No analog hearing aid wearers?

DeafDucky said:
I do sign-- I didn't learn until I went to college though. Grew up mainstreamed and I am the only deaf kid in the family, immediate and extended.. While my family does love me I still felt rather isolated. Growing up my hearing level was closer to severe to profound loss maybe... not really sure unless I can find some realllly old audiograms. Doubt parents kept them though. Now it is profound level.
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Thanks for sharing. My hearing loss hasn't changed much which I am very thankful for at this time. I just never realized where I was until this summer. I have some of my audiograms. I don't go in every year like I should. I keep things to a minimum if I can. The only thing I went in for often was a ear mold update and tube changing when they were getting to hard. My audi at one point just gave the tubes to me and let me change them myself. I sure miss him though at this point. I am still not sure where I stand on the audiogram, but have been told it is severe. I still don't know enough to be comfortable to be signing. I do some around the house with my kids, hubby, and my best friend.
Still missing my old analogs and getting frustrated with the new sounds on the custom.
 
I have mixed feelings about analog vs digital. My first aids were analog, I got digitals about 6 years later. On the whole sound sounds better with digital, more natural, smoother, BUT music sucks with them. This is actually kind of moot for me at this point because I can't hear much of anything anymore, even with my new Nadia UPs. With analogs all the little noises are also amplified, but they're amplified louder than they would seem naturally, change, plastic bags, water dripping, things of that nature. I think people like me, that had normal hearing and were old enough to remember what sounds are supposed to sound like, are more easily able to recognize the quality of sound.

A cochlear implant is my next stop.

To answer your other questions, I'm late deafened, started losing it when I was 20. I know very little ASL, but needing hasn't been necessary until maybe 3 years ago, up to that point I had very few problem communicating orally, even on the phone. It wasn't until my hearing dipped into the profound range that I really started having problems.
 
MelissaWatt said:
I am located south of DC. I don't post online exact location..Sorry.
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The reason I asked is because I live in D.C. There are tons of Deaf people in the area. All the way out from D.C. to Staunton, Richmond. You shouldn't have any issues finding someone who went through the same experience in the area.
 
a l i v e said:
The reason I asked is because I live in D.C. There are tons of Deaf people in the area. All the way out from D.C. to Staunton, Richmond. You shouldn't have any issues finding someone who went through the same experience in the area.
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I know about Gallaudet University. I don't' like I-95. it sucks right now with all the construction. I tend to be a homebody since I have three kids, one in college at NOVA and with a beginning freshman and a Senior in Highschool. I tend not to go to far from home. call me shy. I don't get out much.
 
ambrosia said:
I have mixed feelings about analog vs digital. My first aids were analog, I got digitals about 6 years later. On the whole sound sounds better with digital, more natural, smoother, BUT music sucks with them. This is actually kind of moot for me at this point because I can't hear much of anything anymore, even with my new Nadia UPs. With analogs all the little noises are also amplified, but they're amplified louder than they would seem naturally, change, plastic bags, water dripping, things of that nature. I think people like me, that had normal hearing and were old enough to remember what sounds are supposed to sound like, are more easily able to recognize the quality of sound.

A cochlear implant is my next stop.

To answer your other questions, I'm late deafened, started losing it when I was 20. I know very little ASL, but needing hasn't been necessary until maybe 3 years ago, up to that point I had very few problem communicating orally, even on the phone. It wasn't until my hearing dipped into the profound range that I really started having problems.
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I have worn analogs my whole life.. so I have no real clue what things really are supposed to sound like, but what I do like about my analogs is my music. The other things.. simplicity. easy on and off and tele coil for my phone. I know very little ASL and wonder about my future.. I will not do CI because of the invasiveness of it and nor am I an candidate anyway.
 
MelissaWatt said:
I have worn analogs my whole life.. so I have no real clue what things really are supposed to sound like, but what I do like about my analogs is my music. The other things.. simplicity. easy on and off and tele coil for my phone. I know very little ASL and wonder about my future.. I will not do CI because of the invasiveness of it and nor am I an candidate anyway.
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Digitals aren't hard to turn off and on, you just open the battery door and digitals work fine in the phone, in fact I found the trek coil on my analogs useless. But the music is a pain, since the filtering doesn't stop there. I remember when I first left the audis office after picking them up, getting in my car and the music was quiet, but obviously the volume was still at the sane level when I got there and was listening to it with my analogs. I tried turning up the volume on the stereo, and up, and up, and up.....didn't work, aids wouldn't let me listen to it any louder. Rubbish
 
