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I'm completely new to the world of hearing aids. Advice please.
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Oct 25, 2023 | Replies (103)Comment receiving replies
Fl. Mary
Thank you for your thoughts on Earlens and on hearing aids in general. I really am not interested and in any case may not even be eligible (you mention you would not be but in the literature the ENT pushed on me I didn’t see any discussion of criteria. My word recognition in one ear has plummeted such that the regular audi sent me to this ent for an auditory brain response test (to check for a tumor I think) but he said it was just an “aging” auditory nerve. So like you one ear is not much use although I do have an aid in that ear still.
From 3 years ago I have Phonak Audeos. I will look up your powerful Phonak Nadias and what a Bicros for your bad ear is! My regular audiologist seems conscientious but not too forthcoming. When I go annually for a checkup he makes some small adjustment to my phonaks and hasn’t suggested that new aids would help but the practice prides itself in not pushing aids that are not necessary and maybe go too far in that respect. My insurance is very generous so it is not a question of cost and it is not clear to me that I couldn’t get more help out of another hearing aid. (Without hearing aids I struggle to understand my husband at all right beside me). I am thinking of perhaps changing audiologists to a teaching hospital hearing center in the big city where I live to perhaps get someone more proactive. Hard for me to evaluate. When I got these new aids 3 years ago I actually could not detect much difference from the oticons I had had before! But thank you for joining the conversation- the earlens is a non starter for me but I was curious as to why the ENT was pushing it ($$$s for this high end practice I cynically wonder?). However your post has prompted me to look into whether there are better hearing aids out there now for me.
Replies to "Fl. Mary Thank you for your thoughts on Earlens and on hearing aids in general. I..."
@barbarat
I agree with @minniemimi about perhaps switching ENTs. I also wanted to mention that hearing aids need cleaning by your Audi at least every 6 months. Those openings where the microphones are can get clogged with normal debris espically on women who use hair products. My current Audi just vacuumed out my Cros and other 2 aids and I could notice the difference. They sell vacuums on Amazon that I am considering.
I am not sure if you wear BTEs with tubing and molds .
I retube mine on a regular basis and also change the ear hooks every few months. I do this rather than having to go to my Audi when I think they need cleaning or changing. This is something your Audi should be doing on a regular basis. Also, if you wear molds, how they fit is a major priority for optimal hearing.
I question why you bought your current aids if they seemed no better than your old ones at the time. I have a very challenging hearing loss with a small area to fine tune and adjust. My old Audi ,who was the best programmer, left the ENT practice for a different area and was a superb patient women, I wanted to stay with the ENT practice and think I may have lucked out with this new Audi. She seems very energetic and proactive and even got on the phone with Phonak when I had a question about a possible new aid. I am seeing her again in 6 months because she said Phonak is coming out with something new that may be compatible with my Cros.
The Phonak Paradise is also a good update.
I would read up about Cros and BiCros receivers and some of the new aids coming out before you select a new Audi. Also get to know about Bluetooth capability and those handy speech to text apps and other assisted devices that are out there.
We have to educate ourselves and not rely solely on the Audi. I am partial to Phonak because of the power and I have trialed all the major brands. I also have been wearing aids for 40 plus years and have seen the good, the bad and the ugly in hearing loss professionals.
I think a teaching hospital is a great place to go if you have one near you. I was evaluated at one many years ago but never returned. We are overrun with Audiologists and hearing aid techs in my area in Florida and can pick from the best. Don’t be afraid to move on…it really sounds like you could be understanding a whole lot better than you are know.
Hearing loss and diet are my passions. They are related more than you think.
FL Mary
I have had my Oticon hearing aids for 1-1/2 years. The sound is loud enough but the clarity is terrible. Do you know if another brand is better?
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If a physician is pushing, they are making out on the deal. From what I read, I would see another ENT. Keep in mind, some physicians graduate with a C-. Wish you the best.