New to hearing aids - frustrated and looking for advice.

Beach girl said:
Your first hearing aid you crushed??? Yikes!!

Definitely all audis do NOT offer free batteries! The most I've gotten was a few packs when i bought new aids. One audi (that I don't go to anymore - she moved to Florida) had a "battery club" and you could pay up for a year's membership, and they would send you a couple packs each month. It was a little cheaper than buying at the drugstore but not by much.
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I'm wary about those kind of battery club. I've always thought they sell old batteries. Did you check the date?
 
Not necessarily a bad thing. Most often in life, better service will cost you more. Not always, but mostly. If the customer feels there is value for money spent, can't argue with that.
 
Jiro said:
I'm wary about those kind of battery club. I've always thought they sell old batteries. Did you check the date?
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They were fine. I never had a problem with it. It was convenient always getting the two packs every month.

But when the audi I liked left this office due to a move, I quit going there, as I did not care for the brand-new audi, fresh out of school, they hired to replace the more knowledgeable person who left.
 
Beach girl said:
They were fine. I never had a problem with it. It was convenient always getting the two packs every month.

But when the audi I liked left this office due to a move, I quit going there, as I did not care for the brand-new audi, fresh out of school, they hired to replace the more knowledgeable person who left.
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:werd:
 
Weird that I didn't care for her, or weird they hired such a young 'un to replace the more knowledgeable person?

Everyone has to start somewhere; I certainly didn't begrudge this young woman the fact that she was just starting out, but there was just no intellectual curiousity on her part to figure out solutions. She seemed to have a canned response to just about everything, and she wasn't very good at adjusting my aids to fit my needs.
 
Beach girl said:
Weird that I didn't care for her, or weird they hired such a young 'un to replace the more knowledgeable person?

Everyone has to start somewhere; I certainly didn't begrudge this young woman the fact that she was just starting out, but there was just no intellectual curiousity on her part to figure out solutions. She seemed to have a canned response to just about everything, and she wasn't very good at adjusting my aids to fit my needs.
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yea that's how it is with noobie. Later on - she'll get better but just not with me :)

You won't find many audi places that hire experienced person because they usually leave to open up their own places or join the big-namer hospitals that pay $$$$$ plus benefits.
 
Beach girl said:
Your first hearing aid you crushed??? Yikes!!

Definitely all audis do NOT offer free batteries! The most I've gotten was a few packs when i bought new aids. One audi (that I don't go to anymore - she moved to Florida) had a "battery club" and you could pay up for a year's membership, and they would send you a couple packs each month. It was a little cheaper than buying at the drugstore but not by much.
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Well maybe not crushed....lol. But destroyed. I broke the top off of it. I also vacuumed it at a DIY carwash...:lol: Luckily we found it in the filter in good shape. I put it in the cup holder while washing to keep it dry and then went to vaccuming.....whoops!
 
Beach girl said:
Weird that I didn't care for her, or weird they hired such a young 'un to replace the more knowledgeable person?

Everyone has to start somewhere; I certainly didn't begrudge this young woman the fact that she was just starting out, but there was just no intellectual curiousity on her part to figure out solutions. She seemed to have a canned response to just about everything, and she wasn't very good at adjusting my aids to fit my needs.
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If you look again, the word in the emoticon is "Werd" as in "Word", not weird.....:lol:
 
Beach girl said:
Some years ago I had an aid something like that, and no volume control. I HATED it. Guess I had it for a few years before I could justify buying another set. Since then, I have insisted always on getting something with at least a few programs and most definitely with a volume control.
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same with me when I had the Oticon Gaia and I hated the fact it doesn't have a volume control like my new hearing aid does
but I can turrn off my old aid by sliding the switch down to off.

but I do prefer Safari and Infinti S1 over Gaia
 
I just got a bad batch of batteries. The date was a couple of years away. So annoying!
 
I went through a box and found 3 packages of new batteries and had to throw them out as they were purchased 3 years ago. Luckily, I only paid $3 per package of 8 batteries.
 
