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Loss of hearing clarity: Solutions or strategies anyone?

Posted by JK @contentandwell, Feb 24, 2019

I have in the last couple of years lost hearing clarity. Apparently, somewhere between my auditory nerves and my brain, there is something like a disconnect. The decibels at which I hear has not changed. This clarity loss can be age-related, and I have read that it can also possibly be related to having had cirrhosis, or to taking immunosuppressants - that all seems pretty unclear though. I have been wearing hearing aids since around 2004.

Has anyone else had this type of problem and if so how do you compensate for it? I get emails from CHC -- Center for Hearing and Communications which is NYC and Florida and a book was mentioned recently that can be purchased on Amazon, "Smart Hearing: Strategies, Skills, and Resources for Living Better with Hearing Loss" by Katherine Bouton. I am thinking about purchasing it but wondered if any others have this problem too. I have Oticon Opn1 hearing aids and purchased the "Connect Clip" which helps in some situations.
Thanks for any responses.
JK

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suesue22 | @suesue22 | 3 days ago
In reply to @reallyrosie "I don't know of any way to increase hearing clarity, which I believe is normally due..." + (show)
@reallyrosie

I don't know of any way to increase hearing clarity, which I believe is normally due to nerve damage and for aging, a "basilar dip". So I can't advise BUT may I suggest you start to notice clues around you and adjust your environment so you have better access to communication? First be aware of the light source: if it is directly behind the head of the person speak in to you, u will not see the conversation clues in their faces. Keep the light behind YOU. Second, learn how to use captions on TV. Every set has them ready to turn on in the menu and settings. Turn yours on and leave them on all the time. It takes some getting used to but once you do, you will find greater clarity especially if u wear hearing aids while watching.

See if these two tips can help. You do need to adjust to the loss and u do need to give yourself time for that. You've already noticed and claimed what's going on....good for you! There are some strategies that can make living with the loss, easier. But these two are basic. Give yourself time!

Jump to this post

I try to watch. Lips oof the speaker also, I was using captions and still do my favorite is AVA but I don’t use it round my sister" I also concentrate on what she says.i still miss a lot. My problem is I also have bad eyes so watching lips is hard even capttionss on tv. Captions on my jpad are terrific

REPLY
daveshaw | @daveshaw | 3 days ago

In my opinion you need to find a better audiologist. There are bad audiologists and there are average audiologists and there are exceptional audiologists.
Your lack of clarity could just be the result of not having someone skilled in fine tuning your existing hearing aids or there may be a different brand of hearing aid that fits your needs better than others.
That being said Oticon is an excellent brand as is Signia and others out there.
Good luck to you.

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2 replies
Sal Gentile | @mattie1014 | 2 days ago
In reply to @daveshaw "In my opinion you need to find a better audiologist. There are bad audiologists and there..." + (show)
@daveshaw

In my opinion you need to find a better audiologist. There are bad audiologists and there are average audiologists and there are exceptional audiologists.
Your lack of clarity could just be the result of not having someone skilled in fine tuning your existing hearing aids or there may be a different brand of hearing aid that fits your needs better than others.
That being said Oticon is an excellent brand as is Signia and others out there.
Good luck to you.

Jump to this post

I am a 15 year Tinnitus and hearing loss suffer and have high frequency hearing loss. So I cannot distinguish vowels and words properly. I have experience with audiologists and hearing aids. I wear Starkey and oticon aids. I would be honored as a 15 year volunteer for the American Tinnitus Association and now a new organization called Tinnitus Quest to review all the details of your history and do my best to help you. Please email me at tvtinnitus@gmail.com and I can communicate with you further. Hearing aids cannot define or correct clarity if the damage is in the ear if the audiologist programmed them correctly with a true Best Practices hearing test they only can make them louder if the clarity issue is in the brain. I wish you well. You

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ahimsa | @ahimsa | 2 days ago
In reply to @daveshaw "In my opinion you need to find a better audiologist. There are bad audiologists and there..." + (show)
@daveshaw

In my opinion you need to find a better audiologist. There are bad audiologists and there are average audiologists and there are exceptional audiologists.
Your lack of clarity could just be the result of not having someone skilled in fine tuning your existing hearing aids or there may be a different brand of hearing aid that fits your needs better than others.
That being said Oticon is an excellent brand as is Signia and others out there.
Good luck to you.

Jump to this post

I've tried two audiologists. The first put an Oticon in my left ear only, which is the weaker of the two ears. Then I saw a second audiologist, who put a Signia in my good ear, and in my bad ear another Signia that would send the sound over to the good ear. Problem was, it cut out every time I really needed it, like in a noisy restaurant, So Thou$ands spent, and not much to show for it. So I really had nothing to lose by trying the Apple Airpods Pro 2 for about $200 which is FDA approved as an over the counter hearing aid. They work better for me, anyway, than either the Oticon or the Signia, at a fraction of the price. I can customize them to my personal audiogram, using my iphone. I can adjust the devices myself with the iphone, and don't have to make an appointment with an audiologist to make adjustments. BIG IMPROVEMENT!! I don't know if they would work for everybody, but they work for me!!

REPLY
1 reply
daveshaw | @daveshaw | 2 days ago
In reply to @ahimsa "I've tried two audiologists. The first put an Oticon in my left ear only, which is..." + (show)
@ahimsa

I've tried two audiologists. The first put an Oticon in my left ear only, which is the weaker of the two ears. Then I saw a second audiologist, who put a Signia in my good ear, and in my bad ear another Signia that would send the sound over to the good ear. Problem was, it cut out every time I really needed it, like in a noisy restaurant, So Thou$ands spent, and not much to show for it. So I really had nothing to lose by trying the Apple Airpods Pro 2 for about $200 which is FDA approved as an over the counter hearing aid. They work better for me, anyway, than either the Oticon or the Signia, at a fraction of the price. I can customize them to my personal audiogram, using my iphone. I can adjust the devices myself with the iphone, and don't have to make an appointment with an audiologist to make adjustments. BIG IMPROVEMENT!! I don't know if they would work for everybody, but they work for me!!

Jump to this post

I am happy you found something that worked for you.
I have severe to profound hearing loss so that is not a solution for me.
I currently have Signia X platform BTE hearing aids which is their newest platform. With the help of an excellent audiologist my clarity has improved as much as it can based on my hearing loss.
I am glad the Apple AirPods work for you. Maybe they will keep making them better but right now I unfortunately have to stick with hearing aids.

REPLY
ahimsa | @ahimsa | 2 days ago

thanks, best wishes for continued success!

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