Suggestions please and thank you

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MelissaWatt

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Well, all of my analogs are biting the dust and have been sent off. They are coming back not sounding like they were previously. I am guessing its just the age and what ever they can use to fix them. With that being said.. I have tried Phonak super power digitals. Didn't really like them much at first but after trying them for the time allotted. I sent them back and tried a hybrid built analog. Not liking these either. Rexton was the company that fitted me my whole life basically and that company was sold out either to Seimen (misspelled?) or Starkey.
Long story short. I am basically severe to profound hearing loss. My range is in the 80-90"s on the audio chart. I am thinking that the audi was over doing the digital hearing aid for me. The other thing that was not right .. the aid was to big sitting on my ears. I am trying to get a feel for those out there that have made the switch from analog to digital.. What do you feel is the best company out there?
Suggestions? Please and Thank you to anyone who responds. :hmm:
 
Phonak makes the best hearing aid if you are really deaf. Either Naida Up or Sky Q UP are very good.

They can be adjusted like analog if you don't like digital.
 
Thanks. I had the Naida SP 50. I am inclined to think that my audiologist at the time really had no idea how to fix the settings for me and was calling in a Phonak representative to come in to help. I guess the companies out there have not figured out how to make the superpower aids smaller. The aids were a bit to big for my ears. hmm.. I am going to continue to research.
 
I had Oticon analogs prior to trying the digital years ago. I never really like them but they worked OK. I recently switched to a new hearing aid in my right ear. I was using a Hansation HP/Arena Base HP in both ears. I had thought the aid in my right ear was broken but it turned out I just could no longer benefit from it. I had been having to crank it all the way and the compression feature of digital aids was making everything muffled. I now have a Resound Viking in that ear which is analog. This is much more powerful and I can hear sounds. I have progressed to a point where it will never truly be clear but there is definitely an improvement with the analog aid.
 
My preference is Oticon but Phonak is also a very good one for digital. I've had both Oticon and Phonak and it seems that the Oticon one works best for what my audiogram looks like. It's an individual preference and how an audiogram looks.

I hope you are able to find what fits and/or somewhere who can fit you correctly- digitals have been around for at least 15 years. I'm actually the opposite- I hate the small/tiny size of these things. Liked the bigger ones better (675 battery- current pair is 13 :P).
 
I should be grateful get them free but do get what you given that why hate wearing them not best quality tend to be few years behind certainly not comfortable.
 
I am trying to figure out how to load up my last audiogram. I was not ever taught how to read these things.. The military audiology did mine for 20 yr and prior to that my hometown audiology did all the explaining to my parents. My last 15 yr, my audiologist here was super nice never told me that I needed an upgrade as that my hearing has not changed in all my life.
I like my analogs but the little buggers are going to the shop are not coming back with the correct sounds and the settings are still the same. I have played around with them. ugh..
I am thinking it just may be time to ante up and deal with it.. No depression this time. I plan to kick this bugger in the butt where it belongs.
 
things change in 20yrs time you had another done insist Audi teach show you
 
caz said:
things change in 20yrs time you had another done insist Audi teach show you
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I finally was able to post my audiogram. I looked at my last one done prior to my husband's retirement from the service. My hearing hasn't changed much.. very, very little.
The audiologist that built me a hybrid analog..Yes, has the basic wheel volume, but has the digital turn on as well as a push button for changing the program to telephone, 5 decibel lower setting and to turn it off completely. The only thing is that it has a sound on it that just is down right annoying. I toyed with it a bit to change the sounds and the bugger lied to me about that these had more room for power and the trimpot setting is maxed out.

I am still considering looking into a digital. Finding an audiologist to work with me.. and not cost me a fortune is hard to do around here cause its profit market and not what the customer wants but what the company wants.
 
MelissaWatt said:
I finally was able to post my audiogram. I looked at my last one done prior to my husband's retirement from the service. My hearing hasn't changed much.. very, very little.
The audiologist that built me a hybrid analog..Yes, has the basic wheel volume, but has the digital turn on as well as a push button for changing the program to telephone, 5 decibel lower setting and to turn it off completely. The only thing is that it has a sound on it that just is down right annoying. I toyed with it a bit to change the sounds and the bugger lied to me about that these had more room for power and the trimpot setting is maxed out.

I am still considering looking into a digital. Finding an audiologist to work with me.. and not cost me a fortune is hard to do around here cause its profit market and not what the customer wants but what the company wants.
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Try Costco. They have a Phonak (and other brands) for a fraction of the cost. Also, you might have just dropped down enough where HA's no longer work that well for you. Have you considered looking into Cochlear Implants?
 
MelissaWatt said:
Finding an audiologist to work with me.. and not cost me a fortune is hard to do around here cause its profit market and not what the customer wants but what the company wants.
Click to expand...

