I have Costco KS 9 hearing aids. They aren’t working for me any longer. I can’t hear much at this point. Instead of my tv volume set at 11 as it has been for years, now I have to move it up to 20 or 22, for the same programs. Can’t hear birds or Spring peepers. Impossible to have a telephone conversation. I don’t hear the toaster oven “ding” when it shuts off, nor the microwave “beep-beep-beep” from 15 feet away. Getting afraid to use the oven / stove, because I have to be standing right there to hear the timer ring, those don’t turn off like the other 2 and I’ve burnt a few pans. I know it is thundering out because one of my dogs who is afraid of it is panting and running to hide in the bathroom. (I do hear the boom if it is right over my house.) Walking with friends they have to stop and face me for me to figure out what they are saying. Two have said it is exhausting trying to communicate with me!
I have an appointment with Costco this Friday, for full testing and perhaps getting new hearing aids. No testing has been done since 2019.
Seems a few things have changed since I last did this; no more Kirkland aids, some but not all Costco locations carry Sennheiser (I can’t figure out if Waltham Massachusetts carries them or not).
I do not own a cell phone. As I’m reading, I see many now talk about ‘app this and app that.’ And Bluetooth this and that, I have no use for it with no cell phone.
I will get my new audiogram on Friday and bring that here to my profile.
It’s quite possible that your hearing has worsened considerably and/or your aids aren’t working propperly. It’s possible that getting retested and getting your aids checked out and adjusted might do the trick. For TV you might want to consider getting a TV Connect that lets you send the TV sound directly to your KS9. It really helps a lot. If you want new aids, the Sennheisers should be a good choice and I’m pretty sure they’re widely available now. Keep us posted.
It’s great to see you here again! I also visited Costco recently because my KS 9 wasn’t cutting it anymore. I filled out the Patient Intake Form thoroughly before my appointment, and it helped more than I expected. The HAS reviewed it, adjusted my KS 9 and helped me select a new pair. Good luck with your appointment!
P.S. Does your home phone receiver work with T-coil? The KS9’s T-coil mode worked well with my work phone. The Philips 9050’s T-coil mode is not as helpful, and I’m trying to figure out if I need to change the volume or just give up and try to use the General program.
I saw the Patient Intake Form, thought it was for new patients, so thanks for the heads up, I will get that prepped.
I am not good with all the technology stuff. I have no clue re T Coil. Perhaps I should try to read about that.
To give you an idea, I moved here 10 years ago. I disconnected my DVD / VCR player, and TV, moved 100 miles and . . . have not been able to connect it up again since. I HAVE all the manuals, and I worked on it quite often the first 3 or 4 years here, but I finally gave up. So I haven’t seen any of my tapes or DVDs in 10 years. They are all here, some in boxes some on the shelf (they get dusted), but I can’t watch them. Tech is very challenging to me.
If there is a way to get into Costco once a year it would benefit your hearing big time. My wife also has the KS9 aids. She is terrible about getting them cleaned and inspected at Costco. Also get a quick hearing test every year or two to keep the aids adjusted properly
for you. Odds are those KS9 aids would still do well for you.
Thanks. I do clean them, change the wax guard and the dome. I don’t even maintain the Costco membership, just take it out when I need something. I will arrive about an hour prior to my appointment, so I can get the membership in order, then go for my appt.
Costco is a 40 min drive one way, not something I bother with much. I generally drive 6 to 9 miles per week. The Costco I’ve been using is currently having issues with staffing in the hearing center, so I had to make my appointment (3 months ago!) at another location. I am going to hit traffic, esp on the drive home. Not looking forward to it.
Using T-coils is probably unnecessary if they can adjust the KS 9 to your current hearing level or if you end up getting a new one. Let us know how it goes on Friday!
I’ve been going to Nashua for over 10 years. But when I phoned for an appointment, I was told they have staffing issues. They lost 3 experienced people, were in process of hiring new folks and getting them trained. At that date they had not actually hired anyone. The woman advised I should go to one of 3 in MA. She would not give me an appointment in Nashua! So I phoned Waltham and got this appointment.
All that was 3 months ago.
Raudrive As a single person I don’t need much and certainly not in the bulk family sizes they offer.
Did you get the 5 year warranty? Citi still honors it if you have your paperwork. I sent in my 9s while I trialed the 9050s, came back much much better. I did get the 9050s, only adjust volume which can be done on the aids. Good luck.
The good news: she was able to update software to my hearing aids, and changed my domes to Power Domes. I can hear better, especially in the right ear.
Bad news: major change - hearing loss - since my last test in 2019. I can not order new hearing aids – should I want to do that – without a medical clearance from an ENT.
I have added my new audiogram to my profile. And just in case I did something wrong, here it is:
My left ear is not hearing much, and the word recognition score is zero. For much of the testing of the left ear, I could hear talking but no idea what the words were. Word recognition score for the right ear is 84.
The woman that helped me seemed to think this adjustment was all free. To my way of thinking, it cost me the $65 membership fee. Not had a membership since I bought these hearing aids, so I had to line up and addrrss that priot to going to my appointment. 45 minutes in line!!!
For now, I am enjoying hearing better, with the software upgrades, the reprogramming to my new test, and the change in domes.
With your loss, I would suggest you investigate some form of custom molds. I would think (others will know more) that even with Powerdomes, your high frequency gains will be pegged back to avoid feedback. This will be negatively affecting word recognition.
Thanks for your hearing updates.
Just a thought. Now that your aids are properly set for your hearing loss it is possible to get some word understanding from that left ear again. Most people will say no but I do know it can happen. Since you are hearing sound but can’t make words out of it that tells you things are working. Give your brain time to hear these sounds and just maybe get some understanding from that sound.
I agree with Peterh. Molds would be a much better choice for your hearing loss.
Good luck with this and hang in there.
Thank you, both, @PeterH and @Raudrive . I’m guessing I would not be able to order those at Costco without the medical clearance, as well. As it should be, I don’t disagree.
During the testing, she did play static in the right ear while testing the left ear. I’m guessing that is standard, but thought in fairness I should mention it.
Meanwhile, this morning heating breakfast in the microwave, I went down the hall to get something in my bedroom and . . . I HEARD THE MICROWAVE BEEP!!!
I agree. Even if you would be finally eligible for CI on the left ear, a training period with properly fitted hearing aid before surgery greatly improves outcomes during auditory rehabilitation with CI.
I confirm that. I don’t know what your susceptibility to the occlusion effect is (probably low, seeing your hearing loss at low frequencies), but it is worth considering as small a vent as possible to make the feedback threshold as high as possible to get the most of high-frequency amplification. There is better low-frequency sound, too.
I am experimenting with a 0.6 mm diameter vent; your mileage may vary.
Bimodal_user
Thanks. ENT told me I can’t get a CI as the nerve has to be healthy for that to work. My hearing loss is a side effect of medication I took for 8 years, which damaged the nerves; in time, I will be completely deaf.
