Ah so you understand the issues here! This conversation has helped so much hubby is now all enthused and enlarged the vent a really tiny bit in the original mold for the Engage as a test and its worked for that. SO now I’ll try and make an appointment with audio and see if he can get the other Xceed to work!!
Can’t thank you and @Volusiano enough, its given him back the hope that there is an answer to this.
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If your husband drills a bigger vent hole into the mold, a software “resizing” should also be done to reflect this, so that Genie 2 will be able to re-adjust your husband’s gain prescription to the proper (larger) vent hole size. Your husband’s audi will need to do this in Genie 2 (unless he’s a DIY who can do it himself). I wonder how your audi will react to this self drilling, but that’s beside the point anyway.
The screenshot below shows you an example when I changed my aids’ model selection to Xceed SP. It then asked me to specify what kind of fitting I have. At the bottom is an example of the selection for the proper vent size that the audi would have to choose in order to get Genie 2 to make the appropriate gain re-prescription adjustment for you.
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Thank you, he used the spare mold that came with the aid but when the Audi couldn’t get rid of the occlusion and changed it to the Engage with lifetube he gave my husband the mold.
The little test he did this evening was to drill the vent and then try the Xceed in his right ear - no occlusion! so then he tried it with the engage and no occlusion.
The plan now is to get a new appointment and take the ‘drilled’ mold with, amd tell them to try the Exceed. So he has the same for both ears.
That screenshot is really useful! Yes my husband could probably do it himself if he had the software. But at least he can see what the audio uses and the available settings
Its taken 5yrs to get him new hearing aids (NHS, Pandemic, hospitalised with Covid,GP sending wrong forms). I am determined to make sure he gets what he needs …
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Your husband can go to the forum’s DIY section and browse through the threads where people make requests for the link of the (free) Oticon Genie 2 2023.1 software. Install it on a Windows PC (that meet the requirements) and he can at least create and “simulate” his personal profile without spending any money in order to get familiar with all the Genie 2 parameters. Then when he goes to visit the audi, he’ll know exactly what the parameters are to ask the audi intelligent questions about them. All this is great education for free and only costs you your time to learn, but you’ll have a much more thorough knowledge of what all the features are. The online Help page link has very good documentation.
Then if he wants to take the next big leap to actually connect and DIY program with own HAs, then he’d have to buy an interface called the NoahLink Wireless that should cost under $200 which would connect to the Windows PC and wirelessly connect to the Oticon aids. Now he can do much of the programming and tweaking himself. The main thing lacking in the DIY approach is that home users don’t have REM equipments to do the REM like the HCPs can do at their office. But usually REM only has to be done once initially at the office on new aids and/or new fittings or after major fitting changes. Then after that, further minor adjustments can be done at home based on the REM adjusted gain curves. Many different things can be tried quickly at home and if not successful, just go back to the previous saved session to undo the last changes. You can have several saved sessions so that you can undo several saved changes, all the way back to the beginning, as long as you are disciplined about documenting what gets changed and saved in each saved session.
Recall that @Zebras said that the Engage is locked, however, even though the Xceed aren’t locked. So DIY on the Engage will not be possible.
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Late to the party, but yes. Sometimes people are bothered by occlusion and sometimes they are bothered by low frequency amplification of their own voice which some have termed “ampclusion”. But true occlusion can only be resolved with an adjustment to the physical fit, not any programming change. It’s possible that the ear canal is narrow enough that the clinician really didn’t think the vent could be physically opened any wider. Sometimes the mold lab will refuse trying to increase venting past a certain point to maintain the integrity of the mold. I’ll certainly hack away at a mild to try to make something work while letting the patient know that it might mean they have to purchase new molds more frequently, but I don’t know what the limits on that might be in a non-private-pay scenario. But I would expect if the guy went back and said “is really like to make this work and this modification helps me, is this possible?” The clinician should try it or explain clearly why it won’t.
Where I am, that hearing loss is borderline CI candidate and I would send for an assessment of the were not medical contra indications.
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Thank you @Neville for the info. its non -private but it was more a case of the clinician having spent time on the fitting was not keen to spend any more time on anything. My husband has an appointment in 4-6wks time so we are going to take the mold with the vent he’s slightly enlarged and get them to test it. Not adverse to buying new molds if we need to.
He was offered implants but currently recovering from an acute saddle PE (from Covid) and various heart issues as a result he really can’t stomach the idea.
Absolutely a legitimate reason not to proceed. Maybe in the future. Hope he’s recovering well.
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The Audiogram looks very similar to mine. Very steep slope.I think a pair of Oticon Xceed UP or Phonak Naida BTE will be suitable for him.
Hello everyone that helped so much with this. I am delighted to say that today my husband had his appointment and armed with all the info you provided and after a bit of an argument they have changed his EngageP hearing aid to the Xceed so he now has the same for both ears. He had put a vent in the mold and needs to make it a little bigger. But its amazing he is so happy and been listening to music for the first time in … well ages! he’s now linked up to the various things that help with using a mobile and TV etc. Its just wonderful to see the difference its making.
A big thank you to you all.
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recently I have solved the problem of occlusion in my ears. if this is true, you should lower the frequency to 125 on audimetry. that’s where my occlusion problem is.
please let me know, if wrong
@Zebras
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maybe I should also try adding a vent in my earmole. because during this time there has never been an earmole that has a vent
halo mr.
what do you think of BC? if I look at the BC, there is not much response. what is the sign of the auditory nerve ? or what ?
Hello Pak,
You meant BC for my problem?. Have not consider BC or the Audi did not recommend to me. Now using Xceed UP 1. Better than More 1. Able to hear in noisy restaurant while More 1 was not able to hear in noisy restaurant.
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This is really good. I’m pleased for you. Must be a relief for you as it’s easier to hear when in noise.
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I mean. as a result of the hearing he attached, he saw many BC who did not respond.
This is normal when your hearing loss is the inner ear.
BC results can someone only go to roughly 60 dB max.
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Yes, Phonak have an occlusion effect button on the software and it lowers the lows to help with occlusion.
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@Zebras
this is what I hear left and right. do you have an opinion, why until now still not get the benefits of hearing aids ? ( when I use my hearing aid, it only helps 20% )