Commentary: Trying Hearing Aids Again
My Audiogram from January 2007
Right ear = Circle
Left ear = X
The last time I had hearing aids, they were analog and the top of the line. Even that wasn't enough for me when I lost more hearing 12 years ago. I could not hear with them anymore. I had to wait years for hearing aid technology to improve, and for my financial situation to improve too (hearing aids not covered by insurance). The hearing aids I am now testing out, are digital. What a difference.
I am hearing sounds that I never heard before with the analog hearing aids. The sound volume seems weak, yet clearer. I can hear voices, but so far it seems that I still need to read lips to make sense out of what is being said.
The audiologist said these hearing aids are computers. They certainly sound like computers. They beep when turned on. The sound quality is somewhat mechanical, and there is a constant input of sound.
Sounds I heard today, some for the first time:
- Background hum in a room
- Going down stairs, heard another person's footsteps
- Heard my own footsteps
- Co-workers' voices
- The sound made by quarters as they clattered on my desktop
- The noise I make when typing on a keyboard
- Bob's voice
- Doors opening and closing
- Ring of a phone (barely heard it)
- The sort of whoosh made by a car passing while standing on the sidewalk (but I could not hear the car coming up)
I'm still adjusting to them, and it will take awhile. I have to turn them off if the sound makes me dizzy, or while I am driving (after I adjust I will use them when driving too).
My question to those of you who are adults and chose to have implants or chose not to have implants but use hearing aids instead: How much benefit from hearing aids is enough to justify choosing hearing aids over implants or vice versa? How did you decide? This is the decision I must make at the end of this three month trial.
Related articles on About.com:
Booth Hearing Tests
How Can I Interpret My Audiogram?
Comments
Why don’t you check out cochlear implant forums?
I have always been curious what people could hear with hearing aids. How do you know the sounds that you are hearing? Do you ask people, or did you used to know and the knowledge is coming back. Do you like hearing? Am I being too nosy? Ha, sorry. Anyway, best of luck to you whatever you decide.
Hi,
I have a cochlear implant embedded in my skull. Even though I don’t use it anymore, I feel it daily. It causes me great discomfort and it’s permanent.
I’ve heard the same report from other CI users. That in itself should be reason enough not to use a CI. If you must hear, digital hearing aids probably is the best avenue to take.
These days, I’m a severe insomniac, because I can feel it constantly. I can only sleep if I am so tired that feeling the CI doesn’t matter anymore.
Sincerely,
Erick Ketcham
You have to remember that CI hearing is NOT natural hearing. Perhaps, if these new digital hearing aids work for you, then that’s what you should stick with.
You’re used to hearing minimal sounds. With CIs you get not only the important stuff, but a lot of distracting background noise. People with regular hearing automatically tune out background noise and focus on what’s important. I don’t know if a late-implanted adult’s brain could be trained to do that.
Instead of being able to hear important noises like people yelling, doors slamming, cars screeching, phones ringing, babies crying, with a CI your brain might get swamped by indecipherable background noise so, ironically, you MISS the big stuff.
You don’t have to decide at the end of 3 months. You can test and use the hearing aids as long as you want. After you get used to the current settings on your hearing aids, see if they can be adjusted, just like what will happen with a CI if you get one. Your experience with hearing aids seems similar to the adjustment needed with a CI. Picking up sounds and matching the sounds to the activity in the environment that is generating the sound. Hearing aids and CIs produce different sensations of sound, yes, and each sound sensation needs to be processed by the brain (often with other input such as through the eyes) to attach meaning. Discriminating speech sounds, whether through hearing aids or CIs, is a more complex task, and the process for either is impacted by the presence of other sounds or background noise. You would not expect to know the limits of a CI after 3 months’ use. So why 3 months for hearing aids? Don’t stress yourself out with arbitrary deadlines.
What digital hearing aids did you get?
I’ve been a proud digital hearing aid wearer for 6 years. I love them.
I was amazed when I put on my digital hearing aids for the first time. I could hear the computer hum! I asked the audiologist “how can hearing people put up with all that noise?!?” The audiologist chuckled and said that hearing people tend to tune things out. Hmm. Well, *I* tune out all the time
Anyway, I no longer “hear” the hum of the computer anymore – I’ve learned to tune it out.
