when you take your aids off ...

[hoh47]

Been wearing Naida hearing aids for only about 5 months.Have a mixed hearing loss, conductive loss in all frequencies worst in low frequencies. Happy enough with my aids and had a few adjustments to the programs mostly to increase gain and give me more volume.
Before I was fitted with aids I was "getting by" ok, definately had problems hearing and had to ask people to repeat, TV turned way up etc but generally I figured things out and got by. The problem I am having now is that when I remove my aids I am very deaf. There is no way I can get by like I did before I wore aids, famliy and friends have to speak very loudly and be close up to me, I am very dependent on visual cues. Before I could sort of get by on the phone but no chance now, can hardly make out a voice. I also speak very loudly and those around have to signal to me to speak softer.
I was not prepared for this and it is really getting me down. I cant wear my aids 24/7 as my ears get tender but I find myself withdrawing to be alone when I take the aids off, just dont want to seen as very deaf to others.
I was reading that it is possible to use other forms of devices to amplify - does anyone have any experience with this. I have just ordered an amplified telephone that I can also hear "ring" by a flashing light plus I should be able to use it without my aids on.That would be nice.

I just was not prepared for this deafness and wondered how do others deal with it? Is it because I have my hearing aids programmed too loud? My audiologist doesnt seem to underdtand my problem just tells me that I am very hard of hearing and need the aids to hear!!!

[Serendipity42]

Been wearing Naida hearing aids for only about 5 months.Have a mixed hearing loss, conductive loss in all frequencies worst in low frequencies. Happy enough with my aids and had a few adjustments to the programs mostly to increase gain and give me more volume.
Before I was fitted with aids I was "getting by" ok, definately had problems hearing and had to ask people to repeat, TV turned way up etc but generally I figured things out and got by. The problem I am having now is that when I remove my aids I am very deaf. There is no way I can get by like I did before I wore aids, famliy and friends have to speak very loudly and be close up to me, I am very dependent on visual cues. Before I could sort of get by on the phone but no chance now, can hardly make out a voice. I also speak very loudly and those around have to signal to me to speak softer.
I was not prepared for this and it is really getting me down. I cant wear my aids 24/7 as my ears get tender but I find myself withdrawing to be alone when I take the aids off, just dont want to seen as very deaf to others.
I was reading that it is possible to use other forms of devices to amplify - does anyone have any experience with this. I have just ordered an amplified telephone that I can also hear "ring" by a flashing light plus I should be able to use it without my aids on.That would be nice.

I just was not prepared for this deafness and wondered how do others deal with it? Is it because I have my hearing aids programmed too loud? My audiologist doesnt seem to underdtand my problem just tells me that I am very hard of hearing and need the aids to hear!!!

I don't understand, why do you want to talk on the phone or with family without your aids in? Isn't that what the aids are for?

How is your speech reading? I can understand my family without my aids in as long as they are facing me. I've been told I am an excellent speech reader. But if we need to have an important conversation I always put my aids in. I owe to my family to do my part in trying to understand what's being said.

I don't know what to tell you except to wear your aids if you don't want to miss anything.

Serendipity42

[hoh47]

Totally agree with you and I do wear my aids as much as I can. However my ears get very sore and tender ( the back of my ears where the hearing aid rests) and I have to remove them several times a days. This is a problem I have had before I got my aids when I would wear my glasses (I mainly use contacts, very nearsighted ) Certainly cant wear glasses and aids for any length of time.
I had hoped to be able to use CIC hearing aids but was told they were not powerful enough. I did mention about the tenderness when I was being fitted with BTEs but my audio said I would get used to them in time. I manage well by removing the aids a few times a day to eleviate the tenderness but am distressed by having such a poor ability to hear without aids now. I guess my lip reading skills are not as good as I had thought. I have been trying to concentrate very hard on reading lips when I do not have my aids on but dont seem to be doing very well.
Are there classes for HOH and lipreading?

[zenon]

There are classes on lip reading in most communities, usually offered in the evening. Most Audi offices are familiar with the ones available, and have material in their waiting rooms.

About having such trouble with aids off now, could it be the contrast principal & habit? If your hearing level is the same, perhaps you've lost the habit of deciphering distorted speech.

[yvr]

Sorry to hear your frustrations - must be tough on you.

Just thinking, when you feel like taking off your HA, will you be bothered by having headphones pads covering the ears instead?

If not, the reason I am asking is that, product like the William Sound PocketTalker is a a general purpose personal amplifier that wears like having an MP3 player and a headphone. Of course it is not as small as the HA but it offers reasonable relief from the tightness in the ear and price is reasonable - think it's $180 or so.

Regards.

[quo]

I have the exact same problem. I have been wearing hearing aids for about 3 years, but only now have I started to notice this. I asked my audiologist, but I got the same reply - wear your hearing aids.

I came to the conclusion that it must be because I wear them as much as I can, and have gotten used to hearing "the easy way", without having to strain and really listen for sounds, such as in speech, as much as I would have to were I not wearing the hearing aids. Im not sure about you though, as you have only had yours for 5 months, but perhaps you have gotten used to them faster.

It's pretty hard to deal with, but I find that the longer I stay without them, the less I depend on them, but then again, that isn't of much use.

Not sure what the real reason is, if there is anything more to it, or if there's anything that can be done about it, but this is how I explain it to myself at the moment. I don't think the problem is the hearing aids being programmed too loud.


Also, there are some ways to avoid wearing them all the time, such as the phone you mentioned, wearing headphones with long cords while watching TV or listening to music, etc.

[Squeezer53]

Been wearing Naida hearing aids for only about 5 months.Have a mixed hearing loss, conductive loss in all frequencies worst in low frequencies. Happy enough with my aids and had a few adjustments to the programs mostly to increase gain and give me more volume.
Before I was fitted with aids I was "getting by" ok, definately had problems hearing and had to ask people to repeat, TV turned way up etc but generally I figured things out and got by. The problem I am having now is that when I remove my aids I am very deaf. There is no way I can get by like I did before I wore aids, famliy and friends have to speak very loudly and be close up to me, I am very dependent on visual cues. Before I could sort of get by on the phone but no chance now, can hardly make out a voice. I also speak very loudly and those around have to signal to me to speak softer.
I was not prepared for this and it is really getting me down. I cant wear my aids 24/7 as my ears get tender but I find myself withdrawing to be alