Are you happy with your hearing aids?

I am missing 10db of gain. They will be reprogrammed to give me maximum gain. On April 6, I have an appointment with a different audiologist that will test my HAs using a 2cc coupler hearing aid tester. The tester will compile a chart of how much gain(and possibly spl) I am getting at each frequency. I want to know how much gain im getting now. I may have my HAs retested after they are reprogrammed.

Vote in the poll and explain why you are happy or not happy with your HAs. How much more gain do you feel you could be getting? Do you plan to upgrade to better HAs? I supposedly have the best HAs so the only thing is to max out the gains. You may see the blog link in my sig for an audiogram of what I *could* hear aided when my gains are maxed.

You are ridiculous and I guarantee you 100% that you won't be satisfied even when your gains are maxed out.

However, I am very happy currently with my ha's they are at the level I need and when I need adjustments or am not happy with something I go to my audi and fix it....i know i can't HEAR everything with my ha's but hearing aids aren't a cure they are a tool to help you hear, they don't guarantee you will hear EVERYTHING even with a mild loss you could still miss certain things while aided. When and if my hearing drops again I'll try the appropriate power aids or ultra power aids and if they don't work either i'll get CI. Until then I'm not going to complain everyday that I can't hear everything..if i did i'd drive everyone around me nuts!

AliciaM said:

You are ridiculous and I guarantee you 100% that you won't be satisfied even when your gains are maxed out.

However, I am very happy currently with my ha's they are at the level I need and when I need adjustments or am not happy with something I go to my audi and fix it....i know i can't HEAR everything with my ha's but hearing aids aren't a cure they are a tool to help you hear, they don't guarantee you will hear EVERYTHING even with a mild loss you could still miss certain things while aided. When and if my hearing drops again I'll try the appropriate power aids or ultra power aids and if they don't work either i'll get CI. Until then I'm not going to complain everyday that I can't hear everything..if i did i'd drive everyone around me nuts!

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Even people with normal hearing don't hear everything.

AliciaM said:

You are ridiculous and I guarantee you 100% that you won't be satisfied even when your gains are maxed out.

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When I had my old aids everything was maxed out it was impossible to hear anything correctly there was just too much gain. I agree with everything Alicia said. Even these would be horrible maxed out. You would get tons of feedback and things would sound sharp and brassy all of the time.

That is why audi's have jobs. You cant just buy an over the counter aid and expect it to help you! (like you said about these $100 aids) I have gone through months of tweeking with the last aids and I will probably have to with these as well. That is why my audi is making one appointment once a week till they are perfect and even then I am calling him if something isn't right.

Also Deafdude I was wondering and anyone else for that matter, do they usually give you an audiogram with hearing aids on? I have never been asked to do that it is always with them off. So I have a hard time understanding deafdudes aided/unaided stuff?

AliciaM said:

You are ridiculous and I guarantee you 100% that you won't be satisfied even when your gains are maxed out.

However, I am very happy currently with my ha's they are at the level I need and when I need adjustments or am not happy with something I go to my audi and fix it....i know i can't HEAR everything with my ha's but hearing aids aren't a cure they are a tool to help you hear, they don't guarantee you will hear EVERYTHING even with a mild loss you could still miss certain things while aided. When and if my hearing drops again I'll try the appropriate power aids or ultra power aids and if they don't work either i'll get CI. Until then I'm not going to complain everyday that I can't hear everything..if i did i'd drive everyone around me nuts!

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:rofl2: I think Alicia caught some ill temper from me!!!


I like my hearing aids fine. I have profound loss and I know I don't hear everything. And I don't really know if I get maximum gain.

But I am pretty sure they will keep me from getting run over.

And I am interested in your quest for maximum hearing!:P

SO since I am happy I will vote I get maximum gain.

one way or another.... you'll have to cope with it and accept your loss. just saying....

Bottesini said:

:rofl2: I think Alicia caught some ill temper from me!!!


I like my hearing aids fine. I have profound loss and I know I don't hear everything. And I don't really know if I get maximum gain.

But I am pretty sure they will keep me from getting run over.

And I am interested in your quest for maximum hearing!:P

SO since I am happy I will vote I get maximum gain.

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botty..i think it's that I'm getting older and wiser lmao

I am just getting really annoyed that he isn't just happy with what he has left. I mean I get that he wants to be hearing but deafdude are you not proud to say you're deaf: ? I now more recently consider myself deaf not as much hoh. I want to learn ASL and I want to help out the deaf community. I am planning a fundraiser for the Ottawa Deaf Centre here through my work and all the proceeds go to them. It's like you hate being deaf. I was born hearing and I love being deaf and hearing. I can hear when I put my hearing aids on..well..most of the time but I'm still deaf and I accept that..i think it's time you do to and get over yourself.

deafdude1 said:

I am missing 10db of gain. They will be reprogrammed to give me maximum gain. On April 6, I have an appointment with a different audiologist that will test my HAs using a 2cc coupler hearing aid tester. The tester will compile a chart of how much gain(and possibly spl) I am getting at each frequency. I want to know how much gain im getting now. I may have my HAs retested after they are reprogrammed.

