Help for Hearing Impairment

naf123

bluedog wrote: »

I've tried searching on this thread but not found anything so apologies if this has been covered before.

Sorry if this comes across as jumbled/angsty/ranty, but to be honest, I'm a tad upset and frazzled by the lack of information given to me over the years regarding every aspect of my hearing loss, caring for aids etc by the people I've seen about it. I want to preserve what's left of my hearing and am worried repeat infections could damage my ears more.

I've got yet another ear infection in both ears and the worst affected is my better ear - again. There isn't pain and the first symptom I get is blood staining on the cotton bud when cleaning (the outer part of) my ears.

I got anti-biotic drops from my gp on monday and went to the hearing aid clinic yesterday. I needed the aids checked so thought I'd take the opportunity to ask their advice what could be the best methods and/or products to clean the aids, where to get them from etc, to hopefully help prevent future infections, especially with my skin sensitivity. I fully understand that "nothing bigger than an elbow should go in the ears " and just wearing aids can contribute to getting infections, but I was made to feel an idiot for asking. Perhaps its just me, but seems sensible to preferably put clinically clean aids in my ears to prevent re-infection and if I'm going to be prone to them? (after all, there are products for contact lenses so why not aids??!) As well as skin sensitivity, I've been told my ear canals are quite narrow which I understand can also be part of the problem. I figured they were probably the best people to ask about these things. ... ho hum.

In brief ...

I have congenital hearing loss in both ears which is classified as significant/severe and narrow ear canals. It was first diagnosed when I was 18 years old, but only found out the level of loss by a chance comment by the tinnitus specialist last year .... 30 years later.
(When I was amongst the first people in my area to be given digital aids - and 2 of them!, I thought it was them just being very nice to me!!)

My aids are Oticon Spirit Zest and the moulds are hypo-allergenic. My other concern was not damaging the moulds in anyway with cleansing solutions.

By coming on here, I now understand about the very nature of my loss and why I've found it so hard to adjust to the volume of the world and how it sounds with aids. It has helped in everyday life too as I've been able to explain the difficulties I have all round and why to people.

If anyone has any suggestions of what to do, try, use and/or where to get them from, I'll be very very grateful please. By the reactions of the audiologist yesterday, they don't have any information on basic things I've read about on here, such as blowers for drying them, so suggestions on where to get these from too will be an enormous help too.

Thanks in advance .

I find I get lots of ear infections - its usually the ear mould causing abrasion to the skin.

Because how an infection happens - your ear mould ever so slightly grazes the skin, very mild, and that "graze" or "abrasion" can easily get inflamed or even infected.

Best change the mould to a better fit one. Or try this trick, use some otoferm cream. But I am not too sure if it will do the trick so don't rely on this unorthodox advice.

naf123

Oh gosh - I read this article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2261985/Belgian-twin-brothers-killed-doctors-choosing-euthanasia-able-again.html

Now I feel really really depressed thinking about it.

Savvy_Sue

naf123 wrote: »

Oh gosh - I read this article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2261985/Belgian-twin-brothers-killed-doctors-choosing-euthanasia-able-again.html

Now I feel really really depressed thinking about it.

Don't mean to be funny, but can I suggest you think about something else? Seriously, it's easy to get into a black 'what if' mood, but until 'what if' becomes a 'when', I don't think it does much good.

One of my older siblings has taken early retirement, mainly because their hearing made the job very difficult. Since all my siblings have now got some hearing loss, I could get really depressed thinking about what would happen if my hearing suddenly 'went' like theirs did, because I KNOW I don't have as good a pension as they do, AND because I'm younger I've got to wait longer (and longer, and longer) for state pension and bus pass to kick in. OTOH, another older sibling has managed with a similar level of hearing loss for much longer, and has no intention of retiring. So I think about that one, and decide that I'd cope ...

naf123

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Don't mean to be funny, but can I suggest you think about something else? Seriously, it's easy to get into a black 'what if' mood, but until 'what if' becomes a 'when', I don't think it does much good.

