Listen Up!
Caring for one of a modeler's most important senses
by Ward Van Duzer
What? What did you say? I didn't hear you.
Does the preceding seem familiar? It does to me. Many of us in this hobby/sport are aging and have been exposed to damaging noises throughout our lives, including Combat, Team Race, Pylon Racing, Dynajet Speed, etc.
I was a jet-aircraft mechanic in the late 1950s. It was cool! I got to work on F-86 Sabres and F-84F Thunderstreaks. The bad news is that there was no ear protection, and I've had hearing issues since then.
I'm certainly not deaf, but I do need the volume turned up. (And I talk too loud!) When my wife started wearing earplugs while we were watching TV, I figured it might be time to do something.
But what do you do, where do you go, what's good, and what's not? You might have heard that getting help for hearing loss is an expensive prospect. Will your insurance kick in? Mine does.
Isn't that Dick over there, wearing a tiny hearing aid behind his ear? Ask your friends. You probably haven't noticed some of them wearing the new little digital devices. Your pals can help you get started.
I talked to several buddies who told me that they were never happier than when they made the move to hearing aids. They no longer have to tune out of conversations or pretend they are listening at the field because they are only getting half of what's being said. They no longer have to whisper to their spouses, "What did she just say?" Why do we resist this so much?
I finally made a move when I saw a local newspaper ad for a hotshot super "Hearing Aid Expert" who was going to be at the hearing aid store on Saturday and to call for an appointment. I did. He told me that I had a fungus in my ears and that he wouldn't even test my hearing until I got it cleared up.
I want to point out that the advertisement was for an "expert"—not an "audiologist." What's the difference? A hearing aid expert/specialist is licensed in some states to perform hearing tests and prescribe hearing instruments. His or her training generally includes continuing education courses and seminars in hearing sciences.
Until 2006, becoming an audiologist required six years of college-level education with a master's degree, one year of externship, and passing a national exam. Now the minimum is seven years of college-level education, a doctorate degree, one year of externship, and the national exam, for a total of eight years.
I didn't realize that there was a difference, but I know whom I want working on my problem!
In my ignorance, I went to the "expert" ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor for a look. She told me I had no fungus—just some loose, dead skin!
"But my audiologist is in my office today, and she'll test you [no charge] if you want to get it done," the ENT doctor told me. "Why not?" I thought. "Let's get on with it."
Painless? For testing, you are placed in a soundproof booth and given a pair of earphones. This is where the audiologist plays various tones at different volumes to determine which pitch ranges your ears are deficient in hearing. I was fine in the lower ranges, but my hearing fell off drastically in the higher pitches (such as female voices). You are also read a series of words to determine how well you can differentiate sounds including "s" "f" and "th." All of this is done because the new digital hearing aids can be programmed to your specific problem(s). Those old, clunky hearing aids were mostly just amplifiers stuffed in your ears.
Although some of the newer devices are pricier than the old ones, they are far more versatile. They can be reprogrammed if your situation changes or if they are not quite right for you.
Next I went to the ENT doctor's audiologist's office (the next hearing aid store), who had a hearing aid to show me. There was only one brand, and of course it was top of the line: $4,000 a pair. And yes, I needed a pair.
She plugged the device into her laptop and programmed it for my issues. Then she placed the unit behind my right ear and adjusted it. Wow, what a difference!
Ward: Why didn't I do this ages ago? Let's try the left ear.
Routine field activity and hearing safety
Routine field activity can be deafening. Low-idle starts are considered safe for the ears. If you're hanging around several running engines, consider wearing ear protection.
Novice helicopter pilots should keep their machines at safe distances from themselves and others. Doing so makes it easier to hear alerts from other modelers at the site.
Audiologist: I only have one sample. Ward: Huh? Okay, but how about the number-two machine in the manufacturer's lineup?
Each manufacturer typically produces many models in three categories, according to features and pricing: Economy, Middle-of-the-Road, and Super-Duper. Do I really need the most expensive one?
Audiologist: I can order one of those for you next week. Payment in advance will be $3,000. Ward: But I just want to try it here. Audiologist: You have 30 days to return it. Ward: Thank you, have a nice day.
I'm not paying cash for a Chevy after test-driving a Cadillac.
My third attempt to obtain a solution to my hearing problem was when an audiologist from a large local shop attended a civic club meeting to explain his business and his products. He did a great job of explaining what to expect from each price range of hearing instruments and the variations among brands.