Beach girl said:
Interesting, thanks for mentioning that point. (To Jiro, about the noise.)

I don't remember; do you have dogs? Do they react to the humming noise? One of my dogs will "alert" (look but not bark) to the feedback if I take out the hearing aid without releasing the battery door; the other dog completely ignores it. I wonder how they would tolerate that sort of humming.

You notice my first thought is how the dogs would tolerate it, not how my husband would. Poor hubby!! :lol:
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The noise is very very faint from the Zephyr.....like 1/10 of a fan on low speed. I keep it right beside the bed and the better half doesnt really even hear it. I can just barely hear it with the CI if i go right down to it. Certainly wouldnt keep any of us awake....not likely a heary either unless they are a princess and the pea type of person.
 
Beach girl said:
Do your aids come with the option of having various "programs" on them? For instance, I have "normal," "music," "telecoil," "speech in noise" and "comfort in noise."

A "speech in noise" program is designed to cut out a lot of background noises (like the roar of traffic, or silverware clattering in a restaurant, etc.) and focus on "speech." In part it does this by using only one microphone (some HAs have two, one facing forward and one for ambient sounds - the S in N program will cut out the ambient mike). It will also dampen those sounds that are not in the "speech banana."

It makes a world of difference to be able to use that program. It's not perfect - for me, I have to turn the volume up a couple of clicks when I use it. But it is far better than just turning up the volume of an unprogrammable aid which then will pick up and intensify ALL noises - exactly what you do NOT want!

Ask your audi about that and see if you can get a programmable aid.
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my ha's only have 2 programmes the normal one and the loop one to hear people in places like postoffices and banks, what you have described prob would be better for me but as i get mine on the nhs i get what im given, and i cant afford to go private. i suppose i could talk to my audi and see if there is a possiblitiy to have the ha's changed as im really struggling with everything
 
sallylou said:
My 1st audi never got the fit or the program right for my Oticons. I found a new audi that wears a hearing aid and he's great. Finally, a good fit and appropriate programming. I'm a happy camper! Do you have some Deaf/HOH friends who can refer you to an audi? I found this audi by asking around at an ASL social.

If you aren't happy with your HAs and you can return them and pay a restocking fee, you may want to return them. If not, take your HAs to a new audi. You'll have to pay for reprogramming but its better than being miserable with your HAs.

Good luck!
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I agree that having a good audi makes a big difference, my first audi was of normal hearing, she has never worn aids, she didn't understand them at our level. for the first few months i didn't want to wear them. then I got transferred to an audi that was dhh, that made a huge difference. When I went to college, I thought that maybe it wasn't that my second audi was dhh, just that he was better, so my next audi was hearing... not as many, but def some problems... she didn't quite understand what i was trying to tell her, though she tried... so now I am 22 and going to see my 4th audi tomorrow... I made sure #1, He has been an audi for 20+ years #2, he doesn't only do one or two brands, but carries 5 or 6, #3, he is dhh, uses HA's and is part of the Deaf Community. I'm kinda nervous to see another one... but since I haven't had a check up in 2 years, and my HA's are 5 years old... I need new ones.

Do yourself a favor OP, find a new audi, find one that is great, try before you pay, try quite a few. Yes it does take some time to get use to them... but don't give up. With the Right audi and the right HA's it can get easier. Also... learn some ASL, take a class, get involved with Deaf Culture. Because even if you don't want to admit it... you do not fit 100% into the Hearing world anymore. The deaf world isn't bad, we rarely bite. Learn these things for yourself, your children (if you have any) and your future.
 
I know it will just take time to get used to... but hopefully he can find a way to turn down the background noise that is so confusing... and the crazy thing is... because I have been unaided for over a year... he doesn't even have them turned up all the way so I can readjust. After getting my first pair of digital hearing aids after months of not having any, the ventilation in the audi's office was almost unbearable. But now I barely hear it. I'll give it another week then look for another Audi. According to Yelp there's a really good one just south of the city.
 
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