Adjustment Question

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C-NICE

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Since I am finally making the move to digital hearing aids (Alway used analog). I was just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on what I might want to prepare myself for as far as adjusting to digitals. Any insights would be helpful.
 
C-NICE said:
Since I am finally making the move to digital hearing aids (Alway used analog). I was just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on what I might want to prepare myself for as far as adjusting to digitals. Any insights would be helpful.
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Well I have never used analog but as far as digitals just make sure you go back to your audi as many times as you have to, to get them to sound how you like. Some people think if you keep going back and back that it becomes annoying but if you are not satisfied with the sound then just keep going until you are. It took me weeks to get mine adjusted to how I like them but I am glad I kept going back to get them to sound the way that I like. Also be prepared for loud, sharp noises. Water running, toilet flushing cupboards slamming, made my head ring lol Congrats on the digitals, I think you will like them =)
 
I think a lot of people complain about the transition from analog to digital because they don't know what to expect. To make it simple anolog aids basically amplified everything whether you needed that particular range amplified or not. Digital can be set up to duplicate your audiogram amplifying just in the areas you need, and toning down what you don't. Digital can also tone down background noise, I have tried some aids where background noise is reduced almost completely. The theory here is that you can then concentrate on the person speaking to you without the distraction of unnecessary noise. Digital has the ability to direct your microphones, Digital also handles the loud noises without distorting the sound. And on and on. In theory this should help you hear better. In theory. Unfortunately real life is not as cut and dry as the hearing aid companies would like you to think. So when a company tells you the aid can do a certain thing you will probably find that it does do that in certain circumstances but not in others. A person can not always control exactly where the sound is coming from, whether the background noise is a distraction or a needed sound, etc.
Expect 4 or 5 visits to the audiologist for adjustments, since digital aids can be adjusted so many different ways. And be patient. An example is, after wearing my new digital aids for a couple of months I am going to the audiologist tomorrow for another adjustment. On the bright side digital aids can be further tweaked where anolog pretty much could only be tweaked volume wise.
 
Many people don't like digitals because they sound so much different than analog. If a person has been a long time user of analogs, they may find the transition to digitals more difficult. Of course, there are always exceptions. When I tried digitals in 1995, I did not like them at all except for the fact that I could hear environmental sounds better. I much preferred my analogs because the sound was louder and clearer. I did have a chance to try a pair of Starkey digital aids designed for moderate loss (before I received my digitals) just so I could get a taste of what they sounded like and was blown away at how well they made music sound. Unfortunately, I had them at full volume which wasn't loud enough for me to understand speech. When listening to music, I had to compensate by turning the volume on my stereo up quite loud so that I could hear what I was listening to. I'll never forget how wonderful they sounded though. I could even hear bass for the first time since 1985. :cool2:
 
Hi, your post really hits home with me, I am currently slowly, very slowly adjusting to digital aids after wearing analog for 24 years. I am finding that if I am tired the overstimulation I am experiencing with the new digital aids is intolerable. I wear them for short amounts of time each day. Movies sound better and i can actually hear some of the dialoge. Music varies, heavier music still sounds better with my analog, jazz, reggae and easier listening music sounds better with the digital. Voices....my voice still sounds sooo weird, and I think I hear about the same with the old aids and the new ones.

My biggest complaint is I get overstimulated so fast. It is gonna take me some time, I know.

Good luck to you, let us know how you find the new digital aids ok?
 
Urgh, im still iffy about digitals. I switched from analogs after 16 years of using analogs to digitals and I didnt like them at first. I am starting to get used to them after 2 years of digitals
 
DeafLissa90 said:
Urgh, im still iffy about digitals. I switched from analogs after 16 years of using analogs to digitals and I didnt like them at first. I am starting to get used to them after 2 years of digitals
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Hi! I am curious, what parts of the digital aid wearing make you 'iffy'.

And, do you have any tips or advice? Thanks for posting.:ty:
 
Hearing aid evaluation done

Just got my evaluation done today just waiting for my new hearing aids from the state (will probably be Oticon Digitals).
 
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