I disagree with you on the programing of aids, I have had nothing but good results from the Audis that I have worked with. They do their best to get you fitted, but I have to say you have to be patient and willing to work with them and to explain your issues as clearly as possible. You also have to keep your feet to the fire and also the Audis too. I have found the best results is when I have clear notes for my Audi and if possible to get those notes to the Audi at least a week ahead of the appointment. And most of all you have to give them some respect. They do deal with people that do not knoww how to respect out people.
So if the physical fit is good, that is, you’re not getting feedback and they don’t physically hurt, and you’re a self programmer, why do you keep going back? Why not just ebay up a PartnerMic for $125 (they’re there, I looked when I first saw this thread) and be done with it? If you’re driving long distances to get to the VA, that gas money adds up pretty quick (that is, the $125 shouldn’t be an excuse). That won’t get you a Roger, but it’s something?
Also, regarding the sounds that bother you, have you gone into the Fine Tuning and Automatic Fine Tuning options in Target and used the options in there? For example, in Automatic Fine Tuning (Open Session/New Session, Fine Tuning tab, Automatic Fine Tuning at the bottom right), you can select from the pulldown menu, Speech - Reverberant Speech or Noise - Party Noise, both of which may be representative of Walmart, and select from the associated pull down if it’s too echo-y, too boomy, etc. You click the Fix Issue button, and it makes adjustments to resolve the issue (theoretically). Obviously you won’t be able to tell if it works instantly but if you have a laptop you could conceivably sit in your car and do this, go in the store and check it out, go back and make further adjustments.
Clearly part of the problem is that you’re just not used to the sound after so long (I’m guessing probably decades?) unaided while you needed it, so that’s playing havoc with your brain. There’s little that can be done about that except more time. Drink some bourbon and go with it, ya know?
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Hi John and other’s in this post. I am very grateful to have this VA benefit I received my Phonak’s V90s from VA in Dec 17 and proceeded to make my own adjustments from home. I had the equipment at home because I did not like gong in to make adjustments my bad. There are some good audis and bad audis out there just like anywhere else where service on instruments is required. My audi wanted me to do an cochlear inplant I turned that down did not want anything sticking out of my head with no guarantee that my hearing would improve. I have profound hearing loss almost none high frequency sounds. I suffered with the new hearing aids for more than a year. The auto sense programming was really bad for my hearing loss. Whenever I was in the car or at church the volume would zoom on me and really distort the sounds I was hearing. I would then turn down the volume and not be able to understand anything being said. I decided to go back to VA and get an adjustment. I also could not understand being said on the phone. That was March 19. I was due for an audiogram because VA likes for their patient’s to get one once a year. This time I asked for a REM test and was given one did not get one at the first adjustment. My audi set my aids to the rem and it was too loud and she lowered again too loud. I was having a bad day weather 10 degrees outside. She was not able to fix the problems I had. She suggested using the speaker phone for the phone problem after a couple of months started doing that and guess what I understood the phone conversations better. I know this is a lengthy post but I feel your problem. Another thing she did was to eliminate auto sensing programing. and enable a manual speech in noise program and a telecoil program. I used the telecoil program for a little while but not much help. The manual speech in noise was a improvement but not really a big improvement. A couple months after the March appointment I was reading some posts on this forum and ran across a post about different hearing formulas. Apparently there is several different hearing aid formulas for the phonak hearing aids. I decided to try the DSL v5 for the adult and am glad I did because it change my speech understanding. I have not gone into my hearing aids and changed very much since that time. By the way a year ago if you had problems with your VA Phonak hearing aids you had to go to VA with your problems. Now I understand you can call Phonak to get help with your aids. I’ve gotten a lot of help with ha problems off this forum thanks to everyone. One last thing honestly, I have worn ha for the last thirteen years and phonaks naidas for profound hearing lost the ten. John don’t give up trying to get programmed for your loss. Also read a lot on this forum to understand your hearing loss.
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Chuck,
It isn’t low frequencies that are the problem. It seems to be upper mid frequencies. Ones where I have some loss, but notsevere loss. My stepdaughter’s voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. I have put on headphones and using an online program, listened to tones of varying frequencies to see if there was a range that causes me problems. When I do that, I can’t seem to find a particular region that is troublesome. I know, it doesn’t make sense. I need to figure out a way to do it when wearing my aids. If I stand near the local road that runs by my house and a car passes by, the sound the tires make on the roadway is very bothersome. But this is only with aids. When I enable SR2, and listen to tones produced by an app on my phone, I can hear up to 9 KHz pretty well. This means voices should be a snap. But they aren’t. I still have problems with voices, especially in noise. It seems my aids amplify the noise, but not the voice. I have tried to explain all this to the folks at the VA, but they don’t seem to listen. Every time they have programmed my aids, they are way too loud, and whatever frequencies that cause me the most discomfort are the worst. I end up turning them down 3 or 4 clicks, so they aren’t doing much of anything except partially blocking sounds.
