Author Topic: Hearing Aids  (Read 3437 times)

Joanne7151

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Hearing Aids
« on: May 17, 2010, 11:53:15 pm »
I had my AN removed January 2010. I'm deaf in the right ear. Hearing in the left ear is not so good. I've tried the ReSound Dot 20 and will be returning it tomorrow. It's been adjusted several times, but is still not satisfactory. My hearing loss is in the most important area according to the audiologist. (Word recognition?) With the current hearing aid I have to push it in my ear as far as I can and hold it there to hear louder, then it's too sharp/harsh. When I'm with 3 or 4 people, I hear all voices, but it's like overload! Maybe it's just me, maybe I can't get used to it even though I've worn it for 4 weeks now.

With or without a hearing aid I can't determine which direction a noise is coming from.

Can anyone recommend which hearing aid I should try next.

leapyrtwins

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Re: Hearing Aids
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2010, 05:47:37 am »
Joanne -

although it's technically not a hearing aid, it's a prothesis, I highly recommend the BAHA.  I've been wearing one for almost 2 years now and am very happy with it.  I also have gained some directionality - something not very common with conventional hearing aids.

You would be a candidate for the Intenso due to the hearing in your left ear being "not so good". 

Check out http://www.umm.edu/otolaryngology/baha.htm and www.cochlearamericas.com for more info.

Your audiologist should have a demo you can try. 

Jan
Retrosig 5/31/07 Drs. Battista & Kazan (Hinsdale, Illinois)
Left AN 3.0 cm (1.5 cm @ diagnosis 6 wks prior) SSD. BAHA implant 3/4/08 (Dr. Battista) Divino 6/4/08  BP100 4/2010 BAHA 5 8/2015

I don't actually "make" trouble..just kind of attract it, fine tune it, and apply it in new and exciting ways

CHD63

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Re: Hearing Aids
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2010, 07:25:27 am »
Joanne .....

I am assuming you have tried the ReSound Dot in your left ear, which has some hearing.  Jan is the expert on the BAHA, which is a bone conduction hearing device ...... Jan, correct me if I am wrong ..... I believe the BAHA conducts the sound from your deaf side and transmits it to your hearing side, which is different than wearing a hearing aid in your hearing side.  Not sure how a BAHA works when your hearing side has deficits already.  Jan can tell you .....

I am not deaf in my AN ear (I have close to 20% hearing but it is garbled and inefficient.) and I have 100% hearing in my non-AN ear.  I have used a MicroTech Curve7 digital hearing aid for a year and a half with mixed results.  I had to experiment for a long time to get just the right kind of piece to fit inside my ear because I either could not hear or it was very uncomfortable.  Finally found one that works.  At the moment I am dealing with wax issues (too long to describe).  The hearing aid is a great help for one-on-one conversations in a quiet environment and for listening to most music.  However, in restaurants or other noisy environments, it is not very satisfactory because it just magnifies the noise.  It does seem to quiet the tinnitus a great deal when I wear it consistently.  My feeling is it sort of retrains the brain to hear more normal sound levels in that ear.  Since I have the hyperacusis, as well, on the rare occasions when I go to a movie or loud concert, I take the hearing aid out and plug my good ear because I cannot stand the volume level.

Best wishes for finding the right combination.  I have to keep reminding myself that I will not ever have hearing the way I did pre-AN ...... but I keep striving for the next best thing.

Clarice

Right MVD for trigeminal neuralgia, 1994, Pittsburgh, PA
Left retrosigmoid 2.6 cm AN removal, February, 2008, Duke U
Tumor regrew to 1.3 cm in February, 2011
Translab AN removal, May, 2011 at HEI, Friedman & Schwartz
Oticon Ponto Pro abutment implant at same time; processor added August, 2011

carter

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Re: Hearing Aids
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2010, 11:19:02 am »
My An side has very little to 0 hearing ability.

My non AN side needs an aid to help to hear.