Vote in the poll and explain why you are happy or not happy with your HAs. How much more gain do you feel you could be getting? Do you plan to upgrade to better HAs? I supposedly have the best HAs so the only thing is to max out the gains. You may see the blog link in my sig for an audiogram of what I *could* hear aided when my gains are maxed.

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We have the same hearing aids, but you have a lot more hearing than I do. I can say, from where I am hearing wise that I don't want to max out my hearing aids. My hearing aids are far from maxed now but if they get any louder I get headaches and get dizzy. I am also very aware that I am Deaf and I am not going to start hearing and understanding words anytime soon.

Once any aid is maxed out the distortion is ridiculouse. They weren't made to be pushed to the max. Just because they can, doesn't make it a good idea. Naida 5 UP's are also capable of very high gain that could damage your residual hearing. Just because you are deaf doesn't mean that you are exempt from damaging your hearing.

If you want more gain, get a CI because you will get more usable gain and clearer sound.

What do you want maxed? TK levels? MPO? Everything? If you max out everything you won't have any dynamic range, or at least very little. Is that something you want? A vaccum cleaner and a kitten meowing could sound like they are the same volume and with the amount of distortion a kitten may very well sound like a vaccum cleaner.

Personally, I would rather hear less, not get head aches, not get dizzy, and half understand some of what I can hear.

AliciaM said:

botty..i think it's that I'm getting older and wiser lmao

I am just getting really annoyed that he isn't just happy with what he has left. I mean I get that he wants to be hearing but deafdude are you not proud to say you're deaf: ? I now more recently consider myself deaf not as much hoh. I want to learn ASL and I want to help out the deaf community. I am planning a fundraiser for the Ottawa Deaf Centre here through my work and all the proceeds go to them. It's like you hate being deaf. I was born hearing and I love being deaf and hearing. I can hear when I put my hearing aids on..well..most of the time but I'm still deaf and I accept that..i think it's time you do to and get over yourself.

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I caution you against using the word "help" in the same sentence as Deaf community. You want to be involved in the Deaf community. We don't need your help....

As I friend I am trying to save you being freaked out on by someone you don't know haha

Im so happy to be Deaf, why fix it?

*sighs* it's getting boring isn't it.

Also Deafdude I was wondering and anyone else for that matter, do they usually give you an audiogram with hearing aids on? I have never been asked to do that it is always with them off.

In the 20+ years I've worn hearing aids, my audis (3 in 20+ years) have always tested my hearing with and without hearing aids. I've also been given copies of each audiogram.

overthepond said:

*sighs* it's getting boring isn't it.

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You can say that again, Charlotte.

Hear Again said:

Even people with normal hearing don't hear everything.

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My mum is hearing, but sometime she is so hard work as she doesnt hear everything what I say which can be frustrating! I joke with her and say you need your hearing tested lol! She had her hearing test when I was 15 years old due to whole family hearing test during genetic counselling so she has normal hearing not perfect LOL

I usually get tested with and without my hearing aid, and sometimes i do get results

I dont understand why this person who started this thread is constantly asking about max gains to his hearing etc, why doesnt he get a CI if he's not satisfied?

Hear Again said:

In the 20+ years I've worn hearing aids, my audis (3 in 20+ years) have always tested my hearing with and without hearing aids. I've also been given copies of each audiogram.

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Thanks =)

candybrowneyes said:

Thanks =)

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You're welcome.

It's strange because I don't even think deafdude is a candidate for CI - seems like he hears too much and yet it seems like he is somewhat defending himself for not getting the CI because he can get "more" out of a hearing aid. He also seems to be "spreading the word" to other moderate/severe HA users that they can get more out of a HA before resorting to get a CI. However, I doubt they are even CI candidates in the first place.....

Daredevel7 said:

It's strange because I don't even think deafdude is a candidate for CI - seems like he hears too much and yet it seems like he is somewhat defending himself for not getting the CI because he can get "more" out of a hearing aid. He also seems to be "spreading the word" to other moderate/severe HA users that they can get more out of a HA before resorting to get a CI. However, I doubt they are even CI candidates in the first place.....

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Someone with moderate-severe loss isn't a candidate for a CI.

However, if they have moderately-severe to profound hearing loss, 60% or less speech discrimination in their better ear and 40% or less speech discrimination in their worse ear, they would be considered a CI candidate.