ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => Hearing Issues => Topic started by: Phillies on November 11, 2011, 04:02:25 pm
-
I had my first hearing test since my surgery, and as I already knew there was no hearing. My audiogram does show a trace of hearing at one frequency range but bascically no hearing. The audiologist di dshow me the Phonak Cros hearing aid. My good ear has normal hearing and apparenty this might be an option for me. I'm still not too sure how it works or what it actually does though. The anyone have one or know more about it?
-
I have a Phonak Audéo S Smart IX and my audiologist said that should I ever become SSD it can work with a Cros hearing aid. We didn't get into detail as hopefully it will be along time before I ever need it, but I got the impression that what happens is a hearing aid on your deaf side transmits the sound to your good ear. There is a tiny delay, that your brain learns to process so that you are aware the sound is coming from the direction of your deaf ear.
I may have misunderstood her though . . . Hmm - the Phonak website [url]http://www.phonak.com[url] says about the Cros "The transmitter placed behind or inside your poorer ear, picks up sound and transmits it wirelessly to the normal hearing ear. The hearing in your good ear will remain natural and completely unaffected."
-
Thanks. It's hard to find alot of info about this. So if I put the phone up to my non working ear I'll hear the phone from my other ear?? And if I go to a restuarant where right now it's hard to hear somebody on my deaf side, with the Cross I should be able to hear them, at least a little better? And if all the sound is in my good ear, how does the CROS help with sound direction like it claims? Or am I missing something with this? ??? ???
-
There have been many discussions over the years here re: CROS (have seen it in action). Here is one of many discussions that may be of interest re: CROS:
http://www.anausa.org/smf/index.php?topic=12274.msg979722294#msg979722294 (http://www.anausa.org/smf/index.php?topic=12274.msg979722294#msg979722294)
If you go to the Forum Home page, in the "Search" box (top/right) and type "CROS", you will see the many conversations.... maybe provide further inputs from others? just a thought.
Phyl
-
Thanks. I did do a search several times but I'm still at a loss with this device. In the link that you posted the user complains that it's like "wearing beer cans on her head" but when my audiologist showed this device to me yesterday is was very TINY. Not sure if she just showed me the wrong one or they have since gotten smaller...
-
I wear a Phonak Cros aid due to SSD in the left ear and a Phonak aid in the better ear which also has a hearing loss. These units are programed in accordance with my hearing tests and work together. I find them very effective. When I first lost my hearing about 7 years ago, I was fitted with a Phonak Bi-Cros. Back then, only wired units were available which required a wire to run behind your head from aid to aid. Many problems with these. I have tried just having an aid in the good ear and did that for a few years and then went with the BAHA. BAHA wasn't for me so after 2 years with it, I had the abutment removed and have gone to the new Phonak Cros and it is fantastic.
I still cannot get direction of sound like I would like but I don't think there is any help for that available at this time.
Everyone is different. This worked for me but may not for everyone.
Paul
-
Interesting. The brochure and the website for the Cros talk about how great it is for directional sound. But I'm not sure how that is possible if all the hearing is still in the good ear. Does the Cros help at all if somebody is talking on your deaf side in a resuarant for example?
-
Yes, it does help. You no longer have "head shadow". The person on the left sounds just as loud as the one on the right. Problem is, you can't tell which side the sound is coming from. With normal hearing, the brain does all the work for you but I don't believe at this time, there is a device that can do that for you. Only if you had a little hearing in the bad ear and the brain can still sort things out some.
I hope this helps. No matter what type of aid, the same problem exists.
Paul
-
I know this thread was started related to the Cros hearing aid, but I did want to comment on Paul's reply on the "head shadow" effect. The bone-anchored hearing devices also eliminate the head shadow effect.
I have an Oticon Ponto Pro bone-anchored hearing device and I am one of the ones who has recovered some directionality. My audiologist explained that hearing is a function of the brain ..... the ears are simply the vehicle transmitting sound to the brain. Sound from the right ear goes to the left hemisphere. Sound from the left ear goes to the right hemisphere and then back to the left hemisphere for language processing. I am SSD on the left so I have no longer have sound input going to the right hemisphere. However, the language center in the left hemisphere of my brain has apparently learned to distinguish the sounds coming from the processor through my only auditory nerve, from those of my normal hearing through that nerve. Most of the time I turn in the correct direction upon hearing a sound ..... especially voices.
I am very aware that many Ponto or BAHA users do not regain directionality, but it can happen. My audiologist feels like the shorter the time a person is SSD, the greater the possibility of achieving success in directionality. Also, I think my years of being a classically-trained musician has probably fine-tuned my hearing more than someone else might.
All this is to say, I would think with any hearing device directionality is a possibility. I went in to surgery not expecting to have any directionality with the Ponto and have been pleasantly surprised.
Clarice
-
I get my Phonax Cros tomorrow morning. I hope it works :)
-
How do you like your aids? I've worn mine for two months now and find them very helpful!
