First appointment ever at aged 57

Welcome to the forum! When you made the appointment, if you told them it was because your hearing has been getting worse, they probably will do a hearing test. Expect them to speak words (for speech recognition) and play tones of varying volumes & pitches, all via headphones in a soundproof booth. They’ll ask you what problems you have noticed. Also they’ll look in your ears, they’ll probably do a bone conduction test, and maybe one or two other things. Most likely they will then sit down with you and talk it over, explain the test results, and make recommendations. The latter could very well be hearing aids, and expect them to explain which type they think will work best (receiver in canal, or behind the ear with a sound tube, or completely in canal, etc.)

Be sure to ask for a copy of your audiogram. That way if you have to shop elsewhere, you will have numbers to compare with tests administered at any other place. And you can post the results here and ask questions, of course; knowing those results will help the forum members understand your situation (everyone’s hearing loss is different).

Thank you for your responses! I feel better now and will update with what happened at the appointment.

I would make an appointment at Costco. You get a 180 day trial with full refund if your not happy with the result. As long as you return them within the 180 days. Plus domes, adjustments and batteries. Good luck on your new hearing journey.

I am 58 now and had my first appointment at 57. I tried Costco, a small, locally owned chain of hearing aid stores (but with no degreed Audiologists) and a center with 5 degreed Audiologists. The center with the Audiologists did the most complete testing and they were the most thorough and the best equipped, but they were also the most expensive – and by a lot. I was very impressed by the care I got at my local Costco. It was between the other two. Everyone involved recommended essentially the same thing – Phonak P90’s or the Costco clone (which is no longer available). Prices ranged from $1500 at Costco to $7200 at the center with the degreed Audiologists. I am glad that I tested out all the options. I am also glad I went with Costco.

Congrats on getting an audiogram. Hearing aids should help quite a bit. You have good word recognition scores which means your brain can still make sense of the sounds. You don’t have a typical loss which might make getting a good fit more challenging. Costco is a reasonable place to start. You might ask if anybody has experience fitting reverse slope losses. Keep us posted. Good luck!

That’s what my understanding is too. A reverse slope loss. I have trouble with low sounds and other sounds. Thank you!

Thanks! I got a membership at Costco online this afternoon and will call for an appointment in the morning. A bit nervous.

Thanks so much! I am calling in the morning.

The appointment should be informative. If they don’t tell you how much time to allow for, ask. It’s not a quick appointment.