Questions about Hearing Aids

I got those hearing aids that hangs in the back of your ear because those that hide in your ear has a echo problem. You can hear yourself talk, and that would drive me mad. Mine was cheaper too at $1,500 apiece rather than the $3,500 per ear budget allowed from my medical insurance.

I'm still trying to adjust. Tugging at my ears and fiddling with them all the time. Especially uncomfortable when I eat. And when I have them out, often I can still feel that stuffy feeling. Not too happy here.

Yep, yep. The hard part is a) it's to be expected even if it's the most perfect hearing aid on the planet, b) it's to be expected if it's not the right one for you. More adjustments in your future, and I know you've had your fill of those. But it'll end up in a good place. Remember what I said here:

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1180599#1180599

Hugs, though, I know this phase can be especially frustrating.

Thanks for the hugs. I went back and read that, and yes, that's what it feels like. I'm surprised you remember. Anyway, the thing is...these things have a 30-day trial period, so if things aren't better by then, I'll probably try something else. We'll see.

Oh, and we're going to Galveston for Spring Break in a couple of weeks, so it will be "interesting" (I'm being optimistic here) to see how they work out on the trip.

Eva, I'v been very selective on the use of my heareings aids since the first day I got them. I use them only at meal times when I sit with a group of 'friends' or on a cruise where background chatter drowns out more immediate voices. At the beginning, I wore them every day during datytime hours. Used batteries like crazy. Now, I just take them on trips. BTW, I bought hearing aid batteries (#10s) on the net at much cheaper prices.

These use #10s, too, c.i. Do you have a link for your internet source?

Right now, the background noise is often drowning out the "more immediate" voices, as you put it. I wonder if that will change, or if they need to be adjusted somehow.

Also...maybe someone can answer this. I can't always tell where the sound is coming from...no directionality. I spent the weekend at a Boy Scout campout with my son & husband. Everytime I heard a noise, I'd have to do a 360 turn to determine where it came from. Is that normal? Does it go away?

Tell your odologist the problem you're having. They should be able to adjust your hearing aide property to minimize background chatter. I'll go find that link for you on the batteries.

It's hard to say anything for sure because while it could be normal, it could be that the hearing aid is not the best for you. But the background noise thing is very much part of your brain adjusting and re-learning how to process sound. I sure wish hearing aids were like glasses, just put 'em on and bingo, but they're not. (I know you know this, just commenting.)

It seems to me that directionality is also affected by your brain and how it functions, but I only ever had one hearing aid at a time, so I can't answer that for sure. (Have always been deaf in one ear so have been used to doing the antenna thing to try to figure out where the sound is coming from.)

What I'm certain of from my own experience and from my experience with counseling a lot of people as they get used to hearing aids or cochlear implants is there's the pure sound, as amplified and shaped by your hearing aid, and there's what your brain does with it. Unfortunately, since it's way frustrating, brains take a while to make sense of it all. Like a month or more.

Definitely keep talking to your audiologist if you have any concerns, though.

c.i., what's your db loss?

Here's the link to one of the better deals on #10 batts. <shopping.microbattery.com> My chart is hiding someplace in my computer room, but I'll have to hunt it down

[whistling]...................................................................................................[whistling]

cjh, Quit whisling so loud! It's hurting my ears.

That was me and my friend - in stereo.

You didn't need to tell me...

Sorry, it's just that my BIL and his cousin do this to their grandma. Funny but mean.

I went back to the audiologist for a checkup, and she reprogrammed the hearing aids for a more "dynamic" setting (whatever that means.) At any rate, the problem with the background noise being louder than the immediate sounds seems to be solved. Voices are still a bit too metallic-sounding, though, and she said that happens sometimes with this brand. So she is ordering another set from a different manufacturer and we'll see if they are better. She's adjusted these as far as they will go.

A question. Since this last adjustment, the volume seems to be higher. It is so loud it has given me a slight headache. I wonder...are they actually too loud, or is this normal volume and I'm just not used to it anymore and will adjust?

<a drag up the chain, based on BBB's question this morning>

And I never saw the latest question, somehow.

Unfortunately, I think it could be either. If it's too loud, it's too loud. If it's just right, your brain would probably still not process it smoothly right off and so it would need a period of adjustment.

"Normal volume" doesn't quite apply because of all of the variables involved in providing amplication that, in the end, amounts to getting enough aural information. Like, I forget the exact number, but it has to be louder to make up for sound that gets lost through the mechanism. For example, if someone with perfect hearing put in a hearing aid, it would have to be set for a 10 db loss (or something) to provide as much information as the hearing person was getting withOUT the hearing aid.

Time is the main thing there, frustrating I know if it turns out to be the wrong setting after all. That and continuing to talk to your audiologist.

How is it going now?

I've had them adjusted a couple of times since my last post. It seems if they adjust it so it's not quite so loud (headaches are a bad sign, apparently) then the voices are too metallic and the background noise overwhelms them again. <sigh> Yes, it is frustrating.

These may not be the right model. We've ordered another set from a different manufacurer. I'll have them fitted on Wednesday, and we'll see if they work any better.

Thanks for asking! Yes, it is frustrating. I'm sitting out a trip with the boys this weekend because it would have been too problematic for me, dammit. I hate missing stuff.

Yeah, this has to be almost the worst of it. Hopes are high, and it takes so long and with so many setbacks before things level off.

Glad you're being proactive and continuing to try different things. I know a lot of people who just give up and make do with less than optimal aids.

Thanks for the update, hope the next ones work out better for you.