Sorry if that's a bit flippant. But I did want to suggest that if you didn't have any luck abating your tinnitus with an aid a friend of mine with chemo related tinnitus got some relief with hypnotherapy (paging Andrew Collins!). Best to choose someone who also has conventional medicine/psychology credentials apparently (there being no reliable professional body so I'm told) but maybe worth a punt?. Oh and don't worry about friends or family - they'll soon get used to whatever you decide, and if you can improve your standard of living then go ahead. Doesn't Pete Townsend wear them? And, erm, not just for 'research'...
Good luck Junior.

You can´t, just use a condom.

Sorry?

I do wonder what the big thing is with hearing aids. Sight and hearing both deteriorate with the passing of the years. For some reason, a hearing-aid is seen as a marker for terminal decrepitude. We are happy to wear our glasses but a hearing-aid must be very small and discreet lest anyone know our guilty secret.

Men are also crap at being deaf. I've got numbers of patients who have become profoundly deaf with the passing of the years. The women adapt; lots learn to lip-read instinctively. The men don't. You watch them become gradually more lost and confused as they try to muddle through. Go with the advice of the audiologists, Junior.

a man who wears a hearing aid. He takes it on and off like someone who wears reading glasses. Granted he is the type of "couldn't give a fuck" character who carries it off but it is something we are all used to and to be honest is never mentioned. I don't notice when he has it in, they have certainly moved on from the one my dear old Nan wore 30-40 years ago. Good luck with your choice you literally have no need to suffer in silence.

I am a music lover and and I AM DEAF.

How can that be? You ask. Noise isolating headphones are a godsend.

I could probably write pages on my personal deafness issues, but I'll try and keep it brief. When family and friends try to convince you that you don't need hearing aids, ignore their advice. Your audiologist knows best. From experience, family and friends are in denial and subconsciously don't want to be seen with the imbecile. (The outdated perception of 'deaf and dumb' still carries some weight)

If you feel confident enough to wear hearing aids, do it and hope you have an employer who is understanding and supportive of your hearing loss and won't treat you like the office dunderheid. (I've probably got one of those 'personal tragedy' bestsellers in that story. For another time, maybe!)

Deafness can be a debilitating disability, but with proper support and a positive attitude it need not be.

Good luck.

(Hope this wasn't too downbeat for a Friday morning)

Top end has gone in both ears, same profile as described in the original post - like a cliff. Same symptoms - not hearing clearly on occasion, especially if people talk quietly etc. Specialist linked it to 30 years teaching in bare concrete science labs with scraping stools, squealing kids etc. I have hearing aids for both ears. They are digital, behind the ear with moulded ear pieces in the ear. Mine have three settings - normalish, telephone and directional. They are set up to boost top end, so not surprisingly change the way music sounds to my unaided ears. Don't wear them all the time, don't wear them to listen to music (use controls on amp/ipod whatever), but when I need to hear people talking it makes an amazing difference. Don't give a toss whether people notice them or not, but then I've worn glasses for ages so am happy to be terminally uncool and geeky.

for some really useful info and inspiration on this topic. I have pretty bad tinnitus, but wonder whether music would still sound the same with an aid, might just check out the options.

noise isolating heaphones. My dad has had tinnutus (ex-power station engineer) and is now also getting progressively deaf-we tried him on the Bose Quiet Comfort 2s and he tells us they make a huge difference in listening to music-we are delighted.

He has to wear them without his hearing aids because of interference, the newer model 15 is supposed to have lower interference afaik.

He has also been using wireless headphones for many years for the TV, and now uses the subtitles on Sky, DVD etc.

Deafness runs in our family. My left ear is pretty dodgy, I think as a result of having a dental suction-pump running near it for the last twenty years. Lots of my mates in the game suffer similarly. I struggle big-time to hear conversation when there's high background noise - even in a busy pub. The solution? Earplugs. They filter out all the background racket. Even in noisy gigs, I can hear people speaking at normal conversational volume. Odd. You do look a bit of a tit down the pub if you've got the big yellow buggers sticking out of your lugs but a decent pair of proper ones are much more unobtrusive. You just have to remember to take them with you.

I was born with genetic hearing loss due to my Mother being very deaf but coped through school and early work career until about the age of 28 whenI moved to an open plan office and couldn't ignore it any longer. Went to see an audiologist for a test and was devastated to be told I would need hearing aids in both ears. Like you low end okay top end crap. I was stunned when they showed me what they looked like as I thought it would be a big banana behind each ear but these digital aids went right into the ear canal and couldn't be seen unless someone looked into your ear from the side.

The difference was astounding if not quite distracting as everyday sounds that others put up with became a huge issue as it was sounds I was not used to. Birds singing, traffic noise, computer fans all became things that distracted me, some out of interest some out of annoyance. You do however get used to the aids and I certainly wouldn't be without them now some 12 years later and wish I had had the confidence to do something about it while I was a boy as I can see now I did struggle on with bad hearing with family, friends and even Dr's saying my hearing wasn't that bad. I also now see my hearing loss as a benefit as I can now switch off everday annoyances that most put up with and it is sometimes a pleasure to go into a silent world. I can have conversations with people without them as I lip read and do hear if I'm looking at them.

My advice is go for it Junior, as it will make things easier for you and technology is now amazing. I had a loan hearing aid of the sort you described with the thin wire going into the ear and with most things it was fine. Don't let them tell you it cuts out background noise in pubs so you can hear conversation. They don't, pubs and large gatherings are just a rabble and it is difficult to concentrate on conversation in that situation.

With regards to music I take mine out at gigs as as I find it gets too loud and can hear just fine without them. In ear hearing aids however mean you can't use earbud headphones with them in so that means if you are out and about with ipod you need over the ear headphones and I think folks look daft walking down the street with them on. Other problem I find is that European ipods have their volume restricted and I find that a pain even with volume full up. Listening to music in the house however on the radio, stereo etc with the hearing aids in allows you to hear little details in the music you probably miss and can be a pleasure once you get over the initial feeling that everything sounds metallic with hearing aids. That feeling soon goes as you quickly get used to them and sound returns to normal.

Sorry to ramble on but it is something I have experience of and my advice is go for it and you won't look back. My bet is also that like me you will soon enjoy being able to take them out to enjoy some silence from time to time.