Yes I've had that issue as well and if it helps I've found that if you take a look at their facilities it can be a good way to size up the business. For example if you see huge neon signs saying, "999.99 per hearing aid sale!", walk away. If it looks like a car dealership that's a bad sign.

But if the facilities look like a doctors office with a non-flashy business name that's a good sign. You can also "test" the audiologist as well just by asking if they have a part for a hearing aid or even have them make ear molds for you. It wouldn't cost much having new ear molds made and you can see how well they handle the job.

It's time-consuming I know but the unfortunate reality is that really good audiologists can be hard to find. If you get stuck you could just look in the yellow pages under "hearing aid dealer" and make a day out of checking out all of them.
 
Don't write off using a dealer until you check reputation!

I am in a small town where there is a dealer with such a good reputation (developed over 25-30 years) that the one local ENT that used to employ an audiologist no longer does! Years ago she did have a very good relationship with both that ENT and the audiologist that was in his office.
 
HOH-ME said:
Try Costco. They have a Phonak (and other brands) for a fraction of the cost. Also, you might have just dropped down enough where HA's no longer work that well for you. Have you considered looking into Cochlear Implants?
Click to expand...

I have tried the Phonak. I believe the audiologist that I was working with was young and did not have enough experience in handling the product. She was going to call in a rep for to get help. I had enough of all the changes that i quit. I probably should of given it more time. I also believe that the aid that she picked out for me was to big on my ears.. literally.
As for CI.. no thank you. I have researched that enough and was tested several years ago for that and was not a candidate. I can still fit in hearing aids and nothing really has changed much in the last 20 years between the audio report from retirement to the one I posted that I had done last year.Just a very minor change.. both audiologist that I saw last year said it would not be enough to notice.. so for that I am thankful and grateful.
I will go look into Costco.. that is where my audiologist of 15 yrs ran off to.. I loved him and I think he would be a great help.
 
Jane B. said:
Don't write off using a dealer until you check reputation!

I am in a small town where there is a dealer with such a good reputation (developed over 25-30 years) that the one local ENT that used to employ an audiologist no longer does! Years ago she did have a very good relationship with both that ENT and the audiologist that was in his office.
Click to expand...

That is how I grew up.. in a small town with a good reputation and a local ENT.. I miss that now.. my audiologist I grew up with just notified me today that he will be retiring soon and that I should look around for someone who can send off the 20+ year old aids. Most of the "reputable companies" won't touch them anymore.
I am trying to trust the one that built me a hybrid analog. The hearing aid was worth more than buying the digital.. this is where I should of seen the danger sign. I think I was so set on getting analog better yet.. keeping the ones I have because of the simplicity of them. I like basic on/off, t-coil for the phone and that is it..
 
caz said:
I should be grateful get them free but do get what you given that why hate wearing them not best quality tend to be few years behind certainly not comfortable.
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That is great that you can get them for free. I basically was able to do the same while my husband was in the military. We only had a co-pay for the visit. Now.. its a sticker shock and its not like we can shell out the money as if we had a money tree in our back yard. I have three kids, two are in college and one more will be in college soon. It bites.. really really bites.
 
MelissaWatt said:
I have tried the Phonak. I believe the audiologist that I was working with was young and did not have enough experience in handling the product. She was going to call in a rep for to get help. I had enough of all the changes that i quit. I probably should of given it more time. I also believe that the aid that she picked out for me was to big on my ears.. literally.
As for CI.. no thank you. I have researched that enough and was tested several years ago for that and was not a candidate. I can still fit in hearing aids and nothing really has changed much in the last 20 years between the audio report from retirement to the one I posted that I had done last year.Just a very minor change.. both audiologist that I saw last year said it would not be enough to notice.. so for that I am thankful and grateful.
I will go look into Costco.. that is where my audiologist of 15 yrs ran off to.. I loved him and I think he would be a great help.
Click to expand...

The more power you need, the bigger the hearing aid is going to get. There is only so much the audiologist can do about that. As for the CI's, your loss I guess. I love my CI's after almost 20 years of struggling with HA's and going from about 27% on my speech tests with my HA's to getting 100% with my CI's.
 
MelissaWatt said:
Thanks. I had the Naida SP 50. I am inclined to think that my audiologist at the time really had no idea how to fix the settings for me and was calling in a Phonak representative to come in to help. I guess the companies out there have not figured out how to make the superpower aids smaller. The aids were a bit to big for my ears. hmm.. I am going to continue to research.
Click to expand...

With your loss you should of been in a Naida UP and not an SP. Perhaps give an Oticon Chili a try. I would also give another audi a try. As to finding a smaller superpower aid, I don't think there is such an animal.
 
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