Reading this makes me think that you have gone so long without hearing aids that your brain hasn’t heard the sounds in such a long time that it is going to need longer to relearn to accept the sounds. You need to keep the volume down and slowly increase it until you can handle the volume you need.
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@godavid_d
Did the audiologist at the VA more or less insult your intelligence about doing your own programming? They did mine. If they mention that again, I am just going to tell them that since they don’t seem to know how to do it, even with all their training, I thought I couldn’t do any worse. It might get me thrown out, but I wouldn’t care. If they aren’t interested in doing things to actually help, I don’t need to be going back, and back for basically nothing.
@phobos512
Yes, I have tried the fine tuning areas in Target. I couldn’t really tell that they did anything. I don’t use Autosense most of the time because it only makes things worse. The audiologist at the VA I spoke with yesterday said I wasn’t supposed to be able to tell when Autosense did things. That is true to a point. I can’t tell it is changing anything, just that noises get worse when I have it enabled. I turned whistle block almost off because I didn’t like what it does to tones, like beeps. I turned noise block down because it doesn’t block noises. And yes, I did try it with all that set the way the VA set it. I won’t buy a Partner Mic because the VA is going to give me one. I don’t think it will help because it is supposed to be worn by the person you are talking to, and be 8 inches from their mouth.
I want a Roger Select iN, but they won’t give me one.
I haven’t heard a lot of high frequency sounds in a long time. That is true. A lot of what I do hear when wearing aids is noise to me, and annoying. One of my big issues with aids is that the longer I wear them, the more annoying they get. Just the opposite of what it is supposed to be. I have grown somewhat accustomed to the artifacts introduced by SR2. Everyone having a huge amount of sibilance, even me, took some getting used to. But all that other noise just makes me want to put them on the shelf.
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Two things.
- I have a brother in law who pretty much said the same things about his aids when he got them.
His solution was screw it I ain’t wearing them.
So he doesn’t. The result is he can’t hear well.
When I talk to him I do not care if he understands me are not. That is his problem not mine. I do not repeat myself to him. - The loud sounds the trouble hearing in noise I went through all of that.
I use to laugh when I would read your brain needs time to adapt.
I thought they were nuts.
I still have problems in certain situations. But believe it are not my brain really has adapted.
My left ear has a bad distortion. Everything I hear in that ear sounds like a broken speaker. A badly broken speaker.
I didn’t think the aids were any good. Didn’t realize it was my ear. Kept trying to have the broken speaker sounds adjusted out. I have adjusted to the broken speaker sound.
I’ve been trying to figure out how to put up my audiogram. It’s very interesting.
To quote my old ENT I have an unusual loss.
Try to stick it out.
It’s in your best interest.
Best regards.
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freezerman404
I am glad you adjusted to your aids and are being helped by them. One big issue with me I think, is that I have adjusted to my hearing loss pretty well over the years. My loss doesn’t actually impact my quality of life all that much. Sure, I have problems understand people, especially in noisy situations. But, I am now retired, so I am not around that many people any more, and I have learned to just tell people I am hard of hearing when difficulties arise. It doesn’t always help, but at least they know I am not just ignoring them. So, I am not as willing as a lot of folks to put up with all the negative aspects of wearing aids as some folks. For the little bit of increase in hearing ability I get, I have to accept a lot of negatives. They are uncomfortably loud, everything sounds wrong. By this I mean strident, or screechy, if that is a word. My own voice sounds like I am speaking through a very low quality microphone, as well as being too loud. And situations that are normally OK, are now too loud. Frequencies I hear OK without aids are now muffled by the molds. I am a much more relaxed and comfortable person when I am not wearing them. So, even though I might, and I emphasize might, adjust eventually, I really don’t want to have to put up with all the misery until that day finally arrives. I don’t like admitting this, but I don’t think that even though I have pretty lousy hearing, I am most likely not a good candidate for hearing aids.
And if you just turn these up so you can hear them again, are you unable to tolerate the sound of your own voice or what? What happens for you if you replace the lows without trying to replace the highs?
I’ll second Zebra that the partner mic is better than the old remote mic. What are you looking to use it for though? Because you are right–you need to be able to self-advocate and have people actually wear it for it to be effective.
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Qualifying for VA benefits depends on many things: when did you serve, in which war if not peacetime, are you subject to an income restriction, which varies by locality? Service at certain times and obtaining a combat ribbon may trump restrictions that would otherwise suggest you don’t qualify. Once qualified, getting approval for hearing aids is generally straightforward, assuming your service record supports exposure to sound that might harm hearing. You need to better understand how this all works to know whether VA clerks are making a mistake or not. Look up “qualifying for VA benefits” on the internet. It will help you understand whether you are likely to qualify.
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and help. I was in the USMC from 1962 until 1966. I was in avionics and had to work around jet aircraft. When I got out my hearing was impaired but not too bad. Over the years it became so bad that I retired early. I plan to make an appointment with a VA advocate as soon as the virus lets me do so. Thanks again for the help.
