Phonak Naida hearing aid questions

[rosalie]

I just started a 30 day trial with a Phonak Naida hearing aid. I wanted to get a TransEar but the doctor said to try this first. So far I'm not impressed. I was hoping it would be like getting new glasses and being able to see clearly again. I want to put the hearing aid on and be able to tell the difference.  I know it's working because when I'm wearing it and I hold the telephone up to my bad ear I can hear again. I also can hear when my husband whispers in my ear. I just don't feel like it makes that much difference in normal day to day activities.

For those of you who wear hearing aids did you notice a big difference when you started wearing them? Also, has anyone tried a different hearing aid before the TransEar? If so, why did you change to the TransEar?

Thanks,
Rosalie

[nteeman]

I tried the TransEar for a few weeks but ultimately returned it.  The only time I could tell it was doing anything was when I stopped up my good ear so it couldn't hear then I could tell if the TransEar was doing something.  With my good ear unstopped I could turn the TransEar on and off and not notice any difference. The audiologist gave me a hearing test and word recognition test both with and without the TransEar and the results were identical.

While this was my experience with the TransEar there are others here who have had better results with it.

Neal

[jchughes68]

I have been experimenting w/ Phonak CROS aides since last October and so far am not impressed.  In the beginning I tried hard and thought I could make them work for me wonderfully.  I have tried many settings - all have to be adjusted by the audiologist.  I, too, can hear if someone whispers in my deaf ear, but I cannot talk on the phone on that side.  The setting is either too loud or too soft.  The audiologist tells me that is the nature of the beast for those who have excellent hearing on one side and none on the other.  In a noisy setting (room full of people or restaurant, etc.) I am much better off w/nothing; consequently, after trying for nearly six months I seldom wear the CROS aide now.  My only real frustration is not being able to tell where sound behind me is coming from but that is quite minor compared to other issues ~smiile!

[sunfish]

I think we need more information in order to give you good feedback, Rosalie.  I'm assuming you're wearing the Phonak Naida on your good ear, because of hearing loss on the good side?

The Naida is just a straight-up hearing aid, from what I know.  The other aids folks have mentioned are designed to take sound from your SSD side and carry it to your good ear, via bone conduction.  Unless you have hearing loss  on your "good" side, I don't see how the Naida would be all that helpful.

I have conductive loss on my AN affected side (NOT SSD), and use a DOT 20 by Resound. 

[rosalie]

The Naida is only worn in my deaf ear. My hearing on my good side is almost perfect.  From what the audiologist said it is a bone conducting hearing aid. In normal situations I can't tell the difference when I'm wearing it or not. I've tried all the different settings I can adjust and nothing seems to make much difference. I do seem to be able to hear a little better in a crowded restaurant when I have it on. As far as the sounds I hear on the phone they are very quiet and hard to understand. I don't think I could ever talk on the phone while using the hearing aid. I go back in 2 weeks for a hearing test. I'll be anxious to see how well I do on the word recognition test.

So far on a scale of 1 - 10 I give it a 2. I don't think I'll keep it but haven't decided if I want to spend more money and try the TransEar.
Rosalie

[sunfish]

I just reviewed the Phonak Naida site.  I had considered one of these for myself, last fall.  Please - somebody chime in here who knows more about what we're talking about.  Looks to me like the only way the Phonak Naida would help you is if you have the CROS technology with it.  I'm assuming you DO have CROS, because I don't see how the Naida would help you at all without it.  I'm really ignorant when it comes to the bone conducting aids, so maybe I shouldn't offer my opinion at all.

[Jeanlea]

I was under the impression that the TransEar was the only "hearing aid" that used bone conduction, but I could easily be mistaken.  I'm currently using the TransEar.  I've had it for 3 years now.  The newest version is the best so far.  I've been happy with it.  It's not like regular hearing, but I don't think there is anything available that is.  What I find interestesting is that when I'm wearing the TransEar I don't seem to get much gain, but when I don't have it I really notice it's not there.  But I was thinking about it.  How much did I notice my hearing in one ear versus the other one when I had two good ears?

Jean

[sgerrard]

How much did I notice my hearing in one ear versus the other one when I had two good ears?

It is tough to remember those days now, but I think we didn't really notice because everything just sounded normal. 

Steve