Help for Hearing Impairment

Errata

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I know nothing, but ... it may be that because they are so small, you get a remote control to operate them rather than having to fiddle with them in your ears or take them out and put them in again whenever you need to change the settings. That may be the button they are talking about.

Two ear trumpets and a gizmo to lose somewhere in the house? My life is about to become exciting

zaksmum

Errata wrote: »

Much to my utter amazement, the NHS are going to provide me with CIC aids. I was so gobsmacked (the first NHS aid I was offered many years ago was the boom box and cable contraption), I can't remember what make they told me they would be, but they did mutter something about needing a 'button' to hear the telly and phone - which I presume means the CIC aids don't have an induction loop.
Anyone using CIC aids? Any info / tips you can offer will be very much appreciated.

My NHS consultant said these were not available on the NHS and so I had to buy one.

Errata

zaksmum wrote: »

My NHS consultant said these were not available on the NHS and so I had to buy one.

That's a shame, they are in my health area.

buzi

Errata wrote: »

That's a shame, they are in my health area.

what health area are you in?

lozzer90

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

What sort of appeal hearing was this? Where was it held (work / actual court building / somewhere else completely)?

It's not at all uncommon for loop systems to not work, and no-one know how to use them ...

It was a government building it was for my appeal hearing for disability because ATOS said I was fit to work even though ive got arthritis in both hands & im waiting for a hip replacement.
Ive worn aids for 8yrs but to have someone say im not deaf enough to need them is beyond me.(especially when hes not a doctor). My hearing should never have been mentioned it isn't part of my appeal, I just told them the loop wasn't working.
If they have a loop system in place they should be working & they should know how to use them.

Savvy_Sue

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Woohoo! Went to get new tubes and open fit moulds today, and intended to ask where in the 'funding cycle' I was. But the chap asked how I was getting on, I explained I hadn't been able to wear my aid much lately because of the cyst in my ear, combined with the general misery of bad throat / cough / cold etc.

So he said "it's a while since we did anything for you, I'll get you booked in for review, that aid probably needs replacing and we may be able to give you better moulds."

Just what I wanted to hear!!!

Appointment yesterday. Apparently my right ear's improved (and never had much wrong with it anyway), and my left ear's slightly worse. She couldn't see any sign of the cyst in my ear.

I wasn't in one of their soundproof rooms, and we had to stop the test when someone started photocopying on a machine just outside the door: I couldn't work out if the beeps were coming from my headphones or the copier!!!

She put me back on one of the 'open' open-fit moulds to see if I found that more comfortable. I'm not sure yet: despite me asking her to turn the volume right down I think it's still too high for my comfort: I can hear my hair rustling, and DH eating!

And she's also put me on the waiting list for a new Phonak. Not at all sure I'll like that as she says it has no volume control, and I do NOT like things too loud, so they'll have to set it quieter than they'll want to, I know.

Errata

I couldn't work out if the beeps were coming from my headphones or the copier!!!

I feel your pain. I had a test a couple of weeks ago and some of the time I couldn't decide if the beep I heard was from the headphones or tinnitus;)

Savvy_Sue

Errata wrote: »

I feel your pain. I had a test a couple of weeks ago and some of the time I couldn't decide if the beep I heard was from the headphones or tinnitus;)

My 'tester' said that was often a problem, so they have to go over things several times for tinnitus sufferers just to try to be sure which is which!

Hear-Hear

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

My 'tester' said that was often a problem, so they have to go over things several times for tinnitus sufferers just to try to be sure which is which!

If what you say is true, then you need to explain to them the requirements of testing to British Society of Audiology standards. These include ambient noise being less than 30dBA. If the photocopier is being heard, then you can be sure that ambient noise was well in excess of this figure.

As a result, the hearing test results are likely to be compromised, and the hearing aid settings will be programmed incorrectly. That's why the BSA sets the standards. Make sure you ask for a re-test - to the standards set out by the BSA - and have your new aids re-set for you at your follow up appointment.

Savvy_Sue

Hear-Hear wrote: »

If what you say is true, then you need to explain to them the requirements of testing to British Society of Audiology standards. These include ambient noise being less than 30dBA. If the photocopier is being heard, then you can be sure that ambient noise was well in excess of this figure.

As a result, the hearing test results are likely to be compromised, and the hearing aid settings will be programmed incorrectly. That's why the BSA sets the standards. Make sure you ask for a re-test - to the standards set out by the BSA - and have your new aids re-set for you at your follow up appointment.

I'm fairly confident that I didn't actually confuse noise from outside the room with noise inside the earphones, although I was surprised that it wasn't one of those soundproof boxes which I've always been in before. I could hear noise which I knew was NOT in the earphones, and the pitch of some of it was close to the noise in the earphones.

I can well imagine though that if you have a serious problem with tinnitus it could be impossible to distinguish which noise is which, I sometimes 'hear' noises which are like my phone when my phone is silent ...

Actually for adjusting the aids I don't like the soundproof boxes at all. What's right in a soundproof box just doesn't work at all for me outside that box, and I'm actually dreading the new aids because I suspect they'll want to set the volume far too high for my liking!!!