Do I need hearing aids?

Hearing Aids
#1

My hearing loss is as follows

   500  750   1000  1500  2000   3000   4000   6000   8000

R. 10 10 10 10 10 20 40 45 0
L. 10 10 15 15 20 45 75 55 20

I have a very difficult time hearing some female speech, if there is any background noise, forget about it.

Ive have tried different hearing aids and I really havent had much success, i can generally pick up sounds I normally can’t hear well, but my difficulty with female speech remains a problem.

Is is the loss too narrow to even bother with?

any input would be greatly appreciated.

#2

I have similar loss, and some people have questioned my need for aids, especially in my right ear, but I can say unequivocally that hearing aids have vastly improved my quality of life. I hear better both in quiet and noise. I say, “What?!” far less. I can hear birds and frogs. I can enjoy music more. That said, everyone’s hearing is different, and your mileage may vary.

Out of curiousity, what aids have you tried, and for how long have you tried each of them?

#3

I recently tried the resound linx2 for about 5 weeks. I am currently trying Starkey Halo i110. They both defiantly pick up sounds I don’t normally hear, and the Bluetooth features are pretty cool, but I have the same issues with speech.

A couple of years ago I tried a Phonac and one other that I don’t recall the brand of. I kind of gave up for awhile after trying these because they didn’t do much.

#4

Ask your dispenser to give you more high-frequency gain. This will make female speech clearer. The default fitting of the Halo is most likely not providing enough amplification for soft sounds in the highs.

#5

It’s also possible that the acclimatisation feature is working against you here. More high pitch gain gets added later in the process. These kind of losses are why I fit so many Unitron aids, having the user control the amount of Speech focus rather than volume is a very useful tool during the initial acceptance phase.

#6

You have two frequencies in the right ear and three in the left that can be aided. If you were my father I’d tell you to wait.

#7

What would you have advised me?

#8

I did not stay at Holiday Inn last night, so I can’t advise you.:wink:
My audi discussed the pure tone average as criteria for aiding or not aiding. Here is the link to an article <<http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/Pages/measuring.aspx>> . The discussion on pure tone averages starts under the Formal Audiometric (Hearing) Test.

#9

Not sure if you’ve tried aids in the past or not. Your left ear is certainly a candidate, the right is borderline at best. Some state health departments would classify your right as normal, putting the fitter in a bind if the person became disgruntled later down the road seeking a refund and contacted the licensing board to report the person. Some folks in your shoes will want to “attempt” to keep a balance and try a right aid but I would have warned you that you might not perceive a dramatic benefit from the right and I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if you handed it back to me saying it didn’t make a huge difference (if the fitting is honest). In some cases people get a false hope in the beginning because they hear an increase in sound over what they normally get, so they truly believe there’s a benefit. 5mos down the road when the newness wears off they sometimes will come in and state they don’t wear the right aid (in your case) all that much because they don’t hear a big enough difference with or without it. It’s all about expectations, honesty, and counseling.