I have an AN inside my right cochlea and have fairly good remaining hearing, but the sounds are all distorted. I have hearing loss in the other ear, too.
I got Pulse-Resound (here is their sitemap, they have a stupid website)
http://www.resoundpulse.com/frontpage/sitemap.htm and darned if the things aren't cute! They are also virtually invisible. They only amplify the areas of hearing I have problems with; they don't amplify EVERYTHING and just make it louder. They used my audigram and amplified the areas I have loss.
They also don't amplify sounds that are already loud. Digital technology is great stuff. They program the little boogers on a computer, to match your audiogram.
I don't wear them unless I need to understand what people are saying; that is, there is no need to wear them when I am home with the dog.
Wearing hearing aides does make me tired, so I come home and take them out. It's extra input to my already tired brain that is already dealing with tinnitus, balance issues, etc.
They have made speech in crowds intelligible. They make it possible to have sort of balanced hearing (usually, I only really hear with my left ear). If I look right at the person talking in a huge noisy crowd, I can understand most of what they are saying, instead of having them sound like the adults in a Peanuts cartoon. I can understand the television without having to turn it up so it is uncomfortable for everyone else.
They are attractive. I got a designer color that matches my hair. They are like little jewels. When people find out I am wearing them, everyone wants to see them. Doctors checking my ears are astounded when I take them out, because they didn't notice I had them in.
They were worth the staggering price. I am no longer clueless in staff meetings.
Insurance didn't cover them, but I cashed in some retirement money in order to hear again. I had an 80 day trial period, and if I had not liked them would only have been out about $500 in fees. They give you a contract agreement to sign, so take it home and read it carefully. I had to have an audiogram that was 6 months or less old to get them, and the audiologist who sold them to me is a very nice, kind person. He wears them himself.
: )
