What kind of criteria does work use to “approve” hearing aids? Is this a security thing and they don’t want any bluetooth devices? If so, that’s going to make things challenging as just about all aids come with Bluetooth.
Regarding CIC/ITC vs RIC. More issues with occlusion with CIC/ITC which would likely be more of an issue with your left ear.
Wearing hearing aids in both ears would offer the greatest benefit. The right ear shouldn’t be “useless” unless there is something unusual about the loss, but it will become useless if it isn’t aided.
Sounds like work approval is the biggest issue. Maybe ask if they’ve got an approved list. Also ask HR about how they handle disabilities.
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I have worked in secure areas and SCIFs in the past. If I had to go back in, my current RIC HAs wouldn’t be able to be approved. I did some investigation when I had to make a trip to a secure building last year and they had a list of pre approved devices. If you go with CIC with no bluetooth or other connectivity there’s a chance. All the modern RIC and BTE HAs are forbidden. There are some exceptions, but they are few. I do not have approval to share our list, but this is an example of another technology another organization has put out in a public manner of breast pump devices. I wish they were as liberal with hearing aids as they are with breast pumps.
WH
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Yep it’s security related. Bluetooth is not necessarily prohibited. I have a list of approved units but as a complete newbie, I have to sort through the different types of HAs for my specific hearling loss before getting to this particular issue.
In my recent research, I just don’t see ITC/CIC units talked about that much so I wanted to ask about them compared to RIC. My perception of recommendations based on recent research is like 90% tilted towards RIC HAs but as a zero experience user, the RIC HAs look like the large old school HAs from years ago. But I am assuming these RIC units are more popular than I realized…presumably because they work better and users find them reasonably unobtrusive. I’m just trying to get smarter.
Thanks!
I have no hair (I shave every day) so my aids stick out. I think after the first week I didn’t care if they were noticed at all. Now (almost 2 1/2 years) I’m wishing they came in a more interesting color. “Champagne” is pretty boring. But I’m over it. No big deal either way. If I’m having trouble understanding someone, often putting a finger to a hearing aid and saying “I didn’t catch that…” helps them understand to speak up. I’m all about better comms now.
WH
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Is it ok to share the approved list with us? If not and you want Costco, look up Rexton hearing aids. If the occlusion doesn’t bother you, CIC or ITC could help you a lot. Costco carries some but they tend to be more expensive (although still less expensive than from most mainstream audis.
Not sure if this is of interest?
I appreciate the input so far. I can’t share the approved devices. There are a number of Rexton and ReSound options on the list however, that I assume are mostly available through Costco.
I’ll also mention that I have been an amateur sound engineer for the last decade at my church. My left ear got injured 2 years ago through unexpected/unprotected gunfire and I have cut back on sound engineer duties to the point where I only do the audio mix for our internet stream which is something I can do wearing headphones. My natural hearing is now such that I have not been trusting it to do live audio mixes in the building but I would enjoy continuing sound duties if the hearing aids enable it.
This is subjective but if the latest RIC/BTE options are no go as suggested by WH, how much of a step down in performance is a roughly $1500 ITC or CIC option? Never having worn one, I really don’t have a sense for how much the occlusion would bother me but I think it might be problematic for sound engineering compared to the open receiver designs I see in RIC units.
It’s likely I’m going to retire in the next 24 months so it’s theoretically possible I could just wear these outside work but that doesn’t seem like a plan that this forum would recommend. A separate option since my insurance would buy new hearing aids 3 years down the road is to stick with an approved device for now and buy new ones at the 3 year point when I’m likely to be retired.
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Costco won’t have any Resound models. They’ll have Jabra models that are very close, but if it has to be an approved model that may prove to be an issue. I don’t know that you’ll be able to find an ITC or CIC for $1500. I’d expect Costco’s to be about $2500
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I don’t know if these would be appropriate, but Lyrics (while pricey) might fit the bill. They have no wireless, and fit entirely inside (deeply!) your ear canal.
They are more of a subscription plan than a HA purchase. They need to be replaced often because the battery isn’t rechargeable or replaceable. But, if you like them (and your security officers will approve) AND you can afford them, this might be a win.
WH
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Costco carries Rexton hearing aids, which are duplicates of Signia hearing aids. I tried them and found them to be excellent.