The digital hearing aids are a vast improvement over analog hearing aids. I even got “audio input boots” so that I can listen to iPod – far better than head phones – with headphones, everything was very muted at the very best – a direct connection to my hearing aids allow for a clear sound – it’s like I’m in a room listening to my CD player. I love my “audio boots”. You can use the “boots” for CD player, computer, iPod – can’t use them for phones, though. The jack is too big for phones. Anyway, I love my hearing aids. I’ll never get a cochlear implant (I can’t get a cochlear implant anyway, because of a medical condition – you could say that the ONLY option I have is hearing aids, or use sign language exclusively, etc.).
I have analog/digital hearing aids (all in one) which picks up high frequency very well. When my son was younger, my father asked if my son was eligible for CI and the audiologist bluntly said no, since the digital hearing aids he was wearing put him in the range of hearing person 10-20 dB with aids and that CI could make it worse. Even today, with his progressive hearing loss, his digital aids (the newer, more powerful ones) still benefits him.
I am very leery of CIs… as Erick explained, it is in your head… no thanks, I don’t want to lose sleep over it…
.
What are your word recognition scores?
About three years ago, I added a digital hearing aid to my left ear, which had not been aided before. I was amazed at the improvement of hearing. I’ve been exploring a CI for a while, but not ready to take that leap just yet. I’m getting closer to it though, especially since some of my friends have really benefitted and been able to use the phone. Then I see others who haven’t and I get scared that I might have a poor result. As one of my friends said, “It’s a technological crapshoot sometimes.”
I have three hearing aids. Two are digital, one of them top of the line, and the third is an ancient analog aid. I’m using the analog.
The first digital aid renders speech more sharply than my analog aid, but the volume level is too soft – not quite powerful enough.
The newer digital aid is like yours now – a bit too powerful, enough to make me dizzy, but again it does render speech sharply. It’s somewhat uncomfortable, because as you’ve noticed, it lacks warmth. It’s very refined. I suppose it’s something I could get used to after a while.
But what really bugs me about both digital aids is that they absolutely mangle music. Digital aids are programmed to narrowly focus on speech, and that focus distorts how they interpret other sounds. Cochlear implants, because they have such a narrow bandwidth, also distort sounds.
Analog just gives you the sound as it is. Being accustomed to the sounds from an analog aid, I’m able to interpret them somewhat. Your mileage may vary.
My ideal digital hearing aid would have a channel for speech, and another with, say, an analog mode for music. I could live with switching between two channels that are optimized for two different things – one for speech, one for music.
I’m at the point now that I really only get a benefit from any kind of hearing aid under ideal conditions – a single source of sound with no background interference. Most accounts I’ve read about CI experiences – and I’ve read quite a few – is that they don’t deliver as much sound quality or comprehension as hearing aids. So it seems to me as long as a hearing aid remains somewhat useful, it’s better to stay with that and leave a CI as a very last resort.
Rosa, I do not own the hearing aids. These are loaner hearing aids, on trial. If they work for me, I will find a way to buy them.
Drmzz, I do not know my word recognition scores with a hearing aid yet. I am waiting for a follow-up appointment with the audiologist to find out. I can tell you that when I had that audiogram done, they did a un-aided, with headphones word recognition (ice cream, cowboy, hot dog, baseball) test and I did so well that the audiologist was amazed that I could do so well with my level of hearing loss. My early auditory training really paid off.
Kevin, I have not even tried listening to music yet. I’m hoping I will be able to hear music even if I do not understand the words.
Jenny, these things are so tiny that I asked the audiologist if they were for a baby! They aren’t, but I’m glad they are small because my ears are pretty small as it is. I was able to read a brand name on them – Phonak PowerMaxx (http://www.phonak.com/consumer/products/instruments/digital/maxx.htm). Another audiologist had recommended I try the Phonak Supero, but I guess the implant center decided that I should try the Maxx instead.
I can not hear feedback from the ear molds if there is any. The audiologist told me I must depend on other people to tell me if there is feedback.
