Help for Hearing Impairment

Errata

Hear Hear many thanks for all this info. My assessment is this Friday (different Trust from last time so have to present as a new case even though they'd been seeing me for 20 years prior to that ). I hope I'll get the latest hearers, and I won't be giving them any wiggle room around what I should get and what they are prepared to provide to replace my Opticon Sipirit 3P's.

Savvy_Sue

Best of luck to you, Errata. And I'm sure you won't let them fob you off just because you have a few other things going on, will you?

Errata wrote: »

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

:rotfl: On the noticeboard in the Audiology waiting room are some cautionary photos of dog-chewed hearing aids, with the warning that you WILL be charged if the dog eats it. And I've already paid out for one which I lost. Mind you, they replaced it with a reconditioned model which didn't last long, but they STILL didn't upgrade me to a newer model, just gave me the same as before.

Mind you, I can't blame a dog for attacking a whistling hearing aid. I CAN hear them if they're left switched on (although not with the open fit mould on so much) or not fully inserted into the ear. I once asked a couple of people I was chatting to what that whistling was, they couldn't hear it at all, and I finally realised it was MY hearing aid (when it originally had a moulded earpiece on) in MY pocket! No, don't ask why it was in my pocket not my ear. OK then, ask, because I never found the earmould sufficiently comfortable to wear all the time.

GillM wrote: »

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

Yes, if I ever go private (a couple of my siblings have!) I will definitely get insurance!

And thank you Hear-Hear for your comprehensive advice.

Hear-Hear wrote: »

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).

:rotfl: Me, stamp my feet and shout? Never ... well, not very often! And not to people I expect to encounter again.

Do you think I could start this with a phone call, or should I go up to get them adjusted (again), and ask then? I'm never quite sure what they expect to do in 'repairs' (turn up and wait) and what they want you to make an appointment for.

Hear-Hear wrote: »

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.

Hear-Hear wrote: »

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.

I suspect that my right ear is still well within normal limits, honest, but not quite as perfect as it was 5 years ago. I have done the online and phone hearing tests from RNID and always 'pass' in my right ear. I should have asked for my audiogram, of course, I know my lipreading teacher would like to see it. And the left ear is only lacking in the lower frequencies, hence my ability to hear whistling hearing aids! I'm sure even my left ear isn't below 40dBHL either, it is classed as a mild loss.

See, I am trying to do the right thing, but I wouldn't honestly say my hearing aid has made much difference to the things I find difficult, which I guess I hoped it would!

The other thing is that within a week of having my hearing tested I'd gone down with the mother of all colds, which I think I was brewing then. Anything like that always goes to my ears first.

Hear-Hear

Errata wrote: "My assessment is this Friday"
Good luck with it ! If there's just one piece of info you get frmo here that enables you to receive a better product or a better standard of service, then that would make me a happy soul indeed.

Savvy_Sue wrote: "Me, stamp my feet and shout?"
No offence meant. It was written more as a generalisation, rather than specifically at you, honest.

Savvy_Sue wrote: "I have done the online and phone hearing tests from RNID"
The RNID thingy is good insofar as it makes it easily accessible to check your hearing. No need to book an appointment anywhere. All in private etc etc. The downside is that the tones presented are limited in accuracy by the quality of your phone and phone line to the exchange. And limited in bandwith by the way telephony works. It will generally "pass" a mild hearing loss and may miss some mild-to-moderate losses. It is no substitute for a proper hearing test. You can get such a test done FREE OF CHARGE at places like Specsavers and at Boots which are in most towns. Wherever you are, there may be an local one-man practice, who will be equally qualified to test you. You will only be seen by a qualified audiologist, and he/she will usually be happy to show you and describe your audiogram to you. Most audiologists love it when a customer/patient has a little basic knowledge, so if you tell him/her that you know 'normal' hearing is around 20dBHL, and ask him/her to relate YOUR hearing levels to that benchmark, you'll probably find him/her more than willing to do so.

I am going to stick my neck out here and guess that you are like me (40+). If so, then you should be getting your hearing tested in this way every TWO YEARS. That applies to everybody, regardless of how they feel their hearing may be or how healthy their ears may be. A bit like two-yearly eye-tests really. For those over the age of 55 years, and for those of any age who have a hearing loss of any description, whether aided or not, you should be re-tested every TWELVE MONTHS. Again, rather like the increased frequency of eye-tests for over-60's and certain other groups of people.

Savvy_Sue wrote about: "the mother of all colds"
A heavy cold can affect the test results, but you may recall the special equipment that audiologists use - known a 'Bone Conductor' - that can measure hearing levels but by-passing the middle ear, where congestion may be, so don't let the headcold concern you too much.

Savvy_Sue

Hear-Hear wrote: »

I am going to stick my neck out here and guess that you are like me (40+). If so, then you should be getting your hearing tested in this way every TWO YEARS. That applies to everybody, regardless of how they feel their hearing may be or how healthy their ears may be. A bit like two-yearly eye-tests really. For those over the age of 55 years, and for those of any age who have a hearing loss of any description, whether aided or not, you should be re-tested every TWELVE MONTHS. Again, rather like the increased frequency of eye-tests for over-60's and certain other groups of people.

