Proper hearing aid fitting is tricky. The fitter's skills are important. Yes, people with similar audiograms are likely to have different experiences with hearing instruments. It's important to work hard to adjust to new hearing instruments. Ask for help from the audiologist as much as necessary. If you are not getting enough help from new hearing instruments return them and ask to try a different brand/model.

It's important to understand that the nerves related to hearing are generally not the issue, and are usually functional. The problem is with damaged hair cells within the cochlea. Think of those tiny hair cells as the keys on a large piano keyboard that starts to deteriorate one sound at a time. Many are led to believe that 'nerve damage' has caused their hearing loss when that is not the case. The reason cochlear implants work is because they bypass those damaged hair cells in the cochlea and are able to stimulate the auditory nerve that has been sitting there dormant.