Today I found that while I can hear voices, my understanding of them is definitely not improved that much. I am still having to ask people to write in Notepad. I also discovered that the sound of the Metrorail doors opening and closing sounds similar to a baby crying. I’m also hearing some “yucky” sounds for the first time – like a nose being blown.
I wish I knew how to tune out some sounds because the constant input is a bit of an annoyance. There seems to be a constant humming sound and I find myself turning them off frequently to give myself a break.
Your honest comments about cochlear implants versus digital hearing aids are much appreciated! At the same time I am puzzled because I keep hearing/reading about how well little kids do with their cochlear implants, as well as some adults.
One thing in favor of hearing aids over implants – if the technology improves, I can easily upgrade despite the cost. With an implant, you can upgrade the speech processor, but at some point the technology implanted will become out of date, and newer implants will be able to do things that older implants can not.
A few things -
Erick your situation is probably one of the VERY VERY few that has experienced this. And this happens for anything not just CI. People have hip replacements and some are successful and some end up feeling discomfort. It is not the same for every individual. I have met plenty of CI users who has NOT experienced what you are experiencing – I, in particular dont.
Ken Rose – actually that is where you are wrong – the Nucleus Freedom is the first CI that is actually natural hearing. I currently have the Nucleus Freedom and it is a big difference. I had tried an older CI and it does sound robotic – Technology has come a long way. And also – over time my brain did start tuning out those background sounds. At first it is overwhelming but eventually it fades away.
And I have been a hearing aid user for more than 35 years and for me there was a drastic difference between a hearing aid and CI. I had a progressive hearing loss and it got to a point where a hearing aid wasn’t benefitting e at all. I used to be able to talk on the phone, have conversations without even looking at people then it got to a point where I couldn’t do that anymore. So I decided to gamble and have the CI implanted on my worst ear (My non hearing aid ear) and now I can do things that I could never do before – participate in teleconference calls, be in a room with multiple people and comprende much more than I had before – dont have to depend on lip reading, use the phone with ease. So the benefit for “ME” was there. Now I have a family member who also got one – and for this member will never comprende words because he has never heard words before. But he can hear environmental sounds quite well. So, but keep in mind CI is not for everyone – and everyone’s experiences are different. i have read how people would say you cant do this and that and you will experience this and that – and after two years now with the CI I haven’t had any bad experiences with the CI they have all been positive.
Actually, the test you mentioned with “hotdog” “airplane” etc. is a Speech Recognition Threshold word list, not a Word Recognition Score. I know the terms are similar, but their purposes are quite different. Find out your aided score and scores w/o hearing aid.
In all the input you are gathering, consider their source and their audiograms if you can get them. Those who say children do “really well”…who is saying that? The child? Or the child’s hopeful parents and teachers?
What does “really well” mean…can the person understand everyday communication, or only two-syllable words in a sound booth?
When considering any technology, keep in mind the specific purpose you are hoping to use it for…telephones? …workplace communication? …meetings or classrooms? …music or TV broadcasts? Hone in on that and compare the data for that particular use.
Even with all that sorting out you are doing, there are no guarantees…it can be a technological crapshoot, indeed.
Jamie, the cochlear implant forums are always discussing the pros and cons between the hearing aids and cochlear implants. They’ll be honest with you and share with you their experiences. If you want the links, let me know and I can get them from another friend.
You will find that everyone has a personal opinion about aids and CI’s. I personally believe that if you still have residual hearing that can be helped with aids, then I would stick with aids for now. I’ve known too many people that have had CI’s failed on them. When they cut your hearing nerves, you can’t get them back if the CI’s fail and you won’t be able to go back to a hearing aid. Technology is improving all the time and I truly believe something better than CI’s will come along. One friend says that CI’s do not help her in group settings, only in one on one conversations. So, you need to weigh the pros and cons and determine which you think will benefit you the most.
