Will my hearing aids whistle?

“Will my hearing aids whistle like my dad’s did?”

“I don’t see why I would spend that much money when I only hear people complaining about them.”

“I don’t want anyone to see them.”

“My neighbor says his are in the drawer most of the time.”

Great questions! It is natural to be apprehensive in seeking a new treatment. I hear these questions and many others in my office on a regular basis. So lets get right to some of the most FAQs about hearing aids.

“Will my hearing aids whistle?”

Hearing aids 5 years ago, 10 years ago and more, were a totally different animal than what we have today. No, your hearing aids should not whistle just because you hugged someone. What is it that even makes hearing aids whistle? Well, it is called feedback. Older hearing aids could have feedback for no apparent reason, and you may have heard that while visiting with an older family member. Hearing aids today have built-in feedback-cancellers to eliminate that problem. Occasionally feedback can be caused by impacted earwax or a sudden weight loss, but a quick trip to your hearing aid provider will correct the issue.

“Why do I only hear people complaining about their hearing aids?”

Not everyone complains about their hearings aids. Most are thankful for them, but we all know that the negative voices tend to be the loudest. Those that are the happiest are just quietly going about their lives not mentioning that they even have them.

“I don’t want anyone to see them.”

They don’t have to be big and visible. I bet you know someone who has hearing aids but you haven’t even seen them! Even if you do need an aid that is slightly visible, you have to think about it like your glasses. A minor inconvenience for a huge life improvement. Take a peek at Levine Hearing’s online reviews to hear about other patient’s experiences. Here is one below:

“My neighbor says his are in the drawer most of the time.”

The person with hearing aids tucked away in the drawer needs to revisit their hearing aid specialist to either readjust them, as their hearing may have changed, or they may have never been fit correctly in the first place. If you know one of those people, send them to me, because my patients wear their hearing aids- and enjoy them!

You can’t alleviate every question and concern until you make the move to try them for yourself. At a hearing evaluation you can try on a pair in the office to get a feel for what your new hearing experience will be like, but you won’t truly know until you wear them home for a few weeks so that your brain can adjust to the new sound.

Wear them out to dinner, watching TV, on the phone and take notes so that when you come back in for a checkup, little tweaks can be made to make sure that the devices are customized for you. You have 30 days to decide whether to keep them, which is plenty of time to give them a good “test drive”. Learn more about What to Expect at Your Hearing Exam on the blog.

What other questions do you have? Leave them in the comments below!

Hi! I’m Madison. I’m a Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist (like my mother). I’m  observing, learning, absorbing and sharing as I become a part of this beautiful South Charlotte Hearing community. I want to know you! So please leave me comments if  my posts are meaningful to you or teach you something new, and feel free to tweet  me at @LevineHearing!