TransEar gets better each day

[jerseygirl]

Chris,

I am getting my Transear on Sunday. Needless to say, I am so excited! I will find out about MC, thanks for your post.


                   Eve

[jerseygirl]

I got my Transear! Finallly! I wore it all day today and I can hear on the bad side but it is less loud than the good side. Even a little bit helps a lot! The audiologist said that if I get ulcers in the ear that the Transear is in, come back and he will sand it down. He believes that ulcers are the result of the mold that is too tight that compresses the ear. So far it is comfortable. He also said that most hearing aides come with the warranty if it is lost but he is not sure about the Transear. Anybody knows?


             Eve

[krbonner]

Yay, Eve!  It's amazing that you can tell there's that much of a difference.

I pick up my Transear on Wednesday.     I'll let you know how it goes!  (And I'll try to remember to ask about the warranty.)

Katie

[jerseygirl]

Kathy,

I wore my Transear straight from my audiologist's office to a loud restaurant where a big rectangular table was set up in honor of my mother-in-law's 75th birthday. When I arrived, everybody was already sitting and my wonderful mother-in-law reserved me a seat at the end facing everybody with my DEAF ear. I don't think she realized it but that was a test for my new Transear. For once, I could clearly hear all the ladies sitting at the other end of the table and gossiping! I did not guess, turn my head or fill in the conversation. I realized that I also pay extra attention in order to listen on the deaf side. That attention is not available for other things like thinking and speech. In other words, in order for me to hear what the ladies are speaking about, I have to not speak myself. I actually enjoyed my food on the plate, talked to my neighbor and heard precisely (not just some sounds of the words) what these ladies on the other end said! Extra attention diverted to listening also means that I do not appear to react very fast to the situations and spoken words because seconds or split seconds pass when I fill in the speech or guess.

Nothing is better than your own well- functioning two ears and the sound from the Transear is not as loud as the one from the good ear. It definitely helps though. My understanding is BAHA is better that Transear but it is too expensive and invasive for me. I hope it works for you! 

               Eve

[lori67]

Eve - I'm so glad your TransEar is working for you!  And don't feel bad, my mother-in-law would have done the same thing to me!   

As far as the warranty goes, I have a BAHA so it might be different, but my audiologist said after the one year factory warranty is up, to add it on to my Homeowner's policy.  He said BAHA's extended warranty is expensive and it's cheaper and easier to do it on your own insurance.  You just have to make sure you call your insurance company and they'll have to add it on as a rider to your existing policy.  You can do with with Renter's insurance too.

Enjoy all the new noise!
Lori

[jerseygirl]

Thanks, Lori. for the advice and kind words! I will find out about putting the Transear on my home insurance.

Word about my new Transear: I put it all wrong today and nothing was happening! I tested for hearing in that ear. It took me two more tries but I achieved the right fit. I still don't know what the two programs on the Transear do. Anybody who has it?


             Eve

[ChrisB]

Eve,

If I understood your post correctly, you had trouble putting it in right.  My audiologist showed me how to reach around behind my head with my opposite-side hand and pull my ear lobe and the lower back portion of my ear firmly down and back while inserting the TransEar.  Also, turn the TransEar about 1/4 turn from the way it will end up once it's in, and then sort of slowly "screw" it in your ear by turning it as it goes up the ear canal.  It really hurt to put in for the first week, until she showed me how to do this.  Now I don't even think about it - I've got by left hand holding the TransEar and twisting it as it goes in, while pulling down and back on that left ear with my right hand from behind my head.  It's a two-hand operation, but once you get used to it, it's like moving your foot from the gas pedal to the brake pedal - you don't even think about it.  Apparently this maneuver straightens the ear canal just enough to let it go in better and easier.

As for the two programs, just push down on the button and you'll hear two beeps, signifying that it has gone into program #2.  That's set to reduce noise and make it easier to understand in groups.  Program #1 is for general use.  I find program #2 to actually be the more comfortable of the two, now that I've got it programmed right (THANK YOU Ear Technology!).  But I suppose it's personal preference and how your particular unit is programmed.  If your audiologist has any questions, s/he'll find that Ear Technology folks are quite willing to talk him or her through any glitches while on the phone actually doing the programming with you in the office.  They're great folks!

Congratulations on your early success.  I wasn't so lucky, but am very glad I hung in there and worked through the problems.  I'm now past the 1 year point, and even though it all came out of my pocket (no insurance coverage), it was well worth it.

Chris

[jerseygirl]

Chris,


Sorry you had so much trouble with your Transear but very often getting through a bad experience is when you learn the most. Thanks for sticking around; your posts are extremely helpful!

I also find program #2 most comfortable to use. Maybe because you don't have to switch back and forth between the programs because you never know when you are going to enter a crowded or noisy place? Then when is program #1 an advantage? I would love to compare notes!

In terms of programming, how do I know the best is achieved for me? I can probably carry a telephone conversation with my Transear (it is on my right side) but the sound is faint and I have to concentrate. Is it true for everybody who wears Transear? How about BAHA users?

                  Eve

[TransEarXpert]

To jerseygirl and others who have asked specific questions, I've been off the board for a while handling some pressing non-TransEar issues, so with apologies let me answer the questions that have been asked here.

