Help for Hearing Impairment

sunnyone

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Thought I would update - no such luck is the answer!

I had my hearing tested, and there's been very little change: the right ear has deteriorated slightly, but as it started as near-as-damnit-perfect I don't need an aid there. The left ear has also deteriorated slightly, but still not too bad.

I tried asking about an aid where the settings would change automatically if I used the phone, and she said no, that was only on the much stronger hearing aids which weren't appropriate for me.

Then she had a fiddle with the settings, and gave me a new earpiece to try - still an off-the-shelf one, but this has a larger double 'plug' at the end. She also gave me a replacement of the one I'd had before, and said to try both and see how I got on.

I think the dome one might suit me better in meetings or noisy situations where it's the background noise or people talking too quietly and not directly to me which stops me hearing, but still unsure. However, we weren't in a soundproof room and there was a LOT of noise outside so it was very difficult to tell whether I liked what she was doing or not. And when I got home I found I didn't: too loud (even on the lowest volume) and a lot of background whistling from the TV. So I tried the other earpiece and that was even worse.

Before I could get up to Audiology for that I got a very heavy cold / sore throat / cough / hurty ears which meant that for a week I didn't care whether I could hear or not, and no foreign objects were going in my ear! Once I'd recovered, I tried a bit more but concluded that the aid needed adjusting.

So, back for a bit more fiddling, this time with a trainee in the room, and from a comment made to her it was confirmed that I don't have a very modern aid ("We do still see a few of these"). And on this occasion I was told that the aid should be set up differently for the two different kinds of earpiece, otherwise I would get whistling on the smaller one. Great.

It's better, but still some whistling. I'm going to try it out at church tomorrow, and again at work on Monday morning when we have a team meeting at which I can't always hear properly.

But I might be going back to the smaller earpiece: the larger one isn't as comfortable and still gives me that 'blocked' feeling which I used to hate with a 'proper' earmould. It's as if my ear sucks it in further after I've inserted it, and forms a vacuum which I just HAVE to release! Cue constant fiddling with my ear ...

I cant see why you cant get an aid that help you with phones when they give them to us that cant use phones!

Savvy_Sue

sunnyone wrote: »

I cant see why you cant get an aid that help you with phones when they give them to us that cant use phones!

Well, at the first appointment, her view was that it was only the more powerful aids which had this facility. I don't need a very powerful aid.

But since she didn't tell me that the settings would really need to be different for each earpiece she'd given me, and at the next session it was clear that I do have an older model than they would give out now, I remain slightly sceptical.

TBH I don't feel I get much benefit from the combination of new settings and new earpiece at all. But I'm trying to give it a fair trial.

GillM

I'm going to the Hearing Aid Centre next week for a hearing aid review (checked with them, and my hearing aids were issued in 2006 which will also be when I last had a hearing test - I actually thought it was longer ago than that). I'll be interested to learn what they recommend re the telephone. I suppose I will have to give my hearing aids another try - I hate wearing them but can't really complain about my hearing if I don't them a proper try!

Hear-Hear

Sue,

The comment about the autophone "only" being on the more-powerful models doesn't make sense to me. I can't think of any make/model that has autophone only on the 'power' versions. Do you mind me asking specifically the make and model of the hearing aids that you have currently ? You will find both terms printed on the inside curve of the casing, or stamped on the side.

On a positive note, your audiologist is correct that the acoustic parameters (open fitting or traditional earmould) need to be programmed to the aids at the time of fitting. Good job the trainee was there to point this out !

Savvy_Sue

Hear-Hear wrote: »

The comment about the autophone "only" being on the more-powerful models doesn't make sense to me. I can't think of any make/model that has autophone only on the 'power' versions. Do you mind me asking specifically the make and model of the hearing aids that you have currently ? You will find both terms printed on the inside curve of the casing, or stamped on the side.

It's a Siemens Prisma Pro 2, I only have one, and only need one because the hearing in my right ear is excellent, slightly worse than last time but still very good. My hearing loss is low frequency, btw, which means I can hear a hearing aid whistle even when nobody else can (especially not DH, who has permanent whistling from tinnitus!)

Hear-Hear wrote: »

On a positive note, your audiologist is correct that the acoustic parameters (open fitting or traditional earmould) need to be programmed to the aids at the time of fitting. Good job the trainee was there to point this out !

