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's old analog HAs for ya. I remember those days. Now with digitals, you can max the gains thanks to feedback cancellation. My dad says I probably have the gains maxed out at 1000Hz and above but my aided tests show I am missing 10db of gain.
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.
It remains to be seen how good those $100 aids are or if it's just hype. At they very worst, it could be useful for 95% of people with a hearing loss. I read that only 0.1% of hearing impaired people are profoundly deaf. Your HL is progressive so you need more gain from time to time. Hopefully you stop losing hearing or HAs might become useless
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?
My last audiogram was back in 1998 and it was done unaided then aided. I got a more recent audiogram, also unaided then aided. I didn't have such good aided scores in 1998, but then that's what the best HAs were capable of.
one way or another.... you'll have to cope with it and accept your loss. just saying....
Everyone has to cope, but it makes coping much easier with the right HAs.
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.
If you were born hearing, you have an idea of what you are missing. I have no idea what im missing but am curious what it's like to hear normally. It makes life easier. If you are fine not wanting to hear all the wonderful environmental sounds, music and speech, well that's your choice. My choice is to be hearing. I was raised in a hearing world and am 100% oral.
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.
Probably due to the different lifestyle you were raised in. I was raised 100% oral, I don't sign at all. I read lips and speak clearly. Your brain may not be used to hearing since you have gone for long periods not wearing HAs.
If you want more gain, get a CI because you will get more usable gain and clearer sound.
Ive read your blog and you don't want CIs and have stated valid reasons. I understand. Id get CIs if the odds were better(for me and anyone with this much residual hearing) and they come up with a shorter, less risky surgical procedure. I am not convinced that CIs are benefical except to the very profoundly deaf. It is true that I have no idea what CI is like, much less normal hearing. It used to be that people get CIs when their unaided hearing is 100+ db loss and they hear no better than 50db aided with the best HAs maxed out.
Now im starting to see people with moderate hearing loss getting approved by insurance and surgeons for CIs. They don't even bother trying the best HAs and some of them pretend not to understand speech so they can become CI candidates. It honestly disgusts me and I can totally understand the controversity the deaf community views CI. I am not against CIs for those who need them but too many people could be getting equal or better benefit from the best HAs. They would get all the gain they care for and todays HAs can be programmed to keep distortion to a minimum. Even my audiologist doesn't recommend CIs except in the most profoundly deaf. He would be able to give almost all profoundly deaf people good aided hearing.
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.
My audiologist did say my HAs are so powerful they can "blow out your eardrums" but he was referring to SPL. This is known as sound pressure level. It has to do with comfort levels and usually can't exceed 120 to 130db SPL. Mine and your HAs can give 142db SPL at 1000Hz. This much sound pressure can indeed damage your hearing, not to mention it would be physically painful.
I don't see how gain is a problem as long as the sounds never become too loud. Take a 10db sound, give it 70db gain and it's still only 80db so no problem. My goal is to let me hear faint sounds, not to make already loud sounds intolerable. I want an improvement in the threshold without increasing the SPL or exceeding the comfort levels.
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?
I would if I lost at least 10db more hearing then CI would have a high % chance of being louder/better than the best HAs can give me. My audiologist will try to get my aided hearing to what people hear with a CI anyway. As for distortion, he will use programs to minimize that.
Someone with moderate-severe loss isn't a candidate for a CI.
I tried telling people this but they have bought into the hype of CI and since they are "candidates" and insurance is footing the bill, they don't care what anyone says. Can't say we didn't warn them if they likley end up hearing worse with CI than HA. I really wish insurance would start paying for HAs and secondly, stop approving moderately HOH people who could benefit better from HAs. :roll:
I also have Naida V UPs and I believe my hearing is worse than JennyB and Deafdude's. My aids are maxed out, but not because I have any expectation whatsoever of hearing speech or understanding verbal communication, but because I feel safe hearing a truck when it approaches, or a siren, or my home alarm when the siren goes off. While Jenny is absolutely correct that maxed out aids can produce further damage, my ENT and audiologist now feel I have nothing to lose. You, however, have a considerable amount of residual hearing and should protect that at all costs.
Is your SPL maxed or just the gains? Do you experience any discomfort or pressure in your ears? I am curious what's your aided scores given a 110-120db unaided hearing. I will work with my audiologist to have my HAs reprogrammed so I hear my best without unnecessary risk of damage. Has anyone given you an idea when you could expect to become 100% deaf? What would you do then?
Deafdude, I wonder if perhaps you should consider some counselling. Your posts seem obsessed with pursuit of normal or even perfect hearing. While many of the people on this website may also prefer if they had better hearing, most of us seem to accept (and even embrace) the fact that we are Deaf/HOH and move on with our lives.
I do have OCD and there's nothing that can be done. I obsess about many different things in life and worry too much about others and the risks they take. I feel im constantly trying to warn others from harming themselves by the bad choices they are making in life.
My hearing aids help me with environmental sounds..I am happy with them. I dont think too much about them though.
Do you have any unaided/aided audiograms? I am guessing your 120db loss is at 1000Hz or 2000Hz. What's your loss at 250Hz for example?
