Opinions about hearing aids

DeafDoc1 said:
There are also open fit "earmolds" which are non-custom, flexible domes/tulips attached to a very thin tubing. They are nearly invisible and sit within the ear canal. They are designed for mild-moderate losses.

That's my understanding... If anyone sees an error, please correct me.
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I have moderate/severe and on a couple freq. profound loss and I have an open fit. They have different sizes of the flexible domes.. I first had a medium sized one that allowed my ear to not be fully plugged so I got a lot of "squeaks and birds" lol But, once my audi and I sat down and talked about how much it was squealing he gave me the bigger insert that plugs my ear completely and now I get no feedback whatsoever. Although my hearing aids are pretty new on the market. I just got the Power upgrade which allows more sound to be pushed through and when I have more hearing loss we have a lot of room to adjust them. I have a 60% loss in one ear and the other close to 70%. The open fit is great, no one can even tell Im wearing my aids at all. I think with the technology out today more people that have a lot of loss will be able to use these.
 
DeafDoc1 said:
The party line is that full shell soft earmolds are typically used for people with severe-profound losses, since they provide the greatest seal. That prevents that annoying feedback (squeal). You can also get half shell soft earmolds, which for some people work as well as the full shell, even with profound losses. There are also canal and canal-lock earmolds for lesser degrees of loss, which are smaller and less visible.
For hard earmolds, skeleton designs are I believe the most common. These are typically used for mild and moderate losses, though some with severe and profound losses get an adequate seal to prevent feedback.
There are also open fit "earmolds" which are non-custom, flexible domes/tulips attached to a very thin tubing. They are nearly invisible and sit within the ear canal. They are designed for mild-moderate losses.

That's my understanding... If anyone sees an error, please correct me.
Click to expand...

Good info. Thanks :)
 
Soft earmoulds hurt my ear too or cause loud whistling, i have to have hard ones
 
What exactly are the causes of that feedback? I know I get a lot of that when there is a build up of moisture in the tube or mold. When I turn the hearing aids on 4 of 4 I sometimes can get that feedback as well. Is there any way of eliminating all that feedback?
 
candybrowneyes said:
I have moderate/severe and on a couple freq. profound loss and I have an open fit. They have different sizes of the flexible domes.. I first had a medium sized one that allowed my ear to not be fully plugged so I got a lot of "squeaks and birds" lol But, once my audi and I sat down and talked about how much it was squealing he gave me the bigger insert that plugs my ear completely and now I get no feedback whatsoever. Although my hearing aids are pretty new on the market. I just got the Power upgrade which allows more sound to be pushed through and when I have more hearing loss we have a lot of room to adjust them. I have a 60% loss in one ear and the other close to 70%. The open fit is great, no one can even tell Im wearing my aids at all. I think with the technology out today more people that have a lot of loss will be able to use these.
Click to expand...

What exactly is the purpose of the open fit ear molds if you are the only one using these hearing aids? If you don't mind me asking :)
 
jasin said:
What exactly is the purpose of the open fit ear molds if you are the only one using these hearing aids? If you don't mind me asking :)
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First of all there isn't a "mold". Even though I am the only one to use them it is nice to not have them noticed every second of the day.. The open fit goes right into the ear canal with a BTE model. Its nice.. usually they are very light, which mine are. I cant tell I am wearing them most of the time.. the tubing is very small too and clear it makes it almost impossible to see it.. heres what mine look like on from the side view:

myphoto08091501vv0.jpg
 
candybrowneyes said:
First of all there isn't a "mold". Even though I am the only one to use them it is nice to not have them noticed every second of the day.. The open fit goes right into the ear canal with a BTE model. Its nice.. usually they are very light, which mine are. I cant tell I am wearing them most of the time.. the tubing is very small too and clear it makes it almost impossible to see it.. heres what mine look like on from the side view:

myphoto08091501vv0.jpg
Click to expand...

Ok, maybe I used the wrong word when I said "mold". Nonetheless, I think you get the point of what I was trying to say.
 
candybrowneyes said:
First of all there isn't a "mold". Even though I am the only one to use them it is nice to not have them noticed every second of the day.. The open fit goes right into the ear canal with a BTE model. Its nice.. usually they are very light, which mine are. I cant tell I am wearing them most of the time.. the tubing is very small too and clear it makes it almost impossible to see it.. heres what mine look like on from the side view:

myphoto08091501vv0.jpg
Click to expand...

I personally have no problem with my hearings aids or the tubing on them being visable. I am actually very proud of my deafness and have no problems making that known through the use of my hearing aids.
 
Wow, that cool! I've never seen this one. It's new to me. Where did u get this kind?
 
If I remember correctly, open fit will only work for some people. The normal dome shaped insert usually allows outside sound to enter the ear canal as well as sound from the ha. My first ha had open fit, when my hearing loss was at mild to moderate. Once it progressed to severe I had a cone shaped insert that blocked outside sound and it was okay till I lost further hearing. The best thing about open fit is that feedback is greatly reduced since the air/sound from outside is allowed in. But, the worse your hearing is, the less likely you are able to use open fit.
 
etalton said:
If I remember correctly, open fit will only work for some people. The normal dome shaped insert usually allows outside sound to enter the ear canal as well as sound from the ha. My first ha had open fit, when my hearing loss was at mild to moderate. Once it progressed to severe I had a cone shaped insert that blocked outside sound and it was okay till I lost further hearing. The best thing about open fit is that feedback is greatly reduced since the air/sound from outside is allowed in. But, the worse your hearing is, the less likely you are able to use open fit.[/QUOTE

my ear is completely plugged, no air in our out and i only hear through the aid...
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jasin said:
I personally have no problem with my hearings aids or the tubing on them being visable. I am actually very proud of my deafness and have no problems making that known through the use of my hearing aids.
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i never said anything... you asked me a question so i answered it.
 
I wear 2 BTE Unitron Element 16s. I prefer soft earmolds. It is a love hate relationship. I love that I can hear conversations in quiet environments and can use a telephone. I like the T-coil system that allows me to use an induction loop to hear TV and microphones in wired environments. I hate the nuisance of dealing with them on a day to day basis; batteries giving out, mechanical malfunction, sweat, etc.
 
etalton said:
If I remember correctly, open fit will only work for some people. The normal dome shaped insert usually allows outside sound to enter the ear canal as well as sound from the ha. My first ha had open fit, when my hearing loss was at mild to moderate. Once it progressed to severe I had a cone shaped insert that blocked outside sound and it was okay till I lost further hearing. The best thing about open fit is that feedback is greatly reduced since the air/sound from outside is allowed in. But, the worse your hearing is, the less likely you are able to use open fit.
Click to expand...

Correct me if I am wrong, but I always thought that a person cannot use open-fit if they are profoundly deaf.
 
etalton said:
If I remember correctly, open fit will only work for some people. The normal dome shaped insert usually allows outside sound to enter the ear canal as well as sound from the ha. My first ha had open fit, when my hearing loss was at mild to moderate. Once it progressed to severe I had a cone shaped insert that blocked outside sound and it was okay till I lost further hearing. The best thing about open fit is that feedback is greatly reduced since the air/sound from outside is allowed in. But, the worse your hearing is, the less likely you are able to use open fit.
Click to expand...

Isn't that what I said?
 
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