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Urgent suggestion need for my Phonak Lumity hearing aid fitting.

Posted by luoxihappy @luoxihappy, Dec 27, 2022

Could someone with Phonak or fitting experience help me out?

I got a new pair Phonak Lumity 90 a month ago. but after 4 times fitting, I still have problem with it.
I wear HA for around 5 years as I suffer moderate hearing loss in low frequency and severe drop in high frequency. To get better hearing I upgraded to Phonak Lumity 90.

I would like to get some suggestions here before I visit my audiologist, again.

My issues are :

hard to get information in noisy environment or in group conversation. I have to remove HA or reduce to volume in order. ( I tried noisy environment mode, but not really help). to be honest, in noisy environment, HA not help at all. it is better if I remove it.
sudden sound increase : I always come across sudden sound increase. I guess, HA is trying to adjust according to environment change, however, it caused some unpleasant sound, as well as sudden increase.
when talk to ppl with relatively lound voice, HA occasionally get unpleasant sharp sound. reduce volume can help to reduce sharp sound, however, I may have difficulty to understand content then. It is just too hard to get a balance.
Sound Played from computer or Mobile is not comfortable. sound from paper or some plastic bag is also too sharp. I can reduce volume to get more comfortable, but similarly, it will reduce the conversation clarification.
I have visited my Audiologist 4 times, but I have got a really good result so far. test in the clinic, quiet room seems ok, but when I go to real environment, I found so many issue.
so I would like to get some suggestion here before I visit her next time.

Thanks heaps in advance.

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Mentor
Julie, Volunteer Mentor | @julieo4 | Mar 6 12:18pm
In reply to @orgullodemexico "Hello @luoxihappy Your posting is over a year old and I'm not sure if you found..." + (show)
@orgullodemexico

Hello @luoxihappy

Your posting is over a year old and I'm not sure if you found resolution.

For comparison, my hearing loss begins at 40db at 250 Hz and goes to 80 db at Khz. My Speech in Noise score is 12.

I wear Phonak Lumity 90s after upgrading from Phonak Marvel 70s. While the Lumity HAs do perform better than the Marvel 70s, I still struggle in very noisy environments. To have a better understanding and to share with my audiologist exactly where I was having problems, I downloaded an app to my phone called DecibelX. It's a pretty accurate sound meter for measuring sound level of your environment. I then kept a log of every venue I visited (theater, restaurant, retail store, grocery store kwik mart etc) and the sound levels I experienced in each venue. This gives the audiologist some scientific data of areas where you struggle, rather than blindly walking into his office and saying "I can't hear".

My research revealed that HAs in general will help you hear up to 20 ft in a quiet setting, but that goes down to 5ft - 6ft in a noisy environment. The #1 complaint of HA users is, can't hear in noisy environments.

As powerful as Phonak Lumitys are I still struggle in the following area:

Health club fitness floor where the background is 80db and I can't converse with someone who is on the next achine only 6 ft away.

Retail store - Difficulty hearing the checkout clerk or the register promps from the self checkout kiosk.

Restaurant - Conversations to the side and back confuse my HAs and make it difficult to converse with someone at my table. Recently I had lunch with my mother in a restaurant. It was mid-afternoon so the restaurant was not crowded but background was 74db and I had a hard time pick up her voice. I asked her if she thought the restaurant was loud and she said no. As a member of the hearing loss community, everything sounds loud to me - making it difficult to pick up speech.

Grocery store - 75db background - Hard to hear the butcher at the meat counter or the clerk at the deli counter.

Recently I had to attend a visitation for a relative that passed. The parlor was 80 db background and i had a difficult time conversing with family members. I had to stand next to them to hear.

Yes the Phonak Lumity 90s boasts having Dynamic Noise Cancellation (DNC), which activates automatically in Speech in Noise program (SPiN) and Speech in Loud Noise program (SPiLN). The user is supposed to be able to adjust the strength of DNC while in SPiN or SPiLN by adjusting the SPEECH FOCUS slider in My Phonak App. I've adjusted this as well as NOISE REDUCTION without great results. I am a user of Phonak Target, the fitting software used by audiologists so I'm able to further adjust my HAs than the normal user can with My Phonak app. This is a work in progress, still trying to create the perfect recipe.

Please keep in mind, everyone reacts differently to HAs. Even if two patients have IDENTICAL audiogram prescription, they will receive hearing differently to identically programmed HAs.

What has helped in extreme conditions is using a Roger On microphone. This device has more powerful noise suppresion that is not in the hearing aid. The microphne can be operated in 360 degree listening mode or narrow focus. I tried it in narrow focus in a Walmart and was able to hear a mother and children talking 10 ft away. These devices are not cheap however you can find pre-owned ones on eBay.

I hope you will find some of this useful.

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My reality is that when I'm in a noisy place I absolutely must have add on assistive technology to use if I want to participate in conversation. That 'noise' can be perfectly normal for someone with typical hearing, and they will not perceive the environment as 'noisy'.

The mini mic I use with my Cochlear implant and hearing aid works well. In fact, I have two of them so one can be charged while I'm carrying the other one.

The Williams Sound Pocket Talker is helpful too. That can be used with headphones or a neckloop that allows you to use the telecoils in your hearing devices to bring the sound direct to your ears. Headphones allow a person w/o hearing aids to try the devices. Healthcare facilities often have those devices to communicate with patients who struggle with hearing loss.

I tried the original Roger Pen and it worked well, but I had to use a conversion neckloop because I don't have Phonak hearing aids. I understand the Roger devices have improved considerably since then. However, they are expensive. (Over $1000.) The Pocket Talker costs around $200. The Resound/Cochlear Mini Mic (which is brand specific) is around $300. Just for comparison.

I always carry a neckloop in my handbag. I can connect that to my cell phone, my laptop, and any other audio device that has an input jack. That includes FM receivers that are sometimes used in worship centers, meeting rooms, performing arts centers, etc.

With Bluetooth technology I don't need telecoils as much as I once did with my personal devices, but I still find it helpful in those larger settings. We know that Auracast is coming, and some products have started building it in. According to valid data, Auracast will likely not be available for "a few more years". Hearing aids and CI processors generally have a life span of about 5 years. I would not purchase hearing aids or cochlear implant processors that did not have built in telecoils at this time. Perhaps in 5 years Auracast will replace telecoil technology. It hasn't yet and most of us want to hear NOW, not years down the road.

NOTE: I looked on Amazon and eBay for Roger devices. They are there, but it looks like they are the oldest models, and they don't all include complete sets. Be careful what you purchase that way. Same with Pocket Talkers. they are there too. Make sure they have the accessories you need if you buy them online. Your hearing aid fitters can also purchase these products for you.

Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) can double the value of a pair of hearing aids.

Are you willing to ask about it and insist on trying it before you decide to go without it?

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