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Hearing aids can suck.
They can be annoying, frustrating and in general a big PIA.
Having said that, the most important thing I learned from this site is that hearing aids take 100 percent commitment.
You have to be committed for the long haul.
That means even when they suck you stick with it.
Have you read some of the CI stories.
Man that’s what I call commitment.
You have to let them drill holes in your head. Stick electrodes in your head.
Than you have rehab.
That can take I think at least a year.
Amazing.
If your not committed 100 percent to the aids come hell are high water than I agree with you. Maybe your not either ready for aids are like you said not a good candidate. Like I said you have to be committed to making them work.
I still think that if you stick with the aids that you will eventually adapt.
Wishing you the best in what ever your decision is.
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When I finally decided I had to get hearing aids, I made a commentment to wear them everyday and to get use to them. The same type of commentment that I made when I joined the Navy. I was in the Navy for eight years and the reason I got out was I made a commentment to my wife and son, that I would be there for them. So yes life is about choosing to make that commentment to what you want or what you need to do. The same as I did a little over 15 years ago to wear hearing aids, and the one that I made a little over 10 and a half years ago to lose weight and get off all of the medications that doctors were pushing at me. It is the same type of commentment that you make if you buy a new vehicle, get married, decide to join the military, or any other thing in life.
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You nailed it. You said it better than me.
Sorry to read of your troubles. I have to say my experience with the VA audiologists (Martinsburg WV) has been just the opposite. They have bent over backwards to see that I am satisfied. They have always provided several choices for models and allowed me to select the model I wanted (Starkey Halos). I, too, have great difficulty with conversation in noisy environments. After testing, they determine my problem stems from an extremely poor word recognition ability. After years of not hearing, and learning to read lips, even with the aids- I do best when seeing the speakers lips.
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I wish my experience was as great as yours at the Martinsburg VA…
//Edit//
After reading how this sounds, it doesn’t represent all my experience at the Martinsburg VA. I’ve been getting all my health care there since 2011 (I said 2009 in another post) and I have no problem with that care.
My problem is with the 1st hearing aids I received in Sep 2019. The audi stuck one HA in my right ear and asked me to put the other in my left ear. She showed me the charger and the TV streamer box, and how to change the domes and war guards. That was it for my 1st ever HA “fitting!” As she was packing everything up, I asked about the phone app for the HAs and she told me that I didn’t need to use the app.
I experience loud high frequency noises with these HAs, loud enough that they hurt, but I was told that I’d get used to them. There was never any suggestion about checking the HA prescription or trying to adjust them. So, I moved on to my next 2nd HA trial which I didn’t like for other reasons. However, the fitting for my 2nd HA trial was excellent and done professionally–by a different audi. And, now I’m on my 3rd trial. These were mailed to me because of the corona virus, which is understandable. Plus, since they’re my 3rd HA trial, it’s not a problem like the 1st set was.
So, except for my 1st HA “fitting” at the Martinsburg VA, I’ve had excellent care there.
I have been getting hearing aids from the VA for over 15 years, and I know what you mean about explaining things to you. The Audi I have now at the Hot Springs clinic is the first that has ever tried to explain apps and extras to me. But then again I am an trained electronics tech, and software engineer so all I have ever wanted was my hearing aids and my hearing loss explained to me. And I have to say I have some really good Audis and a few so so Audis. I have gotten Aids and hearing services from now 5 different clinics in 2 different states. But the clinic I am in now is like being at home when I am there, or at least it was before this virus crap started. I will see how bad it as changed in 2 weeks when I go in for my hearing test and to choose my next hearing aids.
Chuck, I’d be really curious to hear what you think of trialing the Phonak Marvels.
I’m sure you’re aware, you get up to 5 months to try them, and if not happy, can go to the OPN S.
I know you like the Connectclip, but I never adapted to having to wear it.
Hands-free phone calls on the Marvels is, well…Marvelous! Phone stays in my pocket, or wherever I drop it.
You just want to be sure your Audi is comfortable with the Target fitting software.
I’ve had good luck so far, and my Audi has told me I can go back to Oticon if I want.
She also got me a Roger Select iM. Check it out.
I will see what my Audi thinks but when I was last at the VA and talked to my Audi he told me I would not like the Phonak aids after wearing Oticon for 10 years and the OPN1 aids for the last 18 months or so. I have sent him my notes. Which has my complaints, my likes and desires. And while I let him know I still prefer ITE aids, I have come to realize that with my hearing loss and the fact I want t-coils again, that I will be either getting the OPNS Minirite-r or the BTE-PP hearing aids seeing that my aids now have the 85 db recievers, and by the Gene2 software I really could use the 105 db recievers or the BTE-PP which are 105. I will see what he says to all of it. The one reason I am personally backing away from the Phonak Marvels is that they do not have a Apple Watch app, and I have come to depend on my watch as my main remote control for my aids. And with the MFI aids I have the choice of using the Oticon ON app or just using the system panel of my watch or iPhone to control my aids.