Just got my HA ... but harder to hear phone?!

K

KimInGA

New Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Hi all, need some advice. I have single sided hearing loss due to a virus or Meniere's, the doctors aren't sure. Here are the numbers. I'm hopeless with conversation in a noisy room, but wow can I hear a smoke alarm well! Ha ha.
250 hz - 60 db
500 hz - 60 db
1000 hz - 55 db
2000 hz - 50 db
4000 hz - 10 db
8000 hz - 5 db

It's been 2.5 yrs and I haven't seen any change in the last 2 yrs, so I decided to finally go out and get a HA. I got a ReSound Forza RIC from Costco. They told me it was a good option for this level & type of loss, and could possibly help with the loud tinnitus.

Well the first day wearing it wasn't too bad. Kind of weird and almost a little disorienting at times, but they told me that it would take some getting used to. I know it's picking up some noises, because I can feel them and it almost makes my good ear seem dulled if that makes sense. But some things, like hair or anything touching my ear, are really loud and scratchy. Some low tones, like my car's engine, also make scratchy noises when my good ear knows that it's actually a low rumble. So that's weird. And it doesn't seem to be immediately helping me with conversation but maybe it takes the brain some time to adjust, I dunno. :hmm:

Anyway, here's the confusing part. I decided to test it with my phone, since that way I know it's ONLY my bad ear hearing it. Without a HA, I can hear enough to understand a conversation IF I push the phone up against my ear and the person speaks clearly (women are easier to hear). It's distorted and tinny, but I can follow along for the most part as long as the room I'm in is quiet. But then I put my HA in, and immediately noticed that the dialtone was gone - - like I couldn't hear it AT ALL anymore! :shock: I continued listening and found that the voicemail itself was significantly quieter and harder to understand. What ... the ... heck?! The HA is definitely on. Is it defective? Programmed wrong? Surely this isn't normal! Anyone else have some experience?
 
Might be completely wrong but aren't RIC aids only suitable for high frequency loss?! You have the totally opposite.

You won't hear normally out of a HA, it doesn't give back normal hearing. Also a huge amount of people have to go back for adjustments. Very rarely do people have the best settings for their loss first time round.

Your loss is moderate to mild so pretty standard to fit apart from its the other way around.
 
Who did the test?

Some kiosk-type hearing aid suppliers use audiologists that are not really qualified....some do.

It is possible that you have to go back for adjustments until you find that sweet spot.

I have been seeing audiologists for 40-plus years, and very few really know how to select the right equipment. You might have to get second and third opinions.

But, the good news is, Costco's customer satisfaction policy is awesome, if you are not happy, you can always return the aids.

p.s. I think it was Ambrosia that had good luck with her Costco HA experience. If you need to get in touch with her, one of us can PM her, as you cannot PM until you've made the minimum posts.
 
p.s. I think it was Ambrosia that had good luck with her Costco HA experience. If you need to get in touch with her, one of us can PM her, as you cannot PM until you've made the minimum posts.

Ambroisa couldn't get Costco HAs to work for her degree of hearing loss. She wears Phonak Naida UPs which are standard BTE aids.
 
I wear Starkey HA RIC but I have the powered built in mold with it, it helps me a bit but I still struggle with phone use.
 
NaidaUP said:
Might be completely wrong but aren't RIC aids only suitable for high frequency loss?! You have the totally opposite.
Click to expand...

Ack! Well THAT'S not good. Thank goodness for the 90-day return policy.

I'm searching everywhere to try to find info on the range (across frequencies) that the Resound Forza RIC does, but I'm coming up blank. I really wanted to find something like this: America Hears - Digital Hearing Aids: RITE1-158 That one shows America Hears' RITE. If the Forza RIC has a similar range, no wonder it sounds terrible. It doesn't get down to where it needs to in the 250-2000hz range. And then if the receiver is blocking natural noise AND not replicating the high frequencies I can actually hear ... well no wonder it sounds screwed up.

Does anyone know if there are any online resources for researching the range for different hearing aids? I'd specifically like to look up those offered by Costco: Kirkland, Resound Forza and Rexton Insite.
 
I know this might sound obvious (to those of us who wear HAs etc) but...

Make sure you are putting the phone speaker near the HA mic (higher than your ear).

Also keep in mind that a lot of cell/mobile phones don't work well with HAs unless you use bluetooth or a loop etc.

My Blackberry is virtually unusable with my Phonak MAXX because even though the blackberry has m3/t3 compatibility it's just noisy as heck in either mic or tcoil mode (if I'm putting the phone to my ear/HA)

BTW, for brands, personally I'd stick with Phonak, Widex, Oticon or Siemens
 
are you in telecoil mode with phone? Do you have telecoil only setting? it helps for me as with outside noise combined with telecoil on phone is waaaay too much for me .. plus fluorescent lights and overhead power wires are a PIB!
What you describe sounds normal too me.
 