No, it wasn't the trainee who pointed this out, it was the second audiology nurse / technician who was adjusting it a couple of weeks after the hearing test, when I said I'd been given two moulds and told to see which I got on with best.

Neither is a 'traditional' earmould, I have the open fit and an off the shelf soft one, hard to describe but it's got two small 'mushrooms', the top one (which goes deeper into the ear) slightly smaller than the other. It is not as comfortable as the open fit one, and I'm still trying to work out if I can hear any better with it! I need to find a decent loop system to test it on really! I LOVE loop systems! :rotfl:

Hear-Hear

Ah. It'll be time to upgrade then ! The Siemens Prisma is out-dated technology, even for the NHS. (All of the Prisma models have Autophone function though, except for the paediatric version [Prisma 2K]. The Autophone option just has to clicked on the desired Programme Number when the audiologist connects your hearing aid to the computer.

Anyway, that will be redundant now, because in April 2008, the Siemens Prisma was superceded by the Siemens Reflex, and you will notice a amazing difference when you get it. In fact, even the Siemens Reflex is outdated now, with the introduction of the Siemens Impact by the NHS in August 2010. That's the one to go for !

I understand what you are saying about the open-fit domes and the 'tulip' style. Stay with the open-fit if you can, as long as it doesn't cause feedback. (Again, you will find that feedback on the Reflex and the current Impact is almost non-existent, as the feedback manager is so good).

Savvy_Sue

Hear-Hear wrote: »

Ah. It'll be time to upgrade then ! The Siemens Prisma is out-dated technology, even for the NHS. (All of the Prisma models have Autophone function though, except for the paediatric version [Prisma 2K]. The Autophone option just has to clicked on the desired Programme Number when the audiologist connects your hearing aid to the computer.

Anyway, that will be redundant now, because in April 2008, the Siemens Prisma was superceded by the Siemens Reflex, and you will notice a amazing difference when you get it. In fact, even the Siemens Reflex is outdated now, with the introduction of the Siemens Impact by the NHS in August 2010. That's the one to go for !

I understand what you are saying about the open-fit domes and the 'tulip' style. Stay with the open-fit if you can, as long as it doesn't cause feedback. (Again, you will find that feedback on the Reflex and the current Impact is almost non-existent, as the feedback manager is so good).

The problem is, how do I get them to upgrade me? It seems to me that they are happy to leave me with an outdated aid, because it's a mild loss and the chances are it won't be a lot of help anyway. But I'd still like the autophone function, because at some point I'm anticipating the other ear going. I'd like to keep the ability to use a phone as long as I can, and if I learn to re-use it to my left ear I'll have a head start!

So do I go and tell them that? I'll have to go back soon to get it reset soon anyway ... too many whistles, and that's with the tulip, and it's not comfy so I suspect I need to go back to the open fit!

Errata

Lose it, get a dog to chew it ........ ?

GillM

Errata wrote: »

Lose it, get a dog to chew it ........ ?

My dog chewed my brother's hearing aid (private, not NHS) and you could hear his roar halfway down the street! Luckily he had insurance

Hear-Hear

Sue,

It all depends on your particular PCT. However, I would first of all recommend that you simply ask for them. Arming yourself with the information given on here (eg. re Reflex and Impact) puts you in a position of authority, and you may well be surprised how accommodating your Audiology Dept can be, if they know that you know that they know that you know what you are talking about. As always, a gentle but persuasive tone with a great big smile is more likely to achieve a better result than stamping your feet and shouting a lot (if you know what I mean).

If they decline, then you need to ask them politely for their name, and the names of 1. the Head of Audiology, 2. the Senior ENT Consultant, and 3. the CEO of the Hospital. They are obliged to give these to you. Again, the mere thought of having to deal with all the emails and memos that will ensue may well encourage instant reconsideration. I shall tell you the next step if you get nowhere with the above.

By the way, don't dismiss the need for an aid for your 'other' ear. It cannot be both "excellent" and "worse than last time but still very good". Your hearing is either within normal limits or not. If any parts of your audiogram are below 20dBHL, particularly in the high frequencies, then is likely that a modern digital hearing aid for that ear will make a significant difference to you. Remember too, that the more residual hearing that you have, the better the outcome will be for you. By contrast, those who leave it until hearing has dropped to 40dBHL and below usually have a harder time adjusting to their new hearing because of 'auditory depravation' (not dealing with the problem sooner). Look for that phrase in google, and that alone should provide all the knowledge and encouragement you need to do the right thing for yourself.