-
Had them for two weeks now and they work great! I was at a loud bar over the weekendand made my friend sit on my bad side. We had a nice conversation and I heard every word he said! And the best part is many people don't even notice I wear them. I suspect many people don't have as good results as me but I'm loving it. I might be wrong but I figure if more people had great results like me, there would be less people with the BAHA...
-
I have the Phonax Cros Hearing aid and I feel they help greatly. Sometimes I leave for work without them but always end up coming home at lunch to get them as I can tell the difference. No longer do I have a deaf side when wearing them although nothing is like your own ears. I still have no direction to sound even with the aid in. They are extremely comfortable and I forget they are in my ears. People are surprised when I tell them I have hearing aids. I have had mine for 5 month. Tweety
-
I wear a Phonak Cros aid due to SSD in the left ear and a Phonak aid in the better ear which also has a hearing loss. These units are programed in accordance with my hearing tests and work together. I find them very effective. When I first lost my hearing about 7 years ago, I was fitted with a Phonak Bi-Cros. Back then, only wired units were available which required a wire to run behind your head from aid to aid. Many problems with these. I have tried just having an aid in the good ear and did that for a few years and then went with the BAHA. BAHA wasn't for me so after 2 years with it, I had the abutment removed and have gone to the new Phonak Cros and it is fantastic.
I still cannot get direction of sound like I would like but I don't think there is any help for that available at this time.
Everyone is different. This worked for me but may not for everyone.
Paul
PAUL,
Do you know when about they updated the CROS? I was looking into it a couple years ago & didn't hear or read much positive, NOW there seems to be more positive stuff out there...???? I am once again thinking about a device. Do you recall how much the FULL price for the newer Phonak Cros was.....ANYONE??
Thanks
Denise S (MI)
-
Denise,
I believe Phonak came out with the new platform for CROS in early 2011 sometime.
Lee
-
Hi everyone,
Yesterday I went to a Phonak representative and apparently I will be the first one trying out the cross system. Now I was wondering: those who have tried or use cross: do you have in-ear or behind-the ear apparatus and on which side? He said it is better to leave the good ear opened and recommended BTE, but then, how does it eliminate the noise? I imagine that with no filtration (with BTE the ear is closed only by a small syllicon capsule) the sound is only added to the good side.
Which hearing device do you find is still reasonable (effective vs. price) to use with the cross system? Which ones do you use?
Thanks,
Jaki
-
Thanks ALL for the info here!!!
Denise S (MI)
-
I traded in my BAHA Intenso for the new Phonak Cros system. The cros unit is a BTE and I have it being held in place with an ear mold. That was my choice because I did not want to loose it. My hearing side is using a Phonic Audio S Smart, also a BTE aid and the two are programmed to work together. This choice of hearing aid was made by my audiologist. The units work extremely well together and I am very satisfied with the results. They can make the hearing aid an ITE unit if you desire.
Battery life is very short. My units both use the 312 size which is not a very strong battery at all. I only get two days from a battery which means I'm using a battery a day. I am using Power One's as recommended. The size 13 battery would give twice that but they won't fit.
Paul
-
So how expensive are the batteries for these things?????? I take it they don't make a rechargable battery??
-
Denise,
I think that here a box of 6 comes at about 5 euros if you buy them from a representative. You can try online, they would be cheaper, I imagine. I haven't heard of a rechargeable battery with this device, they are very small, but it would be great.
-
So no one answered the request for the price of this unit....and does anyone know if insurance covers this at all? I know that BAHA's are tricky sometimes which would mean these might be as well - but you're not dealing with the surgical issues either....
Pam
-
So no one answered the request for the price of this unit....and does anyone know if insurance covers this at all? I know that BAHA's are tricky sometimes which would mean these might be as well - but you're not dealing with the surgical issues either....
Pam
Pam,
You can get some added info on another thread at http://www.anausa.org/smf/index.php?topic=16500.0
Rich
-
Hi everyone,
Yesterday I went to a Phonak representative and apparently I will be the first one trying out the cross system. Now I was wondering: those who have tried or use cross: do you have in-ear or behind-the ear apparatus and on which side? He said it is better to leave the good ear opened and recommended BTE, but then, how does it eliminate the noise? I imagine that with no filtration (with BTE the ear is closed only by a small syllicon capsule) the sound is only added to the good side.
Which hearing device do you find is still reasonable (effective vs. price) to use with the cross system? Which ones do you use?
Thanks,
Jaki
New Phonax Cross? I go mine in December. Is there a new cross coming out that is replacing that one??
-
As someone who has recently discovered the device, I have to say that it is a very promising one.
HEARING EXPERIENCE: For my initial 10 day trial, I chose to use both BTE pieces. They are the least obtrusive. In fact, when I let a close colleague of mine know that I was wearing them, she did a double take...she could barely see them on my ears.
