Help for Hearing Impairment

Snapelover

I treated myself to some Phonak Audeo V BTE hearing aids last September and boy am I impressed, very discreet compared to the hideous out of the ark aids you get on the NHS with those very uncomfortable and unsightly ear moulds and the available settings are fantastic. :j

Anyway, my question is that I am looking for some wipes to clean the ear moulds with. My husband advised not to use anything with alcohol in as they wear away the plastic over time. Something is a handy tub for use at home and also some separate sachets for when I am on the go.

I

Snapelover

cairndog wrote: »

My son-in-law has suddenly lost hearing in one ear. After 2 GP appointments and being told it's probably congestion he was getting nowhere and saw a private ENT consultant. This man told him he should have been given a short hearing test by GP and given anti-viral drugs and a course of steroids straight away. As this didn't happen he said it was worth trying this anyway so he's on them now. They've also done an MRI to check there's nothing else, results in a few days.

But he is completely depressed by all this and the tinnitus seems worse than before the steroids. Normally very placid and reasoning man, he's not coping. Trying to be the usual happy dad and hold down an increasingly stressful job. My daughter is trying to get info on the net and help as much as she can.( looked at BTA site )

Is sudden hearing loss common? Has anyone had a similar experience ? As grandparents we feel sad for them but helpless.

After many years of suffering from various problems, i.e. Labyrinths, vertigo, nausea, sickness, I eventually lost hearing on ear. I was fitted with a BAHA. The final straw came when I started having problems in the other ear.

I was so concerned that I would end up losing the hearing that I visited my GP three times in a week, not interested. I eventually took myself off to ENT emergency at the nearest hospital and was admitted and given steroids but I eventually lost the hearing.

I am most certain that if my GP had taken note and given me steroids when I first went to see him that I would not be wearing bilateral BTE hearing aids today.

I am very bitter as I loved music, in fact everything that you need your ears for I miss so much. Yes, hearing aids allow me to hear but it is just not the same.

Savvy_Sue

Snapelover wrote: »

I treated myself to some Phonak Audeo V BTE hearing aids last September and boy am I impressed, very discreet compared to the hideous out of the ark aids you get on the NHS with those very uncomfortable and unsightly ear moulds and the available settings are fantastic. :j

Anyway, my question is that I am looking for some wipes to clean the ear moulds with. My husband advised not to use anything with alcohol in as they wear away the plastic over time. Something is a handy tub for use at home and also some separate sachets for when I am on the go.

Bit surprised you weren't given any information at the time: there's a generic leaflet here, and I'd expect your supplier to be able to point you to suitable wipes.

Alternatively there's a whole pack of supplies here, but not many wipes in it.

cairndog

Snapelover wrote: »

After many years of suffering from various problems, i.e. Labyrinths, vertigo, nausea, sickness, I eventually lost hearing on ear. I was fitted with a BAHA. The final straw came when I started having problems in the other ear.

I was so concerned that I would end up losing the hearing that I visited my GP three times in a week, not interested. I eventually took myself off to ENT emergency at the nearest hospital and was admitted and given steroids but I eventually lost the hearing.

I am most certain that if my GP had taken note and given me steroids when I first went to see him that I would not be wearing bilateral BTE hearing aids today.

I am very bitter as I loved music, in fact everything that you need your ears for I miss so much. Yes, hearing aids allow me to hear but it is just not the same.

Sorry to know you have had the other ear also affected. Hope anyone reading this will take note in case they ever need to know how IMPORTANT it is to get help fast and don't take no for an answer.

Just an update on my son-in-laws case. His hearing is too bad in the deaf ear for any hearing aid but he was referred to a neurovestibular specialist in London who asked for a special type of blood tests. These have given a clue as to why the problem occurred and he now has to wait for referral to a hematologist. All this has taken a long time and he's still driven mad by the tinnitus.We are keeping our fingers crossed !!

pauly_bullen

Hi, I have a Oticon SpiritZest BTE/BTE Power hearing aid from the NHS, I wondered if anybody can tell me if I can wear my hearing aid whilst washing the dishes or cleaning bathroom or etc? Plus I seem to have problems with my hearing aid, I can hear LOUD noises in the background and differcult listening to people talking near to me, I have to turn up my tv loud. I have told the audiologist this but never said anything & I wonder if ANYONE can help me, it is annoying me?

