Shopping for a hearing aid

[sgerrard]

Hey, when do I get my 4th star? Seems like it's been forever that I've had 3 stars.

250 posts. To reach the higher levels, you must not only be prolific, you must be patient. 

Steve

[Mark]

Syl,

IMO, it's about the quality , not quantity of posts   

Mark

[Syl]

So, I'm now wearing my new and fancy Resound Ziga hearing aid. Just got it Monday. I've worn it mostly in my house. I've been so sick with the flu that I haven't gone walking around my hood with it or to the store. Jennifer, my audiologists, programmed it and tuned it a bit for the high pitch sounds which got the lower scores on my audiogram. I do notice a difference with those sounds. I was able to hear the beeping of trucks picking up the leaves out on my street. So I am very optimistic. I will take notes for a week indicating what sounds are too loud or not loud enough. Jennifer said there is alot she can do to make it better. I hope so because I haven't noticed much of a change with word recognition.

Syl

[Syl]

I was feeling much better and decided to test my new hearing aid outsid of the house. So I went to visit my sister and her family. I was trying out the different programs for different environments and turning the volume up or down. Well, each time I set the volume at the highest level, my hearing aid began to whistle. Everyone began looking around wondering what that noise was. So i had to turn th volume down.

Then my brother invited me over to his house. Same deal there. I adjusted the volume and changed the program. Then the whistling began again. Everyone there began looking around wondering about the noise. Had to turn the volume down again.

My hearing aid is driving everyone crazy with all the whistling.

Syl

[sgerrard]

Hi Syl,

Some comments on my early experience with a hearing aid, and a question. Do you have the open style ear piece, a little dome thing that is open to the air, or a fitted ear plug style? I think the whistling is more common with the open kind; I have the fitted plug style.

I found that high frequency is enhanced more than middle or low, it is the range that hearing aids can do really well. At first it didn't seem to help with voices, but with a little time, I got used to it more. It does help with picking up the consonants more clearly, so I can make out words better, but it took some getting used to.

Mine does the program adjustment automatically, I only have a small range of volume to control. I mostly just leave it at normal all the time. I definitely pick up odd high sounds that I don't remember hearing at all before, like the truck you mentioned, and anything that rustles or crackles. I remember one sound, a light tapping, that stopped every time I stopped walking to listen closer. Turned out it was the end of a shoe lace tapping on the floor.

I suspect your audiologist can do some adjusting to avoid most of the whistling sound. I hope it works out, but it may be a tough call to decide if it is worth it. Meanwhile, enjoy the adventure.

Steve

[Syl]

Steve:

Part of my hearing aid fits in the ear and part of it--the microphone, adjustment buttons, and battery compartment--hangs behind the ear.

Did it take you longer than a month to get used to the voices? I'm concerned that one month may not be enough time to thoroughly test it.

How much does the hearing aid help with directional hearing? I think more than anything that is what I miss the most. It drives me crazy not knowing where sounds come from. Yesterday, while at home, something fell. It was hard to tell if it came from outside or if it was in the house. I went through the entire house looking for whatever made the noise. Turns out it was the shampoo bottle that slipped from the suction holder on the shower wall.

I'm not paranoid, just cautious. I have reason to be suspicious of loud noises. You see within one year, 2 cars have driven onto my property. One of them was a hit-and-run that left the outside of my bedroom wall damaged--not a nice sound to wake up to at 2 am. And when I go for a walk around my neighborhood, it's just nice being able to identify where sounds are coming from, especially if it's a pit bull charging towards me and my dog. Or it's very helpful knowing where a speeding car is coming from so i know which way to dive for safety. That directional thing also comes in handy when I'm on the road and there's the sound of a siren near by. It's a defense mechanism that I really miss.

Syl

[sgerrard]

Syl:

My hearing aid has the same design you described - a fitted piece in the ear, and a behind-the-ear part as well. I guess the whistling is just the volume up too high.

I'm a little vague on how long it took, but it did seem like more than a month to get used to voices, etc. A month does seem a little short to me. Can you get an extension, maybe?

My directional hearing has some quirks. It is a little like a poor man's stereo, with the tweeter on the left, and the woofer on the right. I hear high pitch sounds mostly with the hearing aid, so I can't place them directionally. It must be amusing to watch me look for a bird when I hear a high pitch bird call. Some lower pitch sounds I hear only with my right ear.  I am better now at many sounds, though, such as knocks on a door, or someone speaking to me when I'm not looking at them.

I guess I would say do your best to get it tuned by the audiologist, and wear it for a month, and try walking around without it now and then. If it is an improvement, you then have to decide if it is enough improvement to be worth the money. It is not likely to turn out perfect.

Steve

[Cynaburst]

I just wanted to let you know that in CA, the law is the same as the others have reported...you have 30 days to return your hearing aid for a full refund if you are not happy.

[Dealy]

Syl- I have had a Digital hearing Aid for over 2 years now. I am in the State of kansas. Totally deaf in left ear- so hearing aid in right is my only source of hearing. This is what I have learned. I tried several hearing aid styles and prices before I chose mine. it cost $2500 dollars. The brain has too adjust to this new sound> I was told to give it at least 2 weeks. The more you wear it the more the brain adjusts to that sound. My hearing aid is programmed to my hearing audigram with alot of pitches programmed out. It still magnifies some sounds very detailed. In my case-people think that they have too talk louder which actually distorts sounds more. I have only 29% good hearing left in my good ear so the hearing aid does help. Your audilogist should also advise you how too take care of them. Ear Wax or Mositure in the hearing tube can completely block hearing or distort it. I have a plastic tube that runs from my ear to the hearing aid which fits behind my ear. If wax gets in the opening of the tube or mositure gets in it blocks hearing or distorts it-or shuts it off completely. They do make little instruments to clean out the wax and dryers that eliminate mositure. Good luck on your endeavor. I had SSD for 18 years before a 2nd tumor was found in my right ear-so I adjusted to one sided hearing-now I miss that so much but this is better than nothing. God Bless-Ron

[Syl]

Cynaburst: My audiologist did inform me that I have 30 days from the day that I got my hearing aid to decide if I want to keep it or get a refund. It sure seems like a really short time to test it.

