It's Too Loud!

Hear Again

Hear Again

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I didn't know what painful sound was like with my CIs until today. While walking down to the lobby to retrieve my mail I heard someone speaking at a *very* loud volume through a microphone PA system along with a large group of people talking to each other. I switched my CIs to ADRO and then BEAM, but this didn't help cut down on the noise. The sound was so loud (and painful) that I had to turn my CIs off. After I got my mail, I waited for the elevator and could feel the vibration of the person speaking into the PA system through the floor, the mail I was holding *and* the elevator door. Yikes! Prior to my CIs, it always used to annoy me when hearing people would ask, "That's not loud enough for you?" or "You can't hear that?" Now I think I have a better appreciation as to why they ask those questions in the first place. LOL!
 
That reminds me when I tried on digital HAs at my audologist office to see if I want them or not. It seemed like everything was amplified 100 times. All the sounds scared me!!

Sorry that u had to deal with that but good thing it is temporary, right?
 
Shel,

I can relate to your experience with new digital hearing aids! I felt the same way when I received my first pair of analog HAs. Once I had them on, I couldn't believe how LOUD everything was. Even the voice of my audi was so loud I could hardly stand it! LOL!

Come to think of it, I had similar experiences after my first CI was activated. For the first time in many years I could hear a knock at the door. The first thought that crossed my mind was how loud the sound was. :)

Thankfully, I'm now back in my apartment enjoying a little peace and quiet. LOL!
 
Hear Again said:
I didn't know what painful sound was like with my CIs until today. While walking down to the lobby to retrieve my mail I heard someone speaking at a *very* loud volume through a microphone PA system along with a large group of people talking to each other. I switched my CIs to ADRO and then BEAM, but this didn't help cut down on the noise. The sound was so loud (and painful) that I had to turn my CIs off. After I got my mail, I waited for the elevator and could feel the vibration of the person speaking into the PA system through the floor, the mail I was holding *and* the elevator door. Yikes! Prior to my CIs, it always used to annoy me when hearing people would ask, "That's not loud enough for you?" or "You can't hear that?" Now I think I have a better appreciation as to why they ask those questions in the first place. LOL!
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Interesting. It was mostly early on that loud sounds killed me at times. Things like cars and trucks, public toilets flushing, and etc. Nowadays, almost nothing fazes me anymore. I guess I have totally adapted to it all.

I do have a question...do you have autosensitivity? If you do, that will help a great deal in those circumstances. That is what I do sometimes when I'm not in the mood to listen to it.
 
I used to have autosensitivity when my first CI was activated, but I ended up removing it because I found that it blocked out too much environmental noise. As a totally blind person, I need to be able to hear as much as I can -- even if I'm talking to someone in a noisy restaurant.

Loud sounds normally don't bother me. In fact, I tend to set my C levels one or two notches higher than my comfort level to ensure that I hear all the environmental sounds I need to (such as traffic). I made the mistake once of setting my C levels way too low and couldn't hear anything as a result.

However, my being extremely bothered by the sound of the PA system was an exception. The person was talking *very* loud. You know it has to be loud if you can feel it through the ground, the items you're carrying *and* the elevator door. LOL!

When it comes to my CIs, the only difficulty I still seem to be having is tolerating very high pitches. When I hear them, sometimes they cause dizziness. Other times I feel them as a vibration instead of hearing them. My audi explained that this is perfectly normal (even though I've had my first CI for almost 2 years) because it has been a very long time since I've heard these frequencies. I'm sure the more I hear them, the less bothersome they will be. :)
 
For my H.A. that I wear, I had the audiologist turn it down more than what's considered "Normal" for my hearing. I can't stand it.
 
I adjusted my digital hearing aid on my own. Ask your audiologist to show you how to do it. If you really want it accurate then get your hearing to be " computer tested " then they can set it just right for you. I am not sure what it is called but you can discuss it with your audiologist.
 
dracotkk said:
For my H.A. that I wear, I had the audiologist turn it down more than what's considered "Normal" for my hearing. I can't stand it.
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Did your audiologist explain to you why this was done? When I used to wear a hearing aid with my CI, my audi did the same thing and I didn't like it. Evironmental sounds were much louder on my CI side than the hearing aid side. Even though the sound I received from my hearing aid was considerably weaker than what I received from my CI, I think there should have been more of a balance of sounds than there was. I also couldn't hear vowel sounds (with the hearing aid). I went back to my audi who increased the amplification to where it had been set before and I was a much happier camper. I could once again hear vowel sounds and environmental sounds seemed more balanced.
 