Before i lost my hearing in the AN side, i wore an aid on that side.  the audiologist switched the aid to the non an side to try to help me hear better.

lets say what it (aid) will not help with  --- direction.  it does not help.  if you have only one sided hearing - you will not know the direction of the noise.  you will need to look at a BAHA to help here.

the aid can help by increasing volume.   


by your comment about pushing it into your ear- i would assume that you have an inner ear aid?

may i suggest that you set with your audiologist and say That you do not care about vanity --- you wish to hear / understand more.  that you would like to try a behind the ear unit.  that you wish to try their least expensive model for 1 week.  then you wish to try the next model up.  and to continue until you have worked through the selections available.

my audiologist started me out that way.  we made an ear molded piece as this would be require for any of the units.  she programmed the base model to its ability and we adjusted for 15 minutes or so.  i wore it for a week.  she then asked a series of questions and asked if i were satisfied.

we went to the mid range model and repeated the process.

on the 3rd unit, i felt good about the unit.   she then said to wear it for 30 days --- at the end of that time, she would charge me for it or we would try something different.

i asked why she did not start with this model as she showed me on Th chart which she had noted that was best for me on day 1.   she said that all people are different and if she gave me a more expensive model and worked down for cost reasons, she said that i would never be satisfied.

i believe that the behind the ear units give directional microphones that help to remove the side noises and give me better results.  Mine has programs to select for use of the various microphones to help in each situation.  one is for music, close talking, loud areas, and i do not use the 4Th.   some have more or less programs.

with that said, i still have a heck of a time in a loud restaurant, etc.  the hearing is gone ... that microphone and microprocessor will not replace the hearing --- it aids to help you get along with life.  to me that is pretty damned impressive.

theaid is a great tool for me --- even though that i wish that i did nto have to use it.  go get teh best tool that you can find.... 
carter
Diagnosed in fall of 2008 with 1.6 * 2.9cm AN on left side. 

Scheduled CK at Oklahoma Cyber Knife in December, 2008 and decided not to proceede on 2nd date that CK was scheduled.  I fired them.

CK performed at St John's Hospital (Tulsa)Jan 2009

Joanne7151

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Re: Hearing Aids
« Reply #4 on: May 22, 2010, 11:12:32 am »
I want to thank you all for your comments. I really appreciate it. From reading all comments about hearing aids, it seems that I was expecting to regain regular hearing with an aid. I understand now that that's almost impossible. My audiologist just ordered a different hearing aid for me. It seems that in crowds or noisy areas I won't be able to get good results with any hearing aid. The hearing aid I had was a behind the ear with a tiny wire going into the ear. Almost impossible to see. I don't really care about looks. I just want something that will work for me.

I don't want to go the BAHA route.

I'll keep updating as I try different hearing aids.
Thank you again!
Joanne
« Last Edit: May 22, 2010, 11:15:40 am by Joanne7151 »

sunfish

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Re: Hearing Aids
« Reply #5 on: May 24, 2010, 08:35:52 am »
I have the Dot220.  It took MONTHS to get adjusted.  It's very, very important to make sure you have the correct "dome" that goes over the receiver in your ear.  Too small, and it will keep slipping out of position.  I have small ears, but use a somewhat bigger "tulip dome," which keeps the thing positioned correctly.  Second issue is getting your brain and the aid to work together properly.  To start out, the aid will sound robotic and unnatural, and probably distorted in loud areas.  Your brain gradually adjusts to the signals it's receiving.  Over the course of roughly 3-4 months, I gradually adjusted, and now I can't live without it.
Rt. side 14mm x 11mm near brain stem
Severe higher frequency hearing loss
I use a hearing aid (Dot 20 by Resound)
Balance issues improving!!!!
Cyberknife March17, 2010
Roper Hospital Cancer Center, Charleston, SC

AIteach

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Re: Hearing Aids
« Reply #6 on: May 26, 2010, 03:51:14 pm »
I have hearing loss in both ears.  In fact, the hearing in my an ear is better (a little) than my other ear.  I just got new digital Oticon Agil hearing aids.  I love them.  They work together and can be programmed for different situations.  I just touch a button on one and they both reset for the situation I'm in (a lot background noise vs. little background noise).  I am a middle school teacher and find they work very well for me.  (Sometimes  I will mute them during hall duty and class changes ;)  I am so excited by all the sounds I'm hearing now (and realizing all that I was missing).  I don't find that sounds are distorted at all.  I like them a lot, but they were pretty expensive.  The design sounds similar to the ones you had.  You can check them out on the Oticon website. 
Lauren
diagnosed Feb. 2010
wait and watch
tumor: 6mm
Fall 2018 still W&W 8mm
August 2021 grew to 1.2cm
8/21 Treatment: Fractionated SRS