Thank you all, for your comments and input. I have a 9 yr old son.He’s been profoundly deaf since birth.And, I’m in a quandry as to going with a CI or staying with hearing aids.2 months ago he got new digital aids and myself and others have noticed a small improvment in his speech.He wants a CI because he wants to be able to speak better. But, I’ve been told that this most likely will not happen. Because CI’s are permenant, I terrified of making the wrong decision!In my heart I still believe that stem cell research in 5 to 10 yrs. is going to be the way to go . But, that doesnt’ help me with the decision I have to make now. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Again–Michelle
Hi guys,
I’ve got a sensineural hearing loss, so CI isn’t even an option for me. However, I am a long time user (and non user) of hearing aides. I started “wearing” hearing aides when I was five. I use the term wear lightly because I hated the first pair of hearing aides. They gave me constant migraines, as I never got used to the loudness. I ended up walking around with my hearing aides on, but turned to the off position. Basically, I was walking around with my ears plugged. Those were the ancient BTE analog hearing aides. In 6th grade, I got a smaller, but still BTE anolog hearing aides which fell under the same situation–I wore them, but I never had them on. I insisted that I had normal hearing and everyone else just heard too much. I couldn’t stand the migraines. My senior year in HS, I got some ITE digital hearing aides. While the sound quality was much better with these hearing aides, I also did not wear these hearing aides very often. They restricted my freedom, and my own voice sounded like it was coming from
the back of my head, which was frustrating. The audiologist and I couldn’t get my voice near my mouth, where it should be. Also, because my ear canal was narrow, they did not add a volume adjuster. So the only way I could maneuver my way through a noisy hum I would have to take the hearing aides out and take out the batteries. It was very inconvenient.
Finally, now I have gotten some hearing aides that I’m really happy with. They are BTE digital hearing aides that give me the ability to lower/higher the volume, change the program, etc. I put them on for the first time a month ago and wow…I was amazed by all the sounds that slipped by me. My hearing loss is in the 40-65 decibel range, so it’s a moderate hearing loss. I was amazed by how much I could hear. What I was most happy with was the fact that I could hear my cat meow. Before, I could see her mouth open, but not hear her. When I walked in through the door w/ those hearing aides for the first time, she greeted me with a meow and it was soo cute! I was touched…it’s funny how much you can appreciate your hearing and how much people take it for granted.
I think hearing aides are a safer alternative to CI because it’s not permanent, and you have more control over what you hear. You’re not stuck with waiting for your next appointment to get something adjusted, for the most part. The downfall to hearing aides is that they are more vulnerable than CIs (can get lost, water damage, etc) but I would much rather have those than an implant….
I don’t know if this has helped any? Heh…
This is somewhat old but I feel a comment needs to be made for those who might stumble on this afterwards.
To the original person who posted this comment. I am curious what you choose. As a person, you will need to do research to see what is a better situation for you. For the comment of “I can’t sleep at night because of the CI,” I find extremely hard to believe. If that is the case, you should have seen your doctor long ago, because IT can be removed. CI is not permanent. There are permanent issues with the surgery but an implant can be removed. They are not recommended to go in and out because of the damage done to the hairs in the cochlea. Do you research? Thousands of CI’s have had to be replaced (in the same ear) and many have chosen to have it removed completely. However, again each situation is different. If you choose to go with a CI, you WILL need to do a lot of work on your own (and with the help of professionals) and that is the key. How much are YOU willing to improve your hearing once you receive the CI? To the comment of “I have sensorial neural loss” so the CI is not an option. Again, research is needed because that is the “IDEAL” candidate for a CI. However, depending how long you have had the loss is key and will determine if you are a good candidate or not. I find it amazing that some people choose to ignorant. Research has been done and printed (you have a hearing problem, not a comprehension problem) and still so many choose to not even read it to become educated. I am not saying a CI is for everyone, but let’s face it; we ALL live in a hearing world. Sure there are problems and risks with anything surgical. That is why each individual person must come up with a plan do some research and based on that make their decision. Hearing Aids are wonderful if that helps you in your hearing loss. CI is wonderful if you are not benefiting from a hearing aid. There are pros and cons to both, but I have to say the CI is one of the most amazing medical inventions and I recommend it to anyone who is willing to do the research and put in the time after the surgery to get one. If not, do your best to find the best hearing aid (digital or analog) that will benefit you.