I miss my first 8 years and did not pass first grade the first or second time.
HOH kids did not learn ASL in my school I was mainstreamed too but I send to the reject class after I failed fifth grade. I was robbed of getting a good education while in the eject class , we given work way below our grade just so the school could say we passed 6 grade . This happen in JR high school too I was send to the reject class for two years . It's amazing that I even learned how to read with education I got.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
I miss my first 8 years and did not pass first grade the first or second time.
HOH kids did not learn ASL in my school I was mainstreamed too but I send to the reject class after I failed fifth grade. I was robbed of getting a good education while in the eject class , we given work way below our grade just so the school could say we passed 6 grade . This happen in JR high school too I was send to the reject class for two years . It's amazing that I even learned how to read with education I got.
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I was mainstreamed too as there wasn't any deaf/hoh schools where we lived that I could go to. I struggled through each grade and being passed to the next grade like you were. I would take a desk as close to the teacher as I could and did my best.

In 7th grade I assigned a desk according to my last name. I ended up being in the back of every class and couldn't hear the teacher at all. Then I was moved to a special ed class for a short time. The special ed teacher sensed that I didn't belong in her class and got together with some social workers in a private meeting to talk with me.

That's when they learned that I was HOH and was placed in the rear of the classroom. I was sent for all sorts of hearing testing and was fitted with my first hearing aid, a Beltone BTE. After getting my aid I re-started 7th grade again but this time I was placed directly in front of the teachers desk in every class I had. I made A's and B's through 7th and 8th grade.

I got a job before beginning 9th grade and went to night school so I could work. However night school wasn't working out as it was a learn at your on pace type of class. There were students learning 10th through 12th in the same class. This didn't work out for me so I quit. I did go and get my GED later though.
 
MelissaWatt said:
Thanks for sharing. My hearing loss hasn't changed much which I am very thankful for at this time. I just never realized where I was until this summer. I have some of my audiograms. I don't go in every year like I should. I keep things to a minimum if I can. The only thing I went in for often was a ear mold update and tube changing when they were getting to hard. My audi at one point just gave the tubes to me and let me change them myself. I sure miss him though at this point. I am still not sure where I stand on the audiogram, but have been told it is severe. I still don't know enough to be comfortable to be signing. I do some around the house with my kids, hubby, and my best friend.
Still missing my old analogs and getting frustrated with the new sounds on the custom.
Click to expand...
I usually do my audiogram about every five years (if I remember and if I have the money). Oddly enough for me the digital hearing aids are better for music for me and terrible for every day speech. With analog I always kept trying to crank up both my hearing aids and whatever music source I was using (I think I drove my poor siblings nuts with that- even with trying to use headphones- nope- sound still leaked out) but for me seemed more natural/better- plus louder lol. Having trouble with my current digital pair in speech/voice environments especially large groups, or being in a big room (too much acoustics). Part of the problem is that digital tend to be so quiet so in trying to boost the power level you get all sorts of unintended effects like echos, reverb, squeaking, feedback etc....:(.

Reminds me should call the audio. Looking like my new earmolds are still causing a sore and pain on the right...
 
for me, I go in every year to make sure there's no changes in my hearing (it may change due to excessive earwax)
 
Turtley said:
I was mainstreamed too as there wasn't any deaf/hoh schools where we lived that I could go to. I struggled through each grade and being passed to the next grade like you were. I would take a desk as close to the teacher as I could and did my best.

In 7th grade I assigned a desk according to my last name. I ended up being in the back of every class and couldn't hear the teacher at all. Then I was moved to a special ed class for a short time. The special ed teacher sensed that I didn't belong in her class and got together with some social workers in a private meeting to talk with me.

That's when they learned that I was HOH and was placed in the rear of the classroom. I was sent for all sorts of hearing testing and was fitted with my first hearing aid, a Beltone BTE. After getting my aid I re-started 7th grade again but this time I was placed directly in front of the teachers desk in every class I had. I made A's and B's through 7th and 8th grade.

