Q.  Aren’t hearing aids uncomfortable and make lots of squealing noises that other people can hear? A.  It sounds like you are concerned about how hearing aids feel and sound – which are good concerns.  When hearing aids are not fit properly, they can be uncomfortable, and they can create feedback sounds like squealing.  The […]

Q.  Won’t using hearing aids make me look old and feeble? A.  Actually, though it may seem odd, the reverse is more true.  Not treating your hearing loss makes you seem more out of touch and in need of help with repeated conversations.    Each person has their own self-impression and their sense of what […]

Q.  Hearing aids just make everything around me louder, don’t they? A.  No, they do not.   True hearing aids that are custom programmed for you in a hearing center will amplify the parts of certain sounds you miss.  This selective increase in very specific sounds allows you to hear voices much more easily and […]

Q.  After 18 months of Zoom calls throughout the day with my right ear bud in, I notice when I have my routine East Austin coffee at Texas Coffee Traders that my left ear bud is louder than my right one.  Is my right ear ready for a hearing aid? A.  The difference you notice […]

Q.  After playing gigs for almost 20 years, the pandemic dried up my live music playing in and around Austin.  So I recorded and released new songs from home. My friends say the sound levels are off.  Would hearing aids help me create music with more balanced sound levels? A.  This is a nuanced question.  […]

Q.  Why is it that with my new hearing aids on I feel like background sounds are too strong and voices are too weak? A.  Noise stinks!  When you use new hearing aids, it might take a week or two for your brain’s natural noise filtering ability to adjust to the new sounds you hear.  […]

Q.  It used to be funny when I misheard a phrase or word at work or at home.  Now it happens enough that my colleagues and family are aggravated and annoyed.  And I am becoming more embarrassed and frustrated.  Can hearing aids help me? A.  Maybe – to find out you should first consider getting […]

Q.  I have used 4-5 different pairs of hearing aids over the past 20 or so years from a few different hearing centers in Austin. My loss keeps getting worse.  When will I need to get cochlear implants? A.  My practice does not work with cochlear implants, but many of our patients wear one and […]

Q.  About 15-20 of our good friends have a monthly gathering in South Austin.  With all the cross talk and background noise, I have a very hard time understanding people.  Can anything be done to my hearing aids to help? A.  Noise always makes it more difficult to have conversations – whether you have hearing […]

Q.  My hearing center gave me some tools, parts and a lighted magnifier so I can clean my hearing aids myself.  My sight is not very good, even with the magnifier.  Is there some other way to know if wax is blocking my hearing aid? A.  Kudos to your hearing center for giving you some […]