Actually I'm a little older than you, and am almost at the age of needing annual tests even without a hearing loss, but they're certainly not offered: while I was there one of the other patients was discussing how long since his last test, and again it was in the order of 5 years.

But given the history of hearing loss within the family, I think I know what's coming. Doesn't help when I have a little moan about my difficulties (hearing in noisy situations) and get told that with a severe loss I wouldn't be able to hear properly in any situation.

I did have regular checks while I was at school, as did my siblings, but it was technically fine then: I couldn't hear a word in the dining hall, I think there's a name for it, when you can hear but not make sense of anything.

My boys were all on annual hearing tests until they turned 18, but now it's just left to them to go to the GP if they think they have a problem. I shall just have to nag them if I think they have a problem, or hope they have girlfriends to do it. With my siblings, one of us had lost hearing by secondary school, which is why they checked the rest of us, and Mum's always been told it was because of meningitis, but she swears it didn't start then. Then another lost it quite a bit younger than I am now. Then me, then another, only one of us left with normal hearing but they've got some of the problems I started displaying so ... Our cousins also have problems, and both their mothers.

Hear-Hear wrote: »

Savvy_Sue wrote about: "the mother of all colds"
A heavy cold can affect the test results, but you may recall the special equipment that audiologists use - known a 'Bone Conductor' - that can measure hearing levels but by-passing the middle ear, where congestion may be, so don't let the headcold concern you too much.

Yes, they did some bone conduction, can't remember what the results for that were.

OK, next free Thursday I'll wander up there again. I'll have given the tulip a good test by then, it's not something I could wear all day. I really do HATE things in my ears! HOW do people go round all day with headphones on?

Marib

Oh... I hope that you could really find one that will suit your hearing capacity.

Errata

Hear-Hear wrote: »

with the introduction of the Siemens Impact by the NHS in August 2010. That's the one to go for !

In four weeks time I will be the happy user of a pair of these :j:j:j

Savvy_Sue

Errata wrote: »

In four weeks time I will be the happy user of a pair of these :j:j:j

Why the wait, did you need new moulds?

Errata

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Why the wait, did you need new moulds?

Yes, because one of them was an old one as the dog had chewed the newer one
This thread was incredibly useful to me as I was offered a choice between the Siemens Impact and Opticon (something). The Opticon was smaller and silver so I asked the audiologist which would give me the best hearing experience and he said the Siemens.
I've always thought that the NHS had a very strange idea of flesh colour when it came to hearers, but I would have felt very conscious if I had lumps of silver coloured plastic stuck behind my ears !

naf123

hi!

I am profoundly deaf and wear the phonak supero hearing aids. They are very simple basic hearing aids but getting a bit old.

I was offered the new phonak naidas but i simply hated the stupid compression technology - sounds like a heavy cold!! I begged them to give me normal settings like my old phonaks. They did and it is just about OK but I am not too happy. The sounds is not so good like the phonak supero and also the naidas are a very bad "design" - a bit thick and heavy and difficult to use like changing the batteries and program and volume settings and even to switch it on and off is a absolute nightmare.

they offered me an oticon spirit but the sound quality is not good as the supero.

Anyway the audiologist said, sorry nothing else out there, can't help you - we don’t buy phonak superos anymore.

I went to a private audiologist, to see if I can buy a phonak supero. He tried his best to look for one and even end up speaking to Phonak. Guess what Phonak told him. "Not for sale in the UK anymore. All existing stock donated to deaf children in African countries"

I was SHOCKED!

Its a real tragedy as nowadays, hearing aid manufacturers tend to manufacture state of art hearing aids with compression technology mainly for people who have turned hard of hearing (ageing population, therefore a huge market). Profoundly deaf kids are now given cochlear implants. Those stuck in between are left with absolute trash hearing aids since manufacturers are not focusing on us. I have absolutely no idea what I will do when my phonak supero finally breaks down. The left one is already losing a bit of power despite many battery changes.

I have worked hard all my school/university years, graduating with a masters degree with first class honors, have a very good well paid job which ironically involves alot on face to face communication with people. I rely heavily on lip-reading but my hearing aids play a huge role in facilitating my understanding of the other person speaking. i.e the sounds I hear from my hearing aids helps me to lipread better.
All of that is wasted if I don't have a good hearing aid. I may well have stuck to a simple low paying job with little education like being a builder or something like that and saved myself the years of pure hard work and studying - and the huge student debt! I have also gone a bit bald probably from all the stress of studying to get to where I am today! All of that could have been avoided!

Hear-Hear

naf123,

It can be very difficult when dealing with very mild (above 40dBHL) hearing losses and with profound (blelow 95dBHL) hearing losses. As you say, the ones in between - the vast majority - are much easier to fit.

Sounds like the private audiologist you found was a good 'un (most of are, really). Supero technology has long since gone, as you were told. Phonak Naida is much better for most people, but not for everyone. There are three models in the Niada range: the III, the V, and the IX. If your Naida is III or V, it would be well to ask your NHS audiology dept to try the IX. Similarly, the sub-model of whichever Niada you have will be SP or UP. You might benefit from UP if you only have SP now.

Otherwise, go and see your private audiologist again, and ask about Widex and Starkey options.

Hope this helps in some way.