implanting your self with a CI plain and simple jumps my speech recognition score from near 0% to 80-100%…
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Down here most all durable equipment suppliers work to top off insurance wherever possible. When you have a 20% co-pay, that’s not good. I use Amazon to buy supplies when needed. Many people DIY CPAP adjustments. It is not too difficult.
You like this forum, try CPAP and Sleep Apnea Message Board | CPAPtalk.com
Thanks for your suggestion. I haven’t been on that forum for some time. It’d be a good time to take a look around again.
I haven’t been there in a while either but Pugsy is very helpful.
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Answering to the OP question: I now wear Oticon More 1’s
Ok, that said, I do not think the brand of HA’s matters that much.
Reading lips in a restaurant is what helps me the most
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I was going to quickly respond that Bubbly definitely isn’t a CI candidate, but then I had a second look at that right ear and thought maybe. If she really were optimally fitted in the right ear and still was not getting much HA benefit and speech recognition in that ear was really poor, she could be? Left ear is not a candidate.
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You seem to have all the “answers” in your question. Rather odd to ask what’s the secret sauce to get better speech comprehension, when you clearly know the answers.
And “sorry” but reading your post makes one wonder if your not an “Audi” or someone within HT trying to drum up conversation. Not a bad thing, but obviously Bubbly HA’s are not your first rodeo. If in fact they ever were.
Most people have a surgeon do that. 
Are CIs available otherwise?
Can you elaborate on speech therapy? I feel like I can hear very well. I just don’t seem to understand very well. I have Phillips 9030 HA from Costco. The fitting seems OK. REM was performed. Maybe therapy can help.
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It may be my hearing loss, but I was referred to a high school speech therapist that worked with me for 2 years, I was in my late 60s at this time. For me it was mostly relearning to truly listen to how words are pronounced. It has helped but it also takes hearing aids that are fitted to the cutting edge, meaning not a lot of people with hearing loss can accept their aids being set so loud. You see for comfort reasons most hearing aids are set up at between 80 amd 90% of the true needs for the person to hear so the aids down seem too harsh sounding, because if they seem harsh then people throw them in a drawer and forget them. Over a six month period my aids were slowly raised to my full hearing loss level. But in doing so I can hear sounds that I would normally not hear, which means I hear words that I would normally now hear correctly.
It is harsh sounding at times and I have had to be patient and give my brain the time to learn how to accept the sounds. Over times it has learned to filter out what isn’t needed. But the downside is at times I will be around sounds I haven’t heard or don’t hear often and the sound will be like my head was inside of a huge bell that is ringing.
An air horn, an emergency siren, sometimes a sudden dog barking close by will do it to me. I have also had my aids reboot because of the sudden loud noise.
I don’t recommend it for anyone that is prepared for dealing with it. But for me it was doing this or facing an CI surgery. As someone that has never been hospitalized or had any surgeries or broken bones I run from even the thought of it.
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Stevemink, are you responding to me? I’m very definitely not an “Audi” or someone within HT (not even sure what that means 
). And it’s not my first rodeo with hearing aids, I did have a Phonak Lyric before the Rexton BiCore RICs that I’m wearing now, but the difference is so vast that I might as well be a new hearing aid wearer!
I posted this question because I’m interested to know what has helped others with speech comprehension, because I’m having that issue myself.
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You have a tuff audiogram to fit.
I’ve heard this many times! Thanks for the tips! I wish I knew a rockstar audiologist who would be great at fitting my hearing loss. It seems that finding a great one is a cr@pshoot for many of us 
Here is my take on getting better speech comprehension. Just an FYI that I am a busy executive in the IT industry, I have been wearing hearing aids for 23+ years and I think I am on my 7th or 8th set of hearing aids at this point.
MOST IMPORTANT POINT: It all starts with finding a really good audiologist. I can’t stress this enough. The best audiologists are almost like highly skilled police detectives. They ask tons of questions. They collect evidence (hearing test, word comprehension scores, etc) and they then continue to probe you with questions throughout the testing, product selection, fitting and adjustment periods. They also push you to log your experiences and take as much time as necessary to understand what is working and where you are struggling. They also really know their testing and fitting technology. They use industry best practices like REM testing. They intimately understand the strengths and weaknesses of each brand of hearing aid and they are good at recommending hearing aids that will work best for your unique hearing loss. They don’t push a single brand. They select the best product for you and then work with you to adjust the hearing aids until they get the best performance possible for your hearing loss.