Donnalyn: I think that the BAHA and the BAHA surgery are generally covered by insurance.  It is a regular hearing aid that isn't covered. I know that had I been a candidate for the BAHA, my insurance would have covered it and the surgery for the BAHA. However, I had to pay $1500 for the hearing aid that I'm trying out right now.
   I think the ENT generally sends you to the audiologist for the regular hearing aids that don't require surgery. I went straight to the hearing center where the audiologist is and made my appt with her.
   The hearing aid I have is what the audiologist recommeded for me. It's digital and was programmed for my needs or to my audiogram. It has 2 programs: one for quiet/indoor environments and one for loud/outdoor environments. This week I am taking notes about what is or isn't working. Then on Monday, it'll get adjusted some more.

Ron: The 29% hearing you have, is that word recognition? The reason I ask is because my ENT and 2 audiologists told me that I'm not a candidate for either the BAHA or a regular hearing aid. But I'm trying the hearing aid anyway. My word recognition is 20%. So far I'm doing really well with direction. I can tell which direction most sounds come from. That alone is a big improvement. However, I'm not having much luck with word recognition. The audiologist did say that there is alot that she can do at my next appointment to fine tune it some more.

Thank you all for your input.

Syl

[Dealy]

Syl- The 29% is the percentage of hearing left in my ear. It is not word recognition. At my last hearing test-6 months ago my word recognition actually improved to around 65%. My audiologist told me that is because of the use of the hearing aid. They say-if you don't use it-you lose it. That is coming from our local audiologist who sold me the hearing aid. I had 25 sessiions of radiation 2 and one half years ago at Johns Hopkins. I know of cases where radiation has improved  hearing in people after 2 years but mine seems to be going the opposite direction. Sounds are becoming more distorted or muffled. However- i am not complaining because surgery at the time would have left me completely deaf due to the size of my tumor and being an NF2 does not help. My next recourse of action if hearing goes is a Cochlear Implant. I really do not no about the BAHA but I thought i would chime in on your circumstance with the hearing aid. I was given 30 days to decide too-but given different brands and levels. The $2500 Phonac seemed better than a $1500 Bernefon so I chose the Phonak. In my case as the tumor shrinks it is probably damaging the hearing nerve more and more. At least i never had to face surgery (yet) which I did on my 1st tumor that left me deaf in my left ear. Well I can ramble on and on- I hope this answers part of your question you had. Again-God Bless and here;s wishing you the best. Ron

[Syl]

Excellent news!!!!

Went for my follow-up with the audiologist today. After wearing my new hearing aid for a week and taking notes regarding what does or doesn't work, she made some more adjustments. My directional hearing was the first improvement I noticed last week, but besides a limited range of tones, I wasn't getting much, if any, improvement with word recognition. Well, now I notice a greater difference with my word recognition! I keep playing with the volume, and I keep taking the hearing aid out of my ear just to convince myself that it isn't the good ear playing tricks on me. I definitely hear conversations better. The radio sounds so much better. But the real test will be when I'm driving my niece around in my car. She is very soft-spoken and our conversations are dominated by "what?" or "can you say that again?"

I'm very excited, and at times crying with joy. You see, it's been about 1.5 years since my initial hearing loss. I was optimistic about my hearing aid, but realized that it might not help. So far, I think it's a keeper, and I've only had it for 1 week. Even the audiologists' face lit up when she saw my reaction after she made the adjustments.

So far so good.

Syl

[Dawn]

I'm reading about your search and trials of all the different hearing aids.  And the expense of them...does most insurances cover the cost of these aids or is it considered "cosmetic" and not a necessity?

Good luck with your new hearing Aid, hopefully it will be the right one for you.  Seems everyone has different preferences as far as I can tell from all the posts.

[leapyrtwins]

Syl -

it sounds like you're having a very positive experience with your new hearing aid     To find that it's working even better than you originally hoped it would must be a terrific feeling!

Thanks for updating us - and for sharing your joy!

Dawn -

it tends to be a pretty universal practice that insurance companies don't cover hearing aids, but I don't really know why that is.  I don't think it's because they are considered cosmetic though.  I've never heard of anyone opting for a hearing aid to improve their looks.

BAHAs technically aren't hearing aids, they are implants (like Cochlears) so when coverage is granted it's based on that fact.  I have heard cases of insurance companies agreeing to cover the BAHA surgery because that's the implant part, but then refusing to cover the processor since it is a hearing aid.  However, the implant without the processor doesn't do anyone any good, so this is basically the insurance company's way of getting the insured to pay part of the cost of the BAHA "package".

Jan

[sgerrard]

Syl,

That is indeed excellent news. There are still conversations that don't work for me, where I say what a lot, but usually the person catches on pretty quick. Kids sometimes don't get it, though. If you have that much useful new hearing from the aid, I would tend to agree that it is a keeper. It is great that your audiologist was able to dial it in so nicely.

Jan and Dawn,

I think the insurance companies don't do hearing aids because it isn't considered to be a medical treatment, plus eventually everyone needs one or two. 

I think of my hearing aid as providing useful hearing improvement for the next five years, which works out to less than $50 a month. That is less than some cell phone and cable bills, so it doesn't seem that unreasonable to me.

Syl,

Once more, woo-hoo for modern technology, I am glad you tried it and are finding joy with it. 

Steve