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My last HAs (which I wore for 6 years) were CIC / ITC which I was drawn to because I thought they were less ‘noticeable’. I definitely felt the occlusion effect but I could deal with that. What I didn’t like was the sound (which I guess is due to the occlusion, but not in the way I expected). Because the ITC blocked my entire ear with the exception of the vent, they replaced my hearing. I could definitely hear better in some situations, but there were situations in which I actually felt they made it worse - for example trying to order in a cafeteria. I was never able to get them adjusted to get them to sound better. When I was ready to replace them about a year and a half ago my new audi convinced me to trial a behind the ear (RIC) style and the difference is night and day. Because these ones don’t block my entire ear, and I can still hear ‘through’ them,I feel like these ones are ‘aiding’ my hearing instead of replacing it. Everything sounds much more natural, and I have not come across any situations where I feel they are worse than no aids - in fact they are a big improvement. I can’t say for sure that the entire improvement is due to the style because I also changed brands and have newer technology, but I do feel like a lot of the improvement is due to the style. My hearing is actually not that bad (relatively) anyway, so maybe someone with a more severe loss would have a different experience - I really don’t know. I would not go back to ITC or CIC now. It is possible to get ITC HAs without bluetooth capabilities though, so that may be better for your security issues.
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Losses of that configuration often have a genetic component. If you have siblings, encourage them to get tested.
It’s not a completely outrageous loss for a CIC/IIC. That is, it’s possible you might do very well in a IIC. It’s going to depend on the anatomy of your ear. If you happen to have ear canals that are on the large, deep side such that sufficient venting can be added, it might be fine. Benefits of IIC if you’ve got the right kind of ear are good retention and comfort, nice fit under ear phones, better sound localization. You won’t know until you try it. However, sometimes people might get a CIC/IIC first and convince themselves it’s okay, but then complain a year later about intractible occlusion issues but now the hearing aids cannot be returned. In an ideal world, it might be valuable to try a RIC first and then get an IIC so that you can compare.
If your workplace has to approve your device, will they also chip in? 
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It’s interesting that you mention genetics. This has a definite genetic component. My mom and several members of her family have moderate to severe hearing loss and it’s in their left ear in all cases. Seems weird.
In my case, I had substandard hearing in my left ear my whole life, even as a kid. It was always deficient but the gunfire event (single shot and outdoors but I didn’t have ear protection) a couple years ago “broke” something in my ear. My hearing went from workable but not good to I feel mostly deaf except for bass frequencies. I went from stereo hearing to what feels like 90% mono hearing and that hasn’t been fun. I hoped the ENT could find a wax buildup or fluid on the ear or something correctable but he said nope.
At this point, I need to schedule an appointment with Costco and start looking at specifics.
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You’re missing a lot in both ears now. Whatever you end up with, I think hearing aids will be a good change for you.
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The Jabra Enhance Pro 20 are the same as the Resound Nexia level 9. Every review I have looked at, they are rated #1. Impressive. Costco also no longer carries Phonak, thank God. Over the last 8 years I have had a pair of Brio 2 and then Brio3 to solve problems with the Brio 2. Neither worked right for me. The latest Phonak had a Charger problem that Phonak wouldn’t fix so Costco dropped them. After 18 months, Phonak finally issued a HA f/w update to fix the “charger” problem. I won’t touch Phonak with a 10m foot pole. I am getting a new pair via the VA. They do not yet have the Nexia 9 model so I am getting Oticon. They are rated high for sound quality. Unfortunately, they don’t have the latest BT or Auracast and the phone app is rated 2.5 vs 4.3 for Resound. I don’t think the Oticon charger is a power bank so it must be plugged in to charge the HA. Could be a problem when traveling. Probably, the VA will have the Nexia after May when they redo their contracts.Also, Oticon is suppose to have a new model in Feb.
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Oticon has the SmartCharger that does have an internal battery - I got one instead of the standard charger (no internal battery) with my Real 1 aids. The following URL has a brief description and picture:
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thanks, good to know. How do you like your Oticon? What is your opinion of the phone app?
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The Real 1 mini-RITE R aids with vented molds seem fine for me - the wind noise rejection is better than the More 1 aids that are now my backups. Useful for me as I commute to work on a bicycle 
. I do like how the Real 1 aids work when hiking or walking my dog - I can hear birds and other natural sounds better than with older aids.
I think the app could be better but I don’t need it for much. I do shut down all apps and then power off and start my iPhone (12 mini running 17.2.1) after I charge it and that seems to make things work a bit better with the app. Sort of a reminder of how well the early versions of Windows worked with add-on hardware and their associated drivers in a PC 
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If you have little to no hearing in one ear, you should consider trying CROS / BiCROS hearing aids for your single-sided deafness before buying “regular” hearing aids. I’ve worn Phonak bicros for over 7 years and it’s made a world of difference for me.
A CROS hearing aid offers no amplification of sound and simply routes sound to the ear with better hearing ability. A BiCROS system reroutes the sound to the other ear and amplifies it to account for some degree of hearing loss in the ear.
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Hearing loss is posted; he’s not a CROS candidate.
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