Heath said:
I adjusted my digital hearing aid on my own. Ask your audiologist to show you how to do it. If you really want it accurate then get your hearing to be " computer tested " then they can set it just right for you. I am not sure what it is called but you can discuss it with your audiologist.
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What kind of adjustments are you able to make on your own with your digital hearing aid? What kind of digital hearing aid do you wear? I've worn analogs (Oticon 380P) and digitals (Oticon DigiFocus II super power), but could never make any adjustments to them except for volume. None of my hearing aids had individual programs that could be changed for background noise, music, etc. Of course, the 380Ps are almost 16 years old and the DigiFocus II super powers are 11 years old, so I'm sure hearing aid technology has changed considerably since then. :)
 
Hear Again said:
I used to have autosensitivity when my first CI was activated, but I ended up removing it because I found that it blocked out too much environmental noise. As a totally blind person, I need to be able to hear as much as I can -- even if I'm talking to someone in a noisy restaurant.
...
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*Smacking my head* Of course! When one can't see, turning the sound down doesn't help one any. :Oops:
 
sr171soars said:
*Smacking my head* Of course! When one can't see, turning the sound down doesn't help one any. :Oops:
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LOL! That's okay. It was an honest mistake. :)

There were times in the early days of my (1st) CI activation where I found it much easier to travel (indoors only -- never outdoors) when my CI was off because I couldn't always make sense of the environmental sounds I was hearing. Sometimes too much noise in an environment can be just as disorienting to a blind person as no sound at all -- although since I was already used to traveling without alot of sound cues, this wasn't a problem for me.
 
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Oh, the sound that was supposively 'normal' was always setting off my H.A.'s all the time (the ones that had to be volume adjusted by the audiologist).
The sounds, overall, are pretty much balanced, and i get all of em.
 
Hear Again said:
What kind of adjustments are you able to make on your own with your digital hearing aid? What kind of digital hearing aid do you wear? I've worn analogs (Oticon 380P) and digitals (Oticon DigiFocus II super power), but could never make any adjustments to them except for volume. None of my hearing aids had individual programs that could be changed for background noise, music, etc. Of course, the 380Ps are almost 16 years old and the DigiFocus II super powers are 11 years old, so I'm sure hearing aid technology has changed considerably since then. :)
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It is mostly for the control of the background noise. I am not sure of my hearing aid's name as I have one that is Made in Canada so I will have to wait until I get home to see my owner's manual to see what brand name I have for my hearing aid and when I get my computer back from the shop. I will let you know what I have and I have been told that Oticon is top of the line for digital hearing aids so you already have " the best of the best. " God Bless :angel:
 
Heath said:
It is mostly for the control of the background noise. I am not sure of my hearing aid's name as I have one that is Made in Canada so I will have to wait until I get home to see my owner's manual to see what brand name I have for my hearing aid and when I get my computer back from the shop. I will let you know what I have and I have been told that Oticon is top of the line for digital hearing aids so you already have " the best of the best. " God Bless :angel:
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Yes, I'd be interested to know what kind of hearing aid you have.

I've also heard that Oticon is one of the top brands (as well as Phonak).

When I went for my first CI evaluation, I was told that the analog and digital aids I was using at the time were the strongest available on the market. I remember reading information about the Oticon SUMO, but was told that it wasn't much different from the Oticon DigiFocus II super power in terms of amplification. I also asked about transpositional aids (hearing aids which convert inaudible high frequency sounds to lower frequencies where there is still usable hearing), but was told that learning how to interpret these sounds can take time and that some people have difficulty adjusting to the sound quality. I also thought about trying a body aid, but didn't like the thought of having to deal with extra cords. I had enough of that when I used a Comtek FM system with my hearing aids (i.e. environmental microphone, stereo DAI cord, etc.)!
 
Hear Again said:
Yes, I'd be interested to know what kind of hearing aid you have.

I've also heard that Oticon is one of the top brands (as well as Phonak).

When I went for my first CI evaluation, I was told that the analog and digital aids I was using at the time were the strongest available on the market. I remember reading information about the Oticon SUMO, but was told that it wasn't much different from the Oticon DigiFocus II super power in terms of amplification. I also asked about transpositional aids (hearing aids which convert inaudible high frequency sounds to lower frequencies where there is still usable hearing), but was told that learning how to interpret these sounds can take time and that some people have difficulty adjusting to the sound quality. I also thought about trying a body aid, but didn't like the thought of having to deal with extra cords. I had enough of that when I used a Comtek FM system with my hearing aids (i.e. environmental microphone, stereo DAI cord, etc.)!
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The hearing aid I have is Unitron, Made in Canada. This is what my v.r. agency gave to me to wear and it works really good. It is just a matter of adjusting the volume and When it comes to things like this you want the " best of the best " so next time I am getting a hearing aid. I am paying out of my own pockets for a Oticon because I used to have one when I was 12 years old. It was an Oticon model, I don't remember what kind but I was just a kid and not knowing any better I threw away my father's hard earned money because the sounds made me confused and I got tired really easily from the super loud volume even though it was turned way down really low. I probably told my mom about the sounds being so loud but I did not know how to explain that the loud noises were taking away alots of my enegry, being 12 years old and all, then I wish I did not throw it away I must of have thrown it out the school bus or must of have thrown it on some mountaintop playing in the woods somewhere. I don't know and years went by before I had my hearing aid again last year and I forgot how much I missed hearing things and people so from now on I have a hearing aid. You are better off with a hearing aid. The body worn aid is really more for pre-schoolers and kids because they are not going to keep the hearing aid on and it will be very hard to find the hearing aid especially, when it is turned off so I am sure the parents would want something big and easy to find. It all depends on what you are looking for, your age group and your situation etc.
 
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