When do you decide that you aren't getting enough benefit from hearing aids?

deafdyke said:
But a CI is more powerful then an aid....It's more powerful so it gives more clarity....make sense?
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No. It gives more clarity because it by-passes the root problem rather than blasting it with ever more volume. A CI is a more powerful tool, but in a very different way from a hearing aid.
 
BleedingPurist said:
No. It gives more clarity because it by-passes the root problem rather than blasting it with ever more volume. A CI is a more powerful tool, but in a very different way from a hearing aid.
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Yes.......I KNOW...It's not loudness that's the problem.....CI and HA work differently but the end result is the same....HOH style listening....might as well quibble on "oh BAHA works differently from both HA and CI"....end result is the same......although she doesn't need more volumne she needs more power in a different type of device.
 
deafdyke said:
Yes.......I KNOW...It's not loudness that's the problem.....CI and HA work differently but the end result is the same....HOH style listening....might as well quibble on "oh BAHA works differently from both HA and CI"....end result is the same......although she doesn't need more volumne she needs more power in a different type of device.
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No, you don't know. You are not a CI-user or a professional and have no business continuing to comment on anything related to CIs. The end result is not the same as a hearing aid or BAHA, which are both hearing aids. A CI is not a hearing aid. A CI can provide near normal hearing depending on the user. A Hearing Aid cannot do anything but scream in your ear. There is not a single CI-user that would ever compare or declare a hearing aid as comparable. The vast majority find their CI to be a leap beyond anything any hearing aid ever provided, hardly a continuation of where they left off with their "HOH-style" hearing through a HA.
 
ecp said:
So, lately even with my Naida hearing aids I've been struggling with understanding speech. In noise I am completely lost, in a small group I depend on the person closest to me to repeat or paraphrase what was said.
One on one I rock my hearing aids and can understand the person I'm talking to UNLESS they mumble or look away or there is any other noise.

In fact, tonight I'm not out with my husband and friends because I honestly couldn't face a few hours in a noisy bar, not able to understand anything and depending on my husband to sign the main points to me.

I really feel like I hear "well enough" at home (but of course I'm "hearing" the TV with captions) and my husband as long as I can see his face.

So my question is, am I deaf enough to go for a cochlear implant evaluation? I always thought I would have to wait until I was completely deaf in both ears (my left ear is already useless and I have progressive hearing loss in both ears).

My hearing aids are maxed out, often it seems that the amplification provided by my hearing aids only helps in knowing that there is a sound but sounds don't make sense. It even seems like it is harder to hear+lip read when I'm wearing my hearing aids (I guess because I spend so much brain power trying to decipher the sounds I'm hearing and there are so many random sounds).

Any thoughts would be welcome. In the past few months I've only worn my hearing aids when I'm outside our house AND expect to have to talk to people. So, grocery shopping...DEAF.

And I'm pretty annoyed with this seeming self-imposed isolation. I'd love to be out in a bar talking with friends but right now it just seems impossible.
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How about people texting you in the bar ?
 
BleedingPurist said:
The end result is not the same as a hearing aid or BAHA, which are both hearing aids. A CI is not a hearing aid. A CI can provide near normal hearing depending on the user. A Hearing Aid cannot do anything but scream in your ear. There is not a single CI-user that would ever compare or declare a hearing aid as comparable. The vast majority find their CI to be a leap beyond anything any hearing aid ever provided, hardly a continuation of where they left off with their "HOH-style" hearing through a HA.
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All of this.
I know Deafdyke was trying to use a metaphor but it really didn't work since HAs and CIs operate on fundamentally different principles.
More power is not the solution. Bypassing my messed up cochleas is the solution.

As for unaidable, some people have PTAs of 110dB but do very well with hearing aids. Others, like me, have significant distortion and recruitment that greatly impacts the ability to understand speech.
 
lmin13 said:
Harris Communications (Harris Communications - Shop Products for Hearing Loss Assistive and Hearing Aids Products - Deaf, Hearing Loss, Sign Language) has a lot of products that work with hearing aids if they're maxed out and you want to see what other options there are besides a CI or upgrading. Harris has a free catalog or you can call them for recommendations if you have certain situations you can't hear clearly on.
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LOL I can call them...
But in seriousness, I already use FM systems that are much better than the crap Harris peddles to baby boomers.
 
ecp said:
LOL I can call them...
But in seriousness, I already use FM systems that are much better than the crap Harris peddles to baby boomers.
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I am in the midst of a trial of a Phonak Nadia Q-90 and had also gotten to wondering about something in the way of personal FM as I have really liked the FM systems I have used at my church and a number of other places. Those are not something you can take along in a car or out to eat. In checking what Phonak has the price seems out of line for what amount of time I would be using it. Do you have any suggestions?
 
I would have my ears checked to see if there is any wax in them . Then see is my HA needs to be repaired , that is not the problem , get a hearing test to see my going on with my hearing. Then take it from there .
 
For people reading this who wonder if I wished I had gotten a cochlear implant much earlier (I was implanted when I was 27 but turned 28 right before it was activated). The answer is a resounding YES! I wish I had gotten an evaluation when I was 20 and had severe to profound hearing loss EXCEPT, then I would have chosen a different company. So I’m happy that I got a cochlear implant and, not surprisingly, I am still able to sign just as well as I could before but now I’m a stronger self advocate and request interpreters for events.
 
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