problems with latest new hearing aids & what to do about them.

Assistive devices that work with hearing aids can make a big difference in noisy settings. Whether those devices are used with BlueTooth, or telecoils they basically do the same thing. A hand held personal microphone can work well. You can set it on the table if you're out. Reality: Anytime we are in a noisy setting like a restaurant with background music and crowd noise, we will be challenged. Good quality hearing aids have noise suppression, but none are able to completely eliminate that noise. I've found the assistive devices that go beyond hearing aids to be the best solution for me.

Don't purchase a new pair when you can use the full benefit of your hearing aids. The audiologist can tweek the benefits on your aids based on what your needs may need now. Many of the new aids 'may' have newer benefits for many more dollars but they still only offer to hear for your ears and that is it. Discovering and using the assistive listening devices that complement your aids which will help your hear in many different environments and situations is the way to go. These were added to work along with your aids. Remember our CI/HAs which are computers.
If you look at your PC on the desk...there are many parts that work along with the PC - they are marvelous when you can watch a movie, send an email out or even listen to music. The monitor, motherboard, hard drive are only a few of the different parts of the computer just like your hearing devices have different parts to help you hear well. Another option is to have your audiologist send in your aids to the manufacturer for a good cleaning before their warrantee is over. That way you have a full three years of wear on them so they last longer for you. I am on my sixth year of life with my Resound hearing aids after having them reconditioned after five years wear and having them reprogrammed to match my needs/via audiogram by the audiologists.

Note prompted by Don Higgins' desire to have rechargeable aids: Costco sells HA batteries in a pack of 6 cards of 8 each (48 total) for $8.99. If you don't have a Costco membership, someone close to you probably does. The batteries are on the counter in the Hearing section of the store, usually close to the Vision section. For me, that's less than my local pharmacy charges for one card of 8! They last roughly a week, so $8.99 buys almost a year's worth of hearing. I'm mentioning this because lots of folks complain about the high cost of HA batteries. I can see that rechargeable aids have the advantage of not running down in the middle of the day, but for some of us, 15 hours is less than a normal day. Just sayin....

@awilst Each of the name brand manufacturers have good products. Your Phonaks should be capable of helping with your hearing loss. Going with new ones may not help. In fact, you may get even more discouraged if new aids do not offer much help. Personally, I would wait for some breakthrough technology to get new aids. For me, the technology was direct Bluetooth streaming to both ears from my iPhone. I used to avoid the phone, but now, I do pretty good (severe to profound loss). You mention that you've been fitted using Real Ear Measurement. Many audiologists do not do that, despite it being an audiology best practice.
Tony in Michigan

@awilst I go to the VA for my Hearing Aids..(in Central Iowa).. I have had Starkey hearing aids (HA) now for nearly a year. I am profoundly deaf in the left ear (from Big Gun Noise and Shock Waves while aboard Ship).. My Starkey HA are rechargeable, the left one just broadcasts to the right ear ... the Right HA has a Remote Mic that is Bluetooth... a great thing.. when I use my HAs on the phone with that remote mic and my smart phone I can hear most people very clearly.. they have to enunciate... not slur their words... but even when I remind a certain friend it does little good after a few minutes of conversation... The adage of "garbage in, garbage out" applies... the HA cannot clarify certain speech patterns.. So try to clarify what speech patterns work best for you... Even switching stations on the TV... to judge... or talking with several friends to try to quantify what works best with your HA and Brain... Hard of Hearing is work.. and we have to communicate with those who can be of help to us... Good Luck ...

what discourages me , is that my previous hearing aids (phonaks) allowed me to hear my wifes speech pretty well at home. (lost that old phonak taking off mask).
with new replacement phonaks M90s, she has to repeat everything she says to me.
so, is it the HA, is it the fitting, has my hearing gotten worse? Have had the new phonaks fitted & refitted. they stink. thinking of buying a phonak on ebay to replace lost one.

I know an audiologist can give you a copy of the hearing test results. but can the patient also get a copy of the hearing aid compression/attack/release/ & frequency transfers that the hearing aid (my phonaks) is programed to perform?

I am trying the Phonak Paradise P90 aids. They are quite technical and lots to learn with them. Also, they are slow to come on when you go into the app. The tap feature most of the time doesn't work; it's a hit-and-miss proposition. There are other things that are hit and miss, also. They often unpair themselves, and it's a bit complicated to re-pair them. I am thinking of not accepting them and going back to the Resound aids, get new Resounds that are rechargeable. I've had three sets of Resounds over the years, and they are much easier to use. What attracted me to the Phonak Paradise was the tap feature; just tap them to get inn or out of settings or to answer phone calls, and also the Auto-sense feature which is supposed to sense your hearing surroundings and adjust accordingly; that feature I feel does not work well at all. Anyway, wished I had better things to say other than their support phone line is really very good. They've always been extremely helpful.

@awilst, good question. You should always be able to get copies of your tests as well as read outs from transfers that the Phonak aids are programed to perform. I'm tagging @julieo4 @nurseheadakes @imallears @tonyinmi @dsh33782 to get their input too on requesting this data.

@awilst I ALWAYS get a copy of my latest audiogram for my records. As far as any of the technical settings, that is something I've never requested. I really don't think you want to try to get the settings unless you plan to program your aids yourself. People do that but it requires the programming software plus a piece of hardware that connects your aids to the computer. Chances are that the settings file is most likely a binary file that you would not be able to read anyway without the programming software.
Tony in Michigan