One of my older siblings has taken early retirement, mainly because their hearing made the job very difficult. Since all my siblings have now got some hearing loss, I could get really depressed thinking about what would happen if my hearing suddenly 'went' like theirs did, because I KNOW I don't have as good a pension as they do, AND because I'm younger I've got to wait longer (and longer, and longer) for state pension and bus pass to kick in. OTOH, another older sibling has managed with a similar level of hearing loss for much longer, and has no intention of retiring. So I think about that one, and decide that I'd cope ...

Agreed.

Thankfully I've stopped thinking about it already!

It is absolutely absolutely outrageous of the Belgian system! With a bit of therapy these twins would have leaded very fulfilling lives when when deaf and blind.

GlasweJen

Oh dear Lord I washed my hearing aids!

Left aid is destroyed, casing is off and half the inside is gone, the right one looked fine but doesn't work and 2 audiologist technicians said its good for nothing but the scrap heap!

Thankfully they are covered under contents insurance BUT the insurer wants me to use Boots when I previously went independent.

My current aids are widex something 440 (they have a telecoil if that helps), insurer said that boots will provide the same or similar spec aid but it looks like they deal in phonac aids and not widex.

Does anyone know which aid boots will supply if they don't have widex? I'm scared I paid a couple of thousand pounds for a small discreet aid and I'm going to end up with something that came out a cave (I've never seen a phonac aid).

Also I have a loop for my neck that lets me stream my current aids through Bluetooth, can boots aids use this or will I need another?

Savvy_Sue

Oh dear ...

Phonak are fine, just as discreet I think you'll find (my sibling has one).

You can get a neckloop from Phonak too, I don't know if your current one would work with Phonak aids but we'll hope HearHear can reassure you on that one!

Hear-Hear

Widex are amongst the very best hearing aids on the market, and in fairness Phonak are pretty close IMHO. The trouble is that Widex use a fitting algorithm that produces a unique sound which can cause problems when changing to a different manufacturer. Experienced Widex users simply tend to prefer the 'Widex sound'.

Thankfully, you are not obliged to use your insurer's preferred supplier. Think of the two things that should really matter to you - the hearing aids, and your relationship with your audiologist. Your insurer is asking you to sacrifice both.

1) If you have a good relationship with your existing private audiologist, it makes sense to preserve it. Using Boots (actually, it's David Ormerod Hearing, which is owned by Phonak) would not allow you to maintain that relationship.

2) In addition, Ormerod's cannot supply you with like-for-like, unless it's a Widex. Nothing wrong with top-of-range Phonak aids, but there are not what you have damaged.

If my insurer told me to replace my Ford with a Vauxhall, I simply would not accept it. You may have to dig your heels in, but it's your hearing and aftercare that matters most. Hearing aids are not a simple commodity.

GlasweJen

Well I spoke to the insurance company and they don't want me to use my old audiologist because they can get the same aids cheaper elsewhere (but not boots). I do want to use him because the service he provides is worth the £100 extra hearing aid cost, this is a man who does routine maintainence for free (replaces wax guards and tubing because I don't manage it well), calls me every 4 months to remind me to get an audiogram, does a full hearing check every year and since I bought the aids has never pressured me to buy anything else.

He always asks if my work has changed, have I noticed any problems and fine tunes perfectly. Aside from my first week and the time I lost a mould I've never heard a whistle from my aid.

Phonak look ok but do boots offer the same level of service?

Savvy_Sue

GlasweJen wrote: »

Phonak look ok but do boots offer the same level of service?

Doubt it. Keep haggling with the insurance co, point out that you NEED the continuity of service from your audiologist, yours is a complex case etc.

GlasweJen

After much negotiation the insurance company have agreed I can use my own audiologist

Thanks for telling me to stick to my guns HearHear.