Cookie Bite Loss

Hello All,
I am new to this site. I have cookie bite bilateral hearing loss. I currently have digital aids, but no matter what type of environment I am in, I still have difficulties hearing in noisy environments or even with some background noise. I’m sure lots of people with similar losses have the same issue. I grew up using analog hearing aids and I’ll tell you that I had to fight with my mom every single day because I hated them so much! As soon as I got to school, off they went, into my backpack. Now, as an adult, I can understand why I hated them because not only would thay increase sounds I can’t hear, they also increased sounds I could hear, therefore making everything just super loud. I’ve recently discovered digital aids a few years ago and still just would rather not wear them. I do find that when I do wear them frequently, when I take them off, everything sounds muffled to me… which, again, makes sense.

I’ve recently discovered the Siemens HAs and love the technology it has and am wondering if those would be good for my type of hearing loss or just too much “bells and whistles” (more extra features than I truly need).

My audiogram:
250 Hz: 20Rt, 30Lt
500 Hz: 25Rt, 30Lt
1000 Hz: 45Rt, 65Lt
2000 Hz: 60Rt, 60Lt
3000 Hz: 50Rt, 55Lt
4000 Hz: 45Rt, 45Lt
6000 Hz: 25Rt, 30Lt
8000 Hz: 20Rt, 25Lt

To be honest, I feel that sometimes I just don’t need them. Matter of fact, I used my last hearing aid battery a few months ago, therefore haven’t worn them that long and just bought more batteries the other day (but now have to go through that adjustment stage again… UGH).

Any feedback from you all?

Thank you so much!

Hello,

The aids I currently have are Beltone Marqs and I am very unhappy with the supposed “audiologist” that sold them to me, so I made an appointment with a very experienced audiologist (a ‘true’ one) that was suggested by my doctor. My appt is on Tuesday, so we’ll see what they have to say.

I do love when I actually am used to wearing the aids because I don’t have to ask people to repeat themselves nearly as frequently. But… it’s the sudden loud noises that make me want to just rip them out and throw them against the wall (headache, do we say?). I’ve had them adjusted so many times and I personally don’t think the guy even knows what he is doing as he’s not a “true” audiologist.

I’m looking into the Siemens brand anyway because they have the feature to stop sudden loud noises (forget the technology name). If not the Aquaris, maybe the Pure’s. They look so cute and tiny (don’t want everyone knowing about my hearing loss).

With my (what I feel isn’t significant enough) hearing loss, I sometimes feel I just don’t need them… until I’m washing dishes and can’t hear my family talk to me clearly… Then I realize that “yeah, I should just try to adhere to my aids”.

In addition, I realized that when I do wear them all the time, when I take them out and try to talk to someone, I feel my hearing is WORSE then when I didn’t wear them all the time. It’s almost like my brain got used to not having to focus so hard and became lazy! I don’t want to lose what listening ability I do already have… Any thoughts about that? Thank you for your thoughts.

One more thing… I would love to get the Receiver-in-the-ear HAs this next time. Don’t those give a more “real” hearing ability versus the receiver “behind the ear”? I have an issue with determining where the sound is coming from, even with my HAs.

Thanks again.

BTW, you cannot tell a “real” good audiologist by their degree. I would judge them by their happy customers.

According to my research, RIC aids generally need more maintenance due to failing receivers. Some people prefer CIC (completely in the canal) aids. CIC aids generally use smaller batteries,

MystiqueOne…I also have reverse slope loss and am trialing PHonak Casssia microP BTE’s…my audiologist is really good…listens to what I am trying to explain when I go for adjustments and is easy to talk to…that is the most important thing when getting hearing aids…I have learned (from reading on this forum, dealing with 2 audiologists) that for my loss, BTE is the way to go, however, it is truly an individual preference and a lot has to do with your lifestyle as well as loss…this is my second go round with trying aids after I lost my first set of Siemens 2 years ago after having them for 2 years…i never stuck with it…they were in and out of my ears and I got tired of going back for adjustments…now I am determined to keep them in and get my brain to adjust to it all…someone posted a link to an article by NEIL BAUMAN on new hearing aid users…you should read it and it is very true…I am on my 3rd week with the aids and I keep them in even when my house is quiet and I get used to the ‘house’ noises…you need to be able to explain to your audi/HIS what you don’t like and how it sounds when you are out in the real world…I will say that background noise will be a difficult thing to get used to…I do like these Phonaks and they were about 3400 for a set…he gave me 45 day trial but I asked for 60 so I can try them when I get back to teaching and see how they are…so all in all my quality of life at this time has greatly improved and I know i am happier and not stressed about trying to understand what people are saying…I feel my loss is very significant and I guess hearing the difference when the aids are adjusted right for me makes me aware of how bad my loss has affected the quality of my life…I am commiting myself to making this work!! Good Luck to you…Rosie

I like the BTE aids with the “tube” rather than the molds. I found the molds made every sound come through the aid and took away my natural hearing. I like the natural sounds and only those I cannot hear coming through the “tube” (whatever it’s called). I’ve tried the CICs and the same thing occurs. Now I want to find out more about the RIC maintenance you were talking about. Thanks.

Thank you for sharing your story. I did tend to take them out when I was just chilling in my home, but I can see the importance of leaving them in all the time. I also take them out when I have a headache to make things a bit quieter. It’s like “ahhh” when I remove them.

I have found that with the “tube” that goes from the aid into my ear canal, the top of the tube resting on the top of my ear against my head, tends to start hurting after a while. I thought maybe the tube is a little too short, but if I have it changed out to the next size up, then the tube is too big and never stays in my canal (the end of it). I hope I’m explaining it correctly.

Also, what do you do when you want to lie down on a pillow and watch tv or movie with your aids on? I find the pressure from lying on my ear with the aids in starts making my ear hurt, too. Any ideas for that?

I have my appointment on Tuesday with a reputable audiologist and hopefully she will inform me of a good set of HAs for me. She’s been an audiologist for numerous years and is well experienced with HAs and different types of hearing loss’s (from what my PHP stated).

Thank you!

MystyqueOne,
Watching tv with your HA in can be a real pain! A friend of mine has a pillow with a hole in it ( kind of looks like one of those cervical pillows) that he says works great! I find that just laying down with my arm under my head works to keep the pressure off the ear molds and HA. I also have a streamer and my wife has an Icom that we use while watching tv.
Scott

With RIC, the “tube” just covers the wiring to the receiver (speaker) located in the ear canal.

There are also BTE open fit aids available. The part in the ear is open similar to RIC, but the receiver is in the aid and the sound goes through the tube to the ear canal. The domes on these aids can be replaced much less expensively than the RIC receivers.

Both types are considered non-occluding.

That’s what I have. :stuck_out_tongue: The open ended dome in the ear. I don’t have molds and I love the fact that I can hear my naturally heard sounds, Naturally!

Does the RIC have a more natural listening advantage verses the others? I just find that the ones I have don’t allow me to localize the sound (or maybe that’s just me). Also, I was wondering if the background noise be less if I had the RIC instead.

Thank you!