ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => Hearing Issues => Topic started by: kathy g on August 24, 2010, 11:35:04 pm
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In the LA Times on Monday the House Ear Clinic advertised this new type of hearing device that does not need batteries and is supposed to help tinnitis. It goes deep inside of the ear.
More information at www.lyrichearing.com/aug-f.
From the description, it sounds good. Has anyone ever tried one?
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No batteries is a big plus. (thumbs up)
Thankx for sharing. Sorry about your AN.
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Anyone ever tried one of these? It looks awesome. I wonder about expense since I'm sure insurance won't pay for this one either.
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I have never tried the Lyric - it wouldn't do me any good - but I've seen them at my doc's office.
It's truly amazing and very state of the art. http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=12252.0
There are also other great hearing aid options out there.
Unfortunately Tracey, I think you are right. Most insurance companies won't cover the cost of a hearing aid.
Jan
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Yes, I learned insurance won't pay when I got mine. I tried to get help from vocational rehab who had paid for a co-worker's hearing aides and my Aunt's. But they said I made too much money because the limit is $27k. I don't know who can afford hearing aides on $27k salary. I ended up buying one last year and was going to wait until I had it paid off, but when hearing got worse again, I had no choice I had to finance another one. Thank goodness for Care Credit. Which reminds me...does anyone know if Congress ever passed a tax credit for hearing aides yet? I keep hearing they are trying to but never have seen it. I just feel they are a waste of my money. They do help me hear, but not much in my classroom which is where I need to hear most. I'm thinking of going back to upgrade my Master's Degree to something else so I can get out of the classroom. Perhaps school counseling. At least I can communicate one on one that way. I thought the Lyric would work better in a classroom setting. I need a hearing aide that will help me with speech recognition. I keep telling my audiologist that I can hear sound, just not speech. I just wonder if she gets that. I can turn my tv volume to its highest level and the noise is so loud I get a headache but I still can't understand the words, even with both hearing aides in. Now I watch tv with caption on, but unfortunately I can't get that to work when watching a DVD movie. I am hoping this neurotologist can help me find something to hear better and maybe even help me with the tinnitus. My tinnitus is now 24/7 and affecting my sleep. I am taking a xanax every night to help me relax and sleep and it still doesn't help. I'm sure that lack of sleep makes me more stressed which makes the tinnitus even louder. I honestly believe that I would do anything including going deaf if they could just cut something and promise the tinnitus would go away.
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Can we use this for SSD?
I think the SSD people still have the three options of BAHA, TransEar and Sonnitus. Correct me if I'm wrong
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Mei Mei -
you are right.
The Lyric is not for those who are SSD - it's for those who are hearing impaired and could be helped by a conventional hearing aid.
The Lyric is a conventional hearing aid.
Those who are SSD really have two options at the present time - the BAHA and the TransEar. To my knowledge, the Sonnitus is not yet available to the public; it's still undergoing clinical trials.
Jan
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Hi Mei Mei,
Add the CROS to your list of hearing devices for SSD.
Regards,
Rob
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Tinnitus, according to an article I just read, is not really an ear problem...it is a brain problem. There is a feedback system in the auditory cortex that confirms what it is hearing, and shares what it is hearing with close by nerves...I hear high frequency sounds, I hear a bell, I hear a dog bark, etc. As we grow older, loud noises, medicines, injuries, etc, cause this feedback system to generate its own sounds, even if there is no outside noise. Your brain rewrites itself to keep feeding back this noise in your auditory cortex. It begins to spread throughout your brain. Even after you have your auditory nerve severed, you keep hearing that feedback, because you hear it in your brain, not in your ear. The article in Discover magazine says there is no single cure for tinnitus. This feedback system can spread all over your brain, and is more like a ringing of the brain rather than a ringing in your ear. It is a disease of more than just your auditory system...it is a disease of the entire brain. The article says it is such a complex disease, that is why so many different tinnitus treatments work, but only modestly. One of the early treatments was boiling earthworms in goose grease, and pour that in your ear. I would rather try the new hearing aid.
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Thanks, Rob. Forgot about the Cros - however most docs and audiologists these days will tell you it's not the best option (outdated and not the greatest sound). Most SSD patients opt for a BAHA, a TransEar, or just decide to "adjust".
James -
you are right. Tinnitus isn't a hearing problem, it's a brain problem; which is why there isn't any treatment. Alleviating tinnitus is almost a mind game - trying to trick the brain into tuning out, or ignoring, the noise.
Jan