I got a job before beginning 9th grade and went to night school so I could work. However night school wasn't working out as it was a learn at your on pace type of class. There were students learning 10th through 12th in the same class. This didn't work out for me so I quit. I did go and get my GED later though.
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I pretty much did alright, had issues in first grade, failed second grade, repeat and then did summer school pretty much until my 5th grade year. I pretty much had to sit in the front but most of the time the teachers never did because it was alphabetical. I always ended up in the back.. got paddled so much just for asking my neighbor " what did she say to do?" I did okay in school mostly A'B, math was and still is my forever problem class. Most of the time in scheduling classes.. I was told I could not do it.. tried out for band, orchestra, and even choir.. My parents threw a fit because they wanted me to be able to enjoy things. I tried out for baseball, track, and volleyball. Ugh.. I missed out on so much.. I did do choir but often was told to lip sync.. How much fun was that.. I graduated and have done twice the amount of work in college since I moved where ever the Air Force sent us. I am still 11 classes shy of graduating. Not going to to do it now since I have one in college, one going to college next fall and then in two more years my last one will be going to college. Thanks for sharing.
:ty:
 
DeafDucky said:
I usually do my audiogram about every five years (if I remember and if I have the money). Oddly enough for me the digital hearing aids are better for music for me and terrible for every day speech. With analog I always kept trying to crank up both my hearing aids and whatever music source I was using (I think I drove my poor siblings nuts with that- even with trying to use headphones- nope- sound still leaked out) but for me seemed more natural/better- plus louder lol. Having trouble with my current digital pair in speech/voice environments especially large groups, or being in a big room (too much acoustics). Part of the problem is that digital tend to be so quiet so in trying to boost the power level you get all sorts of unintended effects like echos, reverb, squeaking, feedback etc....:(.

Reminds me should call the audio. Looking like my new earmolds are still causing a sore and pain on the right...
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I am still doing well on where i need to be on my audiogram. I haven't noticed much of a change at all. I told my hubby tonight when I do go see th audi tomorrow I have got to be able to explain what it is about the custom analog that is bugging the snot out of me. I told him I am about to throw in the towel for awhile and go back to my old ones and if I have to keep sending them in.. so be it. I don't care how old they are.. the thing is they work just fine for me. Speaking of aids.. I need to get on ebay. I found a pair of my hearing aids.. I need to see if they really are what they are.. fingers crossed.
 
I had another adjustment/ tweak to my analog hearing aids. I am just so mad right now that for some reason I can not just be settled in these. I want to put my old ones back in so badly but I have been told that I won't like that sound anymore either. My audiologist said that even if I got digitals that it would never have enough power for me to like them let alone that I would not work well in them anyway from experience.. I realized today that my hearing is profound and has been since birth. My mother told me today that pretty much I hear about 5-10 percent with out my aids.
 
If your hearing is profound you wouldn't be able hear speech, at all, without your hearing aids.

When mine was severe if you put your mouth right up to my ear and talked directly into it I could hear it. Not anymore. Profound loss is 90+ decibels, nobody talks that loud.
 
ambrosia said:
If your hearing is profound you wouldn't be able hear speech, at all, without your hearing aids.

When mine was severe if you put your mouth right up to my ear and talked directly into it I could hear it. Not anymore. Profound loss is 90+ decibels, nobody talks that loud.
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I can hear someone talking in my right ear.. It is my better ear. My left ear I can't make anything out but I know someone is talking. My range is in the 80-90 on the audiogram. That is what my audi tells me I am profound.
 
MelissaWatt said:
I can hear someone talking in my right ear.. It is my better ear. My left ear I can't make anything out but I know someone is talking. My range is in the 80-90 on the audiogram. That is what my audi tells me I am profound.
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That is severe. Maybe you need a new audiologist if he doesn't even understand a simple hearing chart.
Degree of hearing loss Hearing loss range (dB HL)
Normal –10 to 15
Slight 16 to 25
Mild 26 to 40
Moderate 41 to 55
Moderately severe 56 to 70
Severe 71 to 90
Profound 91+
 
yup- that's severe level...maybe severe to profound if you want to be really specific.

I can hear nothing without my 'ears' with the exception of a few things- I can hear high pitched barking if the dog is sitting in front of me or near me- that range is actually the 'best' lol- about 95 db maybe? Hmm I don't know about now as I've not been around dogs that much without my 'ears' in. I'll have to test it with my auntie's doggies (Smaller doggies tend to have high pitched barks).

Definitely true on the digital aids- it's never enough and I STILL can't get the right balance with the ones I have now. Took me years to get comfortable with the Sumos... I've also heard that many can't or don't want to go back to analog; would like to test that theory out.
 
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