He said that some brands do a better job with different problems than others. Based on your personal issues and your lifestyle, he selects the best device for each person. The higher-priced units are normally better at discerning variations in sounds and have the ability to program them in or out. If you are the type who only sits at home and works on your computer, the economy unit would most likely be fine.
However, if you are outdoors, attending meetings, or going to restaurants where there is a lot of background noise, you'd be better off with the higher-priced spread.
I took my written test results from the second store to the third hearing aid store.
As I was sitting at the audiologist's desk, I noticed 10–15 machines sitting on it. That seemed like a good thing.
After a short interview, the doctor recommended a machine that would best suit my situation and showed me a sample.
Ward: Okay, let's try it. Audiologist: Oh, these are only empty samples for you to look at. We can order one [I'd have to prepay] and have it in by next week. Ward: Have a nice day.
If you are getting the feeling that I wasn't real happy with the hearing aid store treatment I had been getting, you're right. Somehow I thought I was going to be treated as a patient—not as a customer. And I felt like I was being treated as a dumb customer. Don't most stores you frequent maintain an inventory of products?
I know that state law says I have 30 days to return the product if I don't like it, but have you ever tried to get an overpayment from a doctor's office?
By this time, I was so frustrated that I headed for the Internet. There I found the HearingPlanet website's digital hearing aid buyer's guide. It may sound hokey, but it contains everything you ever wanted to know about hearing and a lot of stuff you probably never considered.
Look around on this site, and you'll become educated. If you decide that the people who run HearingPlanet know what they are doing, fill out the online application. Yes, I was skeptical at first.
From there, you will be assigned a personal assistant to guide you through this hearing aid-buying process the right way. That person will follow up on your experience and the site's recommended doctors to make sure that you are satisfied. Did I mention that this service is free?
HearingPlanet's services feature:
- Offices that work with multiple manufacturers.
- Fully accredited audiologists with great testimonials from many existing patients.
- Audiologists—not commissioned salespeople.
The audiologists earn the same amount of money from each sale, whether it is a high-end unit or a lower-priced hearing aid. Therefore, they can choose what is most practical and appropriate for each patient. HearingPlanet's hearing aids are considerably less expensive than those at comparable hearing aid stores because of the site's bulk purchasing power.
Soon after you sign up, you'll receive a phone call from your HearingPlanet "helper." After a short interview, he or she will give you the names of recommended audiologists in your area.
The person I chose had her doctorate in audiology. She completely retested me and gave me a video otoscope exam (which I'll come back to). My doctor had dozens of working machines that she could program for me, and I was able to listen to the results.
My doctor tested me with my wife's voice on specific words, sounds, and situations. I underwent amazing, real-life testing, and I was there well more than an hour. There was no wham-bam, gimme-your-money from this doctor.
If it did look like I was heading for the high-priced spread because of my active lifestyle, do you remember that otoscopic test I mentioned? It is a video exam of the inside of your ears and how they react to various sounds. You can watch what's going on in your ears on a TV screen.
The doctor determined that I had considerable earwax buildup on my eardrums. This prevents the drums from vibrating as they should and, therefore, transmitting the sounds to your brain. Holy smokes!
My doctor gave me the name of an over-the-counter product—the Debrox Earwax Removal kit—to use for a week to clean my ears, and then I was to return for another exam. The product is available at most popular drugstores.
As it turns out, men are more prone to wax buildup as they age. For some reason, the amount of hair on our heads decreases and the amount of hair in our ears increases, trapping the moist wax. That is why my doctor suggests that men who are 60 and older have their ears checked every six months, to be proactive.
I have been subjected to no pressure to buy a hearing aid. Oh, and no more Q-tips allowed! The little pads push the wax deeper into the ear, potentially causing this problem.
Hearing Better? Amazing! By the end of that week, my TV volume had gone from 53 to 27. My wife doesn't yell at me anymore; she hasn't taken her earplugs out of the drawer since I used the ear-cleaning kit. And now I can hear the instructions from my caller at the field.
Yes, I still have hearing issues, but you can see how this rare but simple problem confounded all the other issues. None of the other hearing aid experts or audiologists even guessed that this was the problem. I'll probably go for the hearing instruments when needed, but for now I'm enjoying my new ears.
Ward Van Duzer [email protected]
Sources
Ward Van Duzer 11114 Bullrush Terr. Bradenton, FL 34202 (941) 907-4188
HearingPlanet (800) 432-7669 www.hearingplanet.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