First, loss and damage coverage. During the first year, if a user loses or damages (dog chews it, run over by a car wheel, etc) a TransEar , there is a deductible applied for each part that is replaced. (You would discuss the cost of this with your audiologist.) One of the reasons we include a Dry & Store Global unit with each TransEar is for safe storage, and judging by the few claims we have received under L & D coverage, it must be working.

Regarding phone use, while it is possible to use the TransEar side on the phone in a quiet setting, it will never be as good as the working ear on the other side. Add a bit of background noise to the equation, and I think the good ear - which is not covered by the phone receiver, would be overwhelmed by the noise to the detriment of speech discrimination. Bottom line, use the good ear for the phone unless you want to show off!

Regarding the two programs: program one is meant to be your default. That's the one that will automatically be "loaded" when you turn it on in the morning or when the battery door is opened or closed. We ship all TransEars with the same flat response and internal volume settings. It is up to your provider to make simple adjustments to increase or decrease gain (volume) independent of the external volume control. Your provider can also add or subtract individual frequencies to suit your taste. TransEar's processor also has four (three usable) compression bands that the provider can tweak so as to reduce the volume of sudden loud sounds. Most will be happy with the default compression settings, but if a user is in a unique environment (lives near a big airport, house next to a railroad track, etc.) the bands can be adjusted so that loud sounds are not amplified to the same degree as soft sounds.

We usually recommend that when program one is set to the user's satisfaction, the provider should copy program one to program two, then add adaptive noise reduction to program two, so that with the touch of a button background noise (such as in a crowded restaurant) can be reduced. There are three pre-set levels of noise reduction available in TransEar's processor, and one can be selected by the provider quickly and easily. Keep in mind that when adding adaptive noise reduction, some gain is lost, so there is a trade-off in performance involved. Noise reduction can be added to program one as well, but we would not suggest it be used by default.

Warranty: TransEar carries a one-year warranty, but a second year can be added for a modest cost - but only during the first year of use.

ChrisB, great description of the proper way to insert your TransEar. Thanks!

To jerseygirl again, TransEar will never be as loud as your working ear. Although I can't speak personally fof BAHA, it suspect it is the same due to the nature of bone conduction.

Regards,

Rick

[jerseygirl]

Thanks, Rick!

        Eve

[ixta]

My experience with Transear was a total waste of money. I should be using it as a fishing lure.
-am considering getting rid of it on Craigs list. I'll maybe take 25- 100 bux.
 a total waste.

for me at least..
I know some of you are fascinated with it.
I wish I would've gone BAHA route right during the surgery itself.

[jerseygirl]

Ixta,

My audiologist said that he fitted 4 Transears so far: 3 women and 1 man. Only one person returned and it is a man! I am the fifth one and no way I am returning!

I told him that when I worked in a male dominated field, I never considered SSD a liability. I simply could hear everything, be it meetings, groups, one on ones, etc. I always thought that the only problem I have is my sons' basketball games. Now I am switching fields and it happens to be a female dominated  field. I was shocked to find out that  SSD is actuallly a disability professionally. My hearing in a good ear did not change over the years. Now I am asking "what?" a lot more frequently than I want. I thought about this and the explanation I came up with is 1) women like to gossip which is softer than soft speech and 2) women's voices are naturally softer to our ears and are higher frequency where threshold is naturally lower. The end result of all this is that I get left out when women gossip which happens to be a way of doing things and simply cannot hear some very soft ladies voices when spoken on my bad side. It is not impossible but it is really difficult to function because  by the time I fill in what that person said (usually from lip or face reading and the situation), I miss other things said and pay dearly.

I hope you are doing well otherwise.

                        Eve

[krbonner]

My personal experience is that I don't notice a great deal of difference (consciously), but my husband has commented that the number of times he has to repeat himself has dropped dramatically.  That's good enough for me!   

Katie

[TransEarXpert]

Dear Ixta:

Let me repeat the regrets we have that you were not a successful TransEar candidate. You have posted that you have some calcium deposits in your ear canal, and that condition alone significantly increases the need for physical fit adjustments to the transfer unit by your audiologist. Importantly, last summer you also posted that you had never returned to the professional who fit your TransEar for any adjustments, and you did not avail yourself of the no-obligation trial period that all users receive. In October, I responded to one of your posts with a question about the fitting sequence for your instrument, and you did not reply. So in fairness not only to the product but to the others who might be swayed by your negative experience, with all due respect I'd like to ask the question again.

   After receiving your TransEar, have you ever returned to your audiologist for adjustments to either the physical fit or the programming?

Except for the SSD part, I hope your recovery from the surgery and after-effects is going well.

Regards,

Rick

[Gennysmom]

I just have to put out Kudos to Keith at Puget Sound Hearing Aids in Tacoma for my TransEar.  I've had it since 12/26 and he did such a good mold and programming that I have not had to return for adjustments.  No sore spots, and I think the sound quality is really good.  It was on the top side of the markup range I've heard about, but definitely worth it.  As Katie said, minute to minute I don't notice it unless I don't have it on, and I think I'm saying "what?" a lot less often and speech doesn't sound as mumbled.  To any who are wondering about it, you have to give it some time to notice a difference.  I had a feeling about this going in, and I think I was right....that you wear it and get used to it, and what you notice most is when you don't have it and need it because your brain takes it for granted so quickly.  You notice the loss more than the gain, if that makes sense.