Mid priced hearing aid

Good morning.
Had my appointment with the Audiologist yesterday, and ordered my hearing aid.  There were numerous types to chose from. I'm fortunate that I didn't need those big clunky looking ones since my loss isn't that great.  This is the style we settled on....

It's called an open fit. The main part rests behind the ear, while a small tube comes around and into the ear canal. It's more slim than the older behind the ear types. And you can even chose different colors.
The price? .........    $2400.00.   I knew going in the price could run from about $1600 to $3000 depending on style and hearing loss needs.
It's a good thing I only need one!
The cheaper styles only magnify sound, where as the more expensive ones are actually programmed for your specific hearing loss.
Think of it this way.....
Say the normal ear can hear 60 different distinct tones. And say my hearing loss is affecting 14  tones. A cheaper aid that just magnifies your hearing will increase those 14 but also increase the rest too so your still not hearing 'good'.  But if you just magnify the 14 tones I need, you get better more normal hearing.
So, I go back on the 20th to pick it up. And then there are follow-up visits in case there's any adjustments needed. All that's included in the price.
So that's all I got for today. It's currently raining out, so not sure what we'll do today.

a rude awakening.

Good morning.
We were awakened last night by a loud popping noise, followed by our carbon monoxide detector going off.
Craig removed the carbon monoxide detector from the wall out side the bedroom to shut it off. We checked out the apartment, and couldn't find any reason for it going off. We're not using the furnace yet, and nothing else runs on natural gas. Then we heard occasional beeps from the smoke detector in the bedroom.
Took that apart to find this......

I've never seen a 9-volt battery explode  before. Even the other end is cracked. The explosion must have released some gas that set off the carbon monoxide detector. So we removed the battery, set it in the kitchen sink, and went back to bed.
Never heard of a Camelion battery before. Will replace it with an Energizer. Energizer and Duracell are the best rated and longest lasting batteries. I don't know why anyone would buy cheaper ones. And I think I'll ask the apartment management if they should replace that detector in case it was the detector that caused the battery to explode.
Anyway, The turkey on the grill yesterday  turned out great, along with the acorn squash and fingerling potatoes.
We walked another section of the river trail they completed last year. I need to remember to take my camera when we go out. Now that i don't have a yard, I'll need to find other things to take pics of.  :-)
And this morning is my appointment with the audioligist.
So time to get.

a nice Saturday

Good morning.
I've just returned from cleaning the Salon.
It was a fairly steady week. Reached my average.   :-)
Saturday after work, we drove downtown and walked the river trail. Afterwards, we stopped at the Waterfront Bar and Grill at the Lansing City Market. Had a couple of drinks and took in the Michigan State game.
On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at Horrocks and picked up a turkey breast to cook on the grill today.
On checking the mail when we got home, I received a check from our health insurance company. It was from the 2014 billing year. It was for $3.34.  :-/
Apparently, according to the Affordable Care Act, (Obama care) if the insurance companies don't spend a certain percentage of their premiums on actual heath care, the rest has to be refunded to the subscribers. Blue Cross said their health care expenditures were less than expected, so a refund was in order. Do you think that will keep my next year rates from going up? I don't think so.  But, it's better than nothing!
Today, after our coffee, paper, and walk, Craig will do his book work and I'll give the apartment a quick cleaning.
Tomorrow, I go in to be fitted for a hearing aid.
Not much else to say.   :-)

I have Otosclerosis

Good morning.
I went to the ear specialist at Michigan Ear Institute yesterday, and they determined I have a condition called Otosclerosis.
It's not as bad as it sounds.   :-)
They redid the tests I received in Lansing plus a few more. Apparently the doctors there don't have a very high regard for 'Audiologists' in general.
The resident Dr who first saw me was surprised the Audiologist didn't just recommend hearing aids.
So they were impressed I was referred, and also when they redid the tests with very similar results.
But the Doctors were better able to explain exactly whats going on.
Look at the picture below where it shows the 'oval window'.  That tiny bone right next to it is called the 'stirrup'. That bone is connected to two other bones that then connect to the eardrum.

Well, that tiny bone has lost some of it's flexibility, which means it's not transmitting properly to the cochlea.
It can be corrected with surgery. They make an incision around the eardrum, push the eardrum over to reach the little bone.  Then with a laser, cut out the section of bone that has lost it's flexibility and replace it with a prostheses.
But, the Dr isn't recommending surgery at this time. My hearing loss isn't that great. The surgery has possible risks and unless there's  a chance for considerable improvement they don't want to do it. He is recommending a hearing aid at this point, and retesting of the ear every year or so. We can do surgery if and when it gets bad enough. And It's possible the condition could stay the same. So, I'll be making another appointment with the Audiologist.
And now, I'm off to work.

not normal hearing loss

Good morning.
Well, I went to the Audiologist yesterday for my hearing exam. Here's the results....

 Your hearing should fall in the -10 to the 25 range. My right ear (the circles) pretty much does that, but my left ear (the X's) is all below that.  And of course, I had already new my left ear was bad, that's why I went. But surprisingly, it's not normal hearing loss. The loss is not in my inner ear, but in the middle ear. There's 3 bones behind the eardrum.

Apparently there's something wrong in there. So, I've been referred to a specialist that I'm seeing today. He's in Novi which is about an hour east of Lansing. He will decide if surgery is a viable option. If not, I can get a hearing aid to correct the issue. It would be nice if I didn't have to wear a hearing aid, but I'm not keen on having surgery either. I'll know more later this afternoon.
After the hearing test, we did our usual running. Bank, post office and store. Now that we're living in an apartment, with absolutely no outside work to do, we've been doing a lot more walking.
Sunday, we even went over to East Lansing to walk and stop at the East Lansing Farmer's Market.
And we're enjoying sitting on our balcony and watching the goings on around the complex. With the office/clubhouse across the street, there's always people coming and going.
So liking apartment living so far.
And with that, time to get.