It might help to just go get HAs from an audi, they'll know exactly what to get you for your loss
 
radioman said:
are you in telecoil mode with phone? Do you have telecoil only setting? it helps for me as with outside noise combined with telecoil on phone is waaaay too much for me .. plus fluorescent lights and overhead power wires are a PIB!
What you describe sounds normal too me.
Click to expand...

No ... I think there are only two modes? Regular and then a second one for if you're somewhere with a lot of background noise?

I tried a second test at home today. Put on a nice set of headphones, the kind with padding all around to block out outside noises. Put an earplug in my good ear and also turned off sound to that ear. Then I tried listening to a bunch of different music both with and without the hearing aid in. The hearing aid definitely makes it worse! It's simultaneously quieter AND more distorted. I feel like the guy at Costco programmed it backwards or something!
 
I know that my old hearing aid would turn itself down if I put the phone up to it to help with feedback.

Why are you going to Costco for something this important? Find a real Audiologist.
 
I'd suggest going for a complete re assessment at an Audiologist (with minimum AuD. Degree) and go for a fitting with them (make sure they carry multiple well known brands).

While some people have had good experiences with Costco, the vast majority don't.
 
yeah seriously. a real audiologist would be someone who really cares and listens to your complaints then takes it seriously by doing the right thing.
like my audi, she takes my complaints seriously, really cares and knows what I want when my earmolds are being made *I suffer from an allergy*
 
Alternatively, a Bluetooth Streamer connected to a mobile phone should work. Also much easier than holding the phone to your ear (or rather above your ear.)
 
Also, using a tcoil neckloop and a cheap bluetooth adapter can help. Much less costly than bluetooth adapters.
 
HOH-ME said:
I know that my old hearing aid would turn itself down if I put the phone up to it to help with feedback.

Why are you going to Costco for something this important? Find a real Audiologist.
Click to expand...

Costco does provide a wonderful service for customers with their hearing aids and they stand behind their product. Unfortunately, it's more suited for people with moderate hearing loss. Most people in the severe to profound range really need the kind of power that's only available through experienced dispensers and audiology clinics. That doesn’t mean Costco is a sham business, it’s just not for everyone. Given what hearing aids cost and how little insurance companies help with the purchase, I can’t fault anyone for trying to find the best affordable hearing aids for their budget.

Laura
 
The Costco I went to had an audiologist, not a tech, they just didn't have anything powerful enough for. I tried one, and Xtreme, it was powerful but cheap and couldn't control feedback, like at all.

You also have to make sure you're holding the phone receiver over the hearing aid mics, I remember when I first got my aids that would throw me and I'd have to move the phone around until I got it lined up right.....and eventually got used to where I needed to be holding it.
 
KimInGA said:
Ack! Well THAT'S not good. Thank goodness for the 90-day return policy.

I'm searching everywhere to try to find info on the range (across frequencies) that the Resound Forza RIC does, but I'm coming up blank. I really wanted to find something like this: America Hears - Digital Hearing Aids: RITE1-158 That one shows America Hears' RITE. If the Forza RIC has a similar range, no wonder it sounds terrible. It doesn't get down to where it needs to in the 250-2000hz range. And then if the receiver is blocking natural noise AND not replicating the high frequencies I can actually hear ... well no wonder it sounds screwed up.

Does anyone know if there are any online resources for researching the range for different hearing aids? I'd specifically like to look up those offered by Costco: Kirkland, Resound Forza and Rexton Insite.
Click to expand...
try this forum Hearing Aid Forums | Hearing Loss | Hearing Aids - Powered by vBulletin a lot of the members over there are actually audiologists and can answer your questions better than we can
 
green427 said:
Who did the test?

Some kiosk-type hearing aid suppliers use audiologists that are not really qualified....some do.

It is possible that you have to go back for adjustments until you find that sweet spot.

I have been seeing audiologists for 40-plus years, and very few really know how to select the right equipment. You might have to get second and third opinions.

But, the good news is, Costco's customer satisfaction policy is awesome, if you are not happy, you can always return the aids.

p.s. I think it was Ambrosia that had good luck with her Costco HA experience. If you need to get in touch with her, one of us can PM her, as you cannot PM until you've made the minimum posts.
Click to expand...

I would never go to Costco's to get a HA. I think the OP should return their HA and go to an audiologist that cn get them the right kind of HA .
 
Back
Top