I actually went through multiple audiologists until I found my current one. I was visiting my ENT Doctor for a checkup and he asked me how my hearing aids were doing. I told him I was completely frustrated with the whole process and he then recommended someone who he knew to be really good at fitting people who were very challenging/fussy patients. I have been with that audiologist ever since and he is fantastic.
SECOND MOST IMPORTANT POINT: The best speech comprehension and the latest breakthrough speech comprehension advances are only found in the newest and most expensive hearing aids. I know some people may beat me up on this but this is 100% true. You need to always start your trials with the hearing aid manufacturer’s top/latest models (i.e. 9 series, etc). These hearing aids have the most recent technology and the most recent algorithm to help with speech comprehension, specifically…speech in loud noise. I know this comes at a huge price that many cannot afford. I see this as a multi-year investment. Buying the latest hearing aid technology future proofs my hearing aids and allows me to keep them longer. Buying cheaper models really means you will be replacing them more often and IMHO, you will end up spending the same money over time. Bear in mind that you must start with a good audiologist. If you have a bad audiologist, it doesn’t matter how much you spend…you will get bad results.
LAST POINT: There are many brands of hearing aids and they all use different techniques to help you hear speech better. What works for some people’s hearing loss doesn’t necessarily work for a different person. That is why you will get so many different opinions here. Some swear by Oticon and their “open” approach to hearing. Others have gotten better results with Phonak (I’m wearing Phonak Lunmity right now), GN Resound, Signia, etc. You MUST find an audiologist who will let you try many different brands for a minimum of 30-60 days each and you MUST be patient as it takes the audiologist a while get the settings optimized and it will also take time for your brain to get used to a new hearing aid. You also need to find an audiologist who deeply understands the different brands that they are fitting and deeply understands the different strengths and weaknesses of each brand.
That’s my 2 cents. As I mentioned, I’m currently wearing Phonak’s new top model Lumity hearing aids and the speech comprehension I have experienced with these new hearing aids has been phenomenal.
Jordan
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I find fascinating what people “know.” I’m curious how you “know” this. I’m thinking it’s something along the lines of “this is what it seemed like for me and it must be true for everybody else.”
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I didn’t say that. Everything I share is based on my own personal experience and may not be true for others people. That being said, the hearing aid manufacturer’s typically put their latest speech comprehension advances/updates into their top model hearing aids. That is why I recommend starting with the top model and then working your way down.
Jordan
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I’d agree that hearing aid manufacturers only put their most advanced speech in noise features in their most expensive hearing aids, but in quiet situations they sound the same. Studies have been done questioning if people can tell the difference.
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@MDB I agree with this. I would go on to say a few things. Almost all hearing aids do great in quiet situations. The speech comprehension challenge with hearing aids has always been hearing in noisy or busy sound environments. That being said, noisy environments come in many different flavours and it’s almost impossible for a hearing impaired person to avoid a noisy environment. Even my own (normally quiet) home becomes a noisy environment when my kids drop by or we have guests for dinner. When people complain that they are having comprehension issues with their hearing aids I suspect they are complaining they can’t hear in a noisy environment. Once again…just my opinion.
Jordan
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This comes off a lot differently than your original statement.
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@JordanK I like your reviews and information your post. I follow your posts. I just recently got my Lumity L90RL hearing aids and started with a new HIS. I got my hearing aids Match 7th. The adjustment was good. He did perform, some sort of REM, there wasn’t the Carrot audio that I was used to, just sounds on my ears. He gave me a paper copy of test. (I’ll try and post when I find it). The adjustment was good but speech was bad. I saw him about 10 days later snd he adjusted (something). 
. A week later saw him as conversation was still bad. He adjusted using Semi frequency compression (my words) and wow it has made a big difference. It’s only been a few days and my brain is adjusting but hopefully it will remain good. This is the first audiologist that has taken time to actually go into the hearing aid programs and make adjustments to improve my hearing with them. Most just use whatever the computer tells them to do based on my audiogram. I’ve worn hearing aids for 19 years, 7 different pairs, counting these, Lumity. I do agree with you, if you have a bad Audi, it doesn’t matter how good your aids are, if not adjusted properly to your unique hearing loss. @JordanK , thank you for your insight snd updates on Lumity hearing aids.
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It is a !!!shoot.
It’s not fun finding a new audiologist and chosingnew hearing aids.
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