They're good at handling relatively noisy situations. But, I did wear them on a noisy bus heading to Fenway Park just the other day and they didn't help much. Sometimes too much noise is just too much noise. I'm learning that it's all experiment. Sometimes they will help, sometimes not.
BATTERIES: A typical day may be putting the aids on heading to work, but leaving the battery compartments disengaged until I need them in action. This allows me flexibility and also helps to manage battery life significantly. I'm still using the same batteries from 5 days ago.
COSTS: I've been quoted $2150 for the Audeo BTE hearing aid (their cheapest model since I don't need a lot of features) and $1000 for the BTE Transmitter. My audiologist also provides batteries for 4 years. So battery costs are tucked in there. Since batteries costs can add up, this may be a good question to ask any center...do they provide batteries!?!
INSURANCE: MA insurance doesn't cover hearing aids. Other states do.
TECHNOLOGY: The new CROS is based on the new wireless platform they introduced on all their aids last year. So anyone who recently got theirs (post 2/11, I believe) has the latest. My audiologist who also used to work for Phonak told me that an upgrade is probably not likely in the near future because the CROS is a pretty niche business and the need to iterate on that specific unit isn't needed...features are pretty basic and their finding success with the current platform for now. As they upgrade their more mainstream units, CROS may benefit from some new discoveries at that time.
NEXT STEPS: I see my audiologist again in Thursday to determine whether I go forward with a 30 day trial. That allows you to have the devices for 30 more days and only forfeit $250 should you not want to keep them. I'm going to move forward with the next trial period. I have a big work event/conference from Apr 28-May 2. Lots of opportunity to test these around noisy dinners and hallways!
-
Phillies,
I didn't mean a new cross. I will be the first one in the country wearing one (audeo smart) as there are so few cases and usually people choose to wear BAHA.
Ross, keep us posted. I will start my trial period tomorrow. I hope it works for me ...
Jaki
-
Oh, ok. :)
-
To address the cost of batteries: I've found an online retailer that sells a pack of 60 of the PowerOne Size 312 batteries for the CROS for $29.00 (US). That's about $0.48/each. I find that to be reasonable.
-
So if the batteries last 3-4 days as reported by members on this site, a four year supply is around $360-$450. For those exploring cost, you'll want to understand whether batteries are included from your audiologist in the cost of the device.
Mine is charging $3150, but giving me $450 worth of batteries. So the cost is around $2700.
Not sure how that compares to others.
-
BATTERIES: A typical day may be putting the aids on heading to work, but leaving the battery compartments disengaged until I need them in action. This allows me flexibility and also helps to manage battery life significantly. I'm still using the same batteries from 5 days ago.
Ross,
I had an appointment with the audiologist today to get a prescription for the Phonak. I told her that I didn't think I would need the aids all the time (for most of the day I work in a very quite office, so I figured that I don't need them). I was thinking that I would be using them whenever teaching, in meetings, social situations etc. Of course I was also thinking that I would be also saving on batteries this way. She told me that this is not advisable, and that I should wear the aid constantly so that the brain becomes retrained and adapts better to the aid. she also said that the brain becomes trained to recognize directionality.
Were you told something like that too? What is your experience, do you think that wearing the aid constantly is more beneficial?
Marianna
-
Marianna, I actually never asked about directionality. It never came up in the conversation. Regarding having to wear the aids all the time, I certainly don't. I only "turn them on" when I need them.
When I am working in my office and not engaging in any meetings, there's no reason to have them on. Even with a small team meeting in my office, I leave them off. I find they're mostly helpful in larger meeting venues or walking down the hall with someone on my bad side. They've made a huge difference for me in those cases.
BTW, in additional to four years of batteries, I also received a Zephyr store & drying unit. This keeps the aids from gaining too much moisture which can cause problems down the road. That unit is about $80. It's amazing how variable the costs are based on location.
While the CROS has its issues, I find that there are more pros than cons.
-
I also have the Phonak Cros and keep it turned off (or not wear them at all) until I'm somewhere where I'm actually talking to people.
Try Amazon for batteries. Power One got excellent reviews and I think you get get a supply of 60 for about $18.
-
Hi, does anyone have any experience with the Phonak CROS and using a sethoscope? I'm an RN and have lost hearing in my left ear due to AN. I am looking into the Phonak.
-
Hi, does anyone have any experience with the Phonak CROS and using a sethoscope? I'm an RN and have lost hearing in my left ear due to AN. I am looking into the Phonak.
You'll probably want to consider the Inside The Ear units. And if you go that route be sure to buy the MyPilot remote control device.
I had mine for a month before I got the remote. Very annoying to have to reach up and poke buttons on the hearing aids to adjust the volume.
http://www.phonak.com/us/b2c/en/products/hearing_instruments/cros/overview.html
http://www.phonak.com/us/b2c/en/products/accessories.html
Take your stethoscope with you when you try on hearing aids.