Unless you are using REM Any Audiologist or HIS who is using REM will do a better job than you will. And unless you have been formally trained to use Programing software you are playing around with whatever residual hearing your wife has left!
That’s mighty bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.
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Definitely her call, but there are people on the forum with cochlear implants who enjoy music.
Yes, and I should only allow certified mechanics to work on my vehicle — even though they screw it up every time, and I should only allow certified piano tuners to tune my piano even though it always goes out of tune the next day, etc. etc.
If it will ease your mind at all, her current hearing aid was initially programmed by an audiologist and I have just made minor tweaks since then. The same will happen with her new one as the insurance will pay for that.
Just one thing he screwed up out of several at the beginning: he set sound recover the same for all her programs, never said anything about it, or asked how it sounded to her. It was only when I started programming myself that I learned about it and realized that by making it slightly stronger for speech she could hear better. And I also discovered that he had put it on the music setting, which it should never be used for. My wife was telling me the high notes of the piano sounded strange — and it took me a while to realize this was because sound recover was moving them down to a lower pitch that didn’t make sense in the music! The audiologist didn’t have a clue about that!
I also eventually discovered she heard music best while listening on tele-coil with her head up close to a speaker I went to a great deal of trouble to set up for. But I also discovered that over time that on tele-coil there was distortion. So I turned the volume of the tele-coil down several steps which, combined with turning the volume of the speaker higher, solved the problem.
Etc. etc. etc.
Regarding cochlear implants, this is not music to me. Perhaps there will be improvements in the future.
I am a classical pianist and I’ve uploaded my renditions of the greatest works of Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert to YouTube, and I want her to be able to hear them as well as other great pieces of music.
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okay, I did some research on REM which I’d never heard of (real ear measurement). My wife has seen four different audiologists at two different practices and never had anything said about that. When she gets a new hearing aid in a few months I will look for a provider that offers that. But I wonder if it’s really appropriate for her because after her last hearing test five years ago her discrimination was 48% and I know it’s gone down since then . The REM is measuring the output of the hearing aid, but it’s not measuring the sounds that actually help her to understand speech.
So I wonder if the bottom line is really just for me to keep making little tweaks after the initial programming until it seems best to her. I’ve made 65 such tweaks on her current aid.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
So I want to take issue with one thing you said, that REM is “…not measuring the sounds that actually help her to understand speech.” The REM machine that my audiologist uses is speech based and it has prerecorded speech at multiple volumes that hit a specific mix of speech sounds (phonemes) to ensure that the hearing aids are producing speech sounds in line with one’s prescription. Now, no, that doesn’t tell you what her brain is processing, but it is a start, and it’s a lot more than just BEEP.
Plus, I’m now an expert on carrots (the REM sentences are all about carrots).
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you are right. I phrased that wrong. I should have said, as you did, that it doesn’t tell you what her brain is processing.
I’m expecting it to be a huge challenge to find an audiologist who works with our insurance (true hearing) who does real ear measurements properly.the first person in the comment section of this page indicates her audiologist was really just faking it!
The Naida B UP aids are rated 120 dB across the frequencies.
The Naida M SP is rated 110 dB out to 1000 hertz and then 120 dB beyond.
Costco has the Brio 4 now. It is based on the Phonak M BTE aids. Right now it is a size 312 battery but if they follow up like the previous Brio 3 they will bring out a power aid. That would be a cost effective option with great service and they always fit with REM.
unfortunately I don’t think true hearing works with Costco. That’s why I’m thinking of the signia which will be much cheaper than any other brand through them. But I’ll keep that in mind. I just watched a video by Dr. Cliff Olson where he said he quit true hearing because he couldn’t make a profit. Somebody has to pay.
after doing more research I don’t think that signia makes a hearing aid as powerful as the Phonak Naida B. I may also consider the oticon xceed.
Regarding REM, how big is the microphone that goes in before the ear mold. The last time an audiologist tried to make an ear mold for her — three tries — there was so much feedback I began making her molds using earplugs that work much better. But I also make them so the tube comes very close to the eardrum which greatly helps her.
I wonder if there’s room for a microphone between this custom mold and the eardrum. and right now she’s at maximum volume anyway so I wonder if REM would really make any difference.
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Check his web, he listed some clinics which do best practice fitting, including rem and other tests
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The microphones are really tiny. They’re a skinny little tube. Think like a piece of thread. At least the ones my audiologist uses. They’re meant to be used with any kind of hearing aid configuration.
Does the audiologist have her prop her mouth open with a foam block when they make the molds?
I already did. None are near me.
she didn’t the last time we tried. I suppose we can try again with the new audiologist — at a cost of $100 or more. There’s also a kit online you can make your own for about $20. But the trouble seems that they are all made of silicone which is not flexible enough for changing positions, which the earplugs are.
That’s the whole point of the mouth prop; you’re making an earmold that suits the worst case / biggest condition of the ear canal size. And the tissues are flexible enough that it works for the smallest condition as well.
I have a profound hearing loss with 20 percent speech comprehension and tomorrow I will be purchasing 2 naida marvels. Take that for what it’s worth. Considering the complexity of these aids and the cost there’s no way I would even consider programing them myself let alone programming them for someone else. If you don’t trust your audiologist then find one you do. I’m not going to get into why you would be programming someone else’s aids. To each his own. And I’m not going to say the phonak aids will help your wife. Only she can tell you that. But considering the severity of her loss and my loss I wouldn’t let anyone but a professional mess with them. There’s already a program available for the user to tweek things if necessary.
I got this message from Phonak two weeks ago:Good afternoon, Phil-
Thank you for contacting Phonak with your inquiry. We are committed to launching a Naída UP with the latest connectivity benefits including RogerDirect, and can confirm it is in development; however this is going to require more time, and we do not anticipate having a UP device in the Marvel family.
If you are getting a marvel yours will be a SP. Since your loss is not as profound as my wife’s perhaps that will be adequate.
If you read my previous post you will see I’m just making minor tweaks on what the audiologist initially programmed, and screwed up. Did you read them? We’ve seen four different audiologists at two practices and they all seem equally incompetent.
Do you have a link to the program for tweaking things if necessary?I never heard of that for the Naida Q.
I’ve just made three more tweaks in the last week. When she tells me she likes what I did we keep it. She says no I change it.
When I stick my finger in my ear and open and close my mouth I can feel an outer part of the canal get larger but an inner part gets smaller. And the shape changes also. what I have made for her is working well at the moment and it gets the tube closer to her eardrum than the mold the audiologist made. But thanks for the comment — we may inquire about that in the future.
Your wife may want to consider this cochlear implants. Since the sp naida marvels just came out I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for a up naida like phonak said. No audi will program an aid correctly on the first visit. There has to be give and take between the audi and the patient to further program an aid. The test results are only a starting point when it comes to programing gearing aids. And with such a profound loss there’s no hearing aid out there that is going to correct that loss. But then again hearing aids correct nothing, they just try to help. And you can take manufacturers claims as to what their hearing aids do with a grain of salt.
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How the joints move is different from person to person so it’s still worth checking out.
Also, I can’t help but feel going back to your first post that you should be seeking a different audiologist. You shouldn’t be seeing a doctor you don’t trust. You should also make sure this isn’t a you issue; does your wife have a voice in all this? Does SHE not trust the audiologist too? Or is she deferring to you?
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