Savvy_Sue

pauly_bullen wrote: »

Hi, I have a Oticon SpiritZest BTE/BTE Power hearing aid from the NHS, I wondered if anybody can tell me if I can wear my hearing aid whilst washing the dishes or cleaning bathroom or etc?

My family members who can't function without their hearing aids put them in soon after they get up, and take them out when they go to bed, only removing them to shower / wash their hair / swim (not a lot of that going on). [To be fair, my late mother used to switch hers off if she was on a bus with noisy children, and my FIL has a habit of taking his out in similar situations but I don't recommend that as he then tends to lose track of where he's put it.]

In between they do all sorts of domestic activities. If your aids are not protected at all by your hair, I guess you might want to wear a hat if you were out in driving rain, but I can't think of a reason not to wear them while washing up or cleaning.

Although you could go for some Ear Gearto give additional protection.

pauly_bullen wrote: »

Plus I seem to have problems with my hearing aid, I can hear LOUD noises in the background and differcult listening to people talking near to me, I have to turn up my tv loud. I have told the audiologist this but never said anything & I wonder if ANYONE can help me, it is annoying me?

I don't think anyone can help you except your audiologist. The loud noises in the background may be just you getting used to hearing things you wouldn't have heard before, or it may mean that you need further adjustments. I know mine used to pick up all sorts of whistling noises and that indicated a need to adjust. It doesn't sound as if yours is doing what it needs to do if you can't hear people near you (although if that's in a noisy environment then it's a difficult one to solve), but you also need to have the TV loud where there's presumably not so much noise around.

I don't know what programs and / or volume controls you've got, but again, the programs can be adjusted.

It's tedious going back and forth to audiology, I know, and you can't always tell while you're there whether what they've done has helped or not, but there's not much alternative I'm afraid.

cairndog

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Bit surprised you weren't given any information at the time: there's a generic leaflet here, and I'd expect your supplier to be able to point you to suitable wipes.

Alternatively there's a whole pack of supplies here, but not many wipes in it.

Hi Savy Sue
I was interested in the generic leaflet you gave a link for because I have 2 NHS Siemens Octiv M+ aids with dome earpieces.

They were newly fitted about 5 months ago to replace a single aid which was no longer suitable.

I was not told about dome replacement but I need it done as they are'nt working properly now and are giving me problems. I may be able to get this done by a HiKent nhs Aftercare clinic near me. Otherwise I'll have to book an Audiology appointment.

Anyway thanks for the useful information.

Savvy_Sue

I come with a question.

DH is now wearing two NHS aids and tolerating them far better than I anticipated (he has eczema which I expected to flare around his ears!)

However, he has now twice started to shower at the gym still wearing them. They are still drying out from this second occasion - he got away with it the first time.

So, suggestions for how to prevent this happening? I've suggested a laminated card in the bag he puts his towel in, he's thinking of something he can wrap around his flip flops, but you may have better ideas?

I've been looking at the Ear-Gear too, I know it's not actually water-proof, but he realises pretty quickly so it MIGHT be enough ... if he used the Ear-Gear all the time!

w06

There are a few ways to deal with it. Phonak and Siemens do water resistant and waterproof hearing aids, which would be one option, expensive but possibly cheaper than replacing a few sets of aids.

If he's only just started wearing them all the time he'll probably get into the routine of taking them out first - bet he doesn't shower with his undies on very often, it's just getting into the routine of taking them off. He could intentionally make them remind him, for example by clipping a pieces of paracord (1mm thick) to the tubing and through the label on his t shirt or similar, I used to do that to avoid losing mine on my bike.

a home made bag for his towel and flip flops emblazoned with 'take your aids out' might work

It's a good sign of how comfortable they are really, although mightn't feel like it whilst they're drying out!

Savvy_Sue

w06 wrote: »

It's a good sign of how comfortable they are really, although mightn't feel like it whilst they're drying out!

Good suggestions there and yes, I'm glad they are so comfy. Wish mine was half as forgettable!!!