it and got two hearing aids. They do not just amplify, they frequency shift, moving some of those high frequencies I do not hear down a little lower where I can hear them.


So far I learned

our light switches click. Velcro makes a lot of noise when you rip it open. No kidding I maybe heard 1% of the noise it makes before.

Paper makes noise when crumpled - I have never heard paper crumble for at least 50+ years.

Can hear my Wife without her yelling.

Flushing toilet really surprised me first time how loud it is.

My key ring makes noise when I shake it.

Last 5 or 6 keys on piano make a sound other than a clunk.

We got a new microwave a year or so ago. I thought it was odd it did not ding when finished. Guess what, it does.

Computer keyboard clicks when key hit.

My clog shoes make noise when I walk across floor.

I have a bluetooth connection to the TV - straight to the hearing aids. I have never heard TV so clear before.

Should have got them 20+ years ago but I was not old enough.

When using tools they have a button on them to turn them down. Loud tools of course, turn them off and use hearing protection.

So -- Protect what hearing you have. It will not be getting any better on it's own as you age.

yup, alot of companies never prompted you to wear hearing protection and the shooting of fire arms wasnt included either so now the ringing never stops and the volumn on the tv keeps getting lower.. but another bad thing about the aids is they dont stand water or dust.. and if your outside doing what outdoors do your gonna get them wet and if your a wood worker they will gt dusty so mine is in the closet for when i really need it.....

I also (now) wear hearing aids. Mine came from the VA. Unknown to me - until about five years ago - when I retired from the Marine Corps, my medical records were flagged "30+% hearing loss with bilateral tinnitus." (too many big guns and jet engines) Of course, I already knew I had some hearing loss, and the ringing in the ears has been constant for about forty years, but I didn't know I'd been 'earmarked.'

Anyway, a couple years ago I filed an Agent Orange claim with the VA for my skin cancers and my Type II Diabetes, and along with all the other stuff, they evaluated my hearing and gave me a pair of aids. They even provide my batteries, ear cups, etc. A great deal, to be sure!

What a difference! I've experienced virtually every sensation that Pete has, and it's a wonderful thing.

larry merlau said:

...bad thing about the aids is they dont stand water or dust.. and if your outside doing what outdoors do your gonna get them wet and if your a wood worker they will gt dusty so mine is in the closet for when i really need it.....

Click to expand...

I wear mine about 16 hours a day - every day.

I wear them outdoors, but due to all the skin cancers I've had, I nearly always have a wide-brimmed hat on, so the aids don't (usually) get wet.

I wear them in the shop, too, and haven't had any problems with dust. I do use the cleaning brush on them frequently, though. Also, if I'm going to be doing anything noisy (routers, etc.) , I either remove the hearing aids or else cover them with the earmuff type sound suppressors.

A good safety tip for everyone Pete and I'm glad you've found such an improvement in your life. LOML has been hearing impaired since she was a small child so I am on the other end of some very interesting conversations .

Me: "Do we need to get bananas while we're at the store?"
Her: "No kidding!?! When did you find time to drive a Ferrari?"

I must confess I put her hearing aids in every now and then for fun. Its like having SUPER hearing. Seriously, I can hear her rub her finger tips together in the next room! Freaky.

I am always surprised to find that there are still folks out there who run their shop vac, route a quick profile or fire up their lunchbox planer without hearing protection. Anyone who reads this forum should know better.

I feel sorry for the poorly trained in the construction industry. There is always some form of building going on at work. One project is a new 800 bed student housing / parking structure. Obviously the range of tools and machines employed is pretty wide (and loud). You can spot the pros from the hacks with ease; those that know better have plugs in or muffs on when working in a loud environment.

I know I work with machines that can damage my hearing. I want to protect my hearing. I wear hearing protection. Seems so simple doesn't it?

Well Pete, I'm glad you found a new lease on life. You really don' know what you've missed until you "hear again". I recall when I first received my hearings aids laying in the hammock when it dawned on me how noisy it was. I could suddenly hear the leaves rustling in the trees & the birds singing. Wonderful music indeed!

My hearing assistants came with (2) sound channels & a "phone" channel to choose from. I had the audiologist change the phone option to a 3rd sound level which I call my "eavesdrop" channel. Very little gets by me now!

However there is a downside to wearing these "hearing assistants" as I like to call them. And that is: I wear them all day long except for when I'm using my woodworking tools & when I sleep. When sleeping I have to wear ear plugs because my wife snores. So, I have to wear something in my ears almost 24/7.

What?, Say again!, Still can't hear you...That phrase was uttered all the time by my grandpa. He couldn't hear anything the first time you said it...my dad needs hearing aids now too, but hasn't done anything about them...gonna point this thread out to him. I've got so much better wearing plugs or ear muffs since my daughter started to come out to the shop on occasion, but lots of damage has probably already been done.

For me, I like to listen to music or the tv when I'm in the shop. I've got a set of those 'work tunes' earmuffs that pick up via radio. I also have a little FM transmitter connected so that I can play the radio through it, or the tv audio.

Now I don't really watch the TV, but I do like to listen to the races on weekends in the shop.

So that makes it pretty easy for me to remember to put on the ear muff when I'm out there.

The combination of standing in front of very loud music amplifiers, working on construction sites, and shooting guns without hearing protection has taken a toll on my hearing. I find that I miss parts of conversations, especially in a noisy environment. Sooner or later I suspect I'll end up with hearing aids, but for now, I do try to protect what I have left. (Although I'll admit I don't wear protection when running the shop vac or dust collector in my shop. I'll have to check the decibel levels of those next time I use them.)

I'm usually coughing so loud from not wearing a dust mask, that I drown out any other loud noise
Seriously, though great reminder! I'm sure I could use hearing aids as I'm another from that age where if it isn't loud it's not rock & roll, that along with not wearing any protection while I was a tanker in the Army, has I'm sure, taken it's toll. The only time I use protectors on a regular basis is when I'm running the planer, that machine could put shame to some concert venues

Ken Cook said:

...the planer, that machine could put shame to some concert venues

Click to expand...

Back in the '70s I played lead planer for Wishbone Ash and Fleetwood Mac.

Vaughn,

Get a very bright tail light. You cannot lead any planer than that.

I have spent thousands of dollars on hearing aids. I do not wear hearing aids. They let me hear all sorts of things that I cannot hear without them (tearing paper, velcro, etc.). However, they do not make speech any clearer---and that is what I wanted them for. I am still a definite, "say that again" person. My hearing of speech is not horribly bad, just a lot worse than I would like it to be. Speech of any type that is presented electronically is really bad. Movies are impossible. TV drama is usually impossible (the news is recorded much better than drama and I do very well with it). The telephone works, however it takes a fair amount of, "say again." For all I get, most children may as well speak Japanese. Women with high pitched voices are almost as bad as children.

The above paragraph should tell you: If you want to understand your grandchildren, wear hearing protection now. If your kids or wife have a higher pitch voice, you are not going to understand them unless you protect your hearing now. If you enjoy TV, protect your hearing now---it won't protect you from the hearafter but it will let you enjoy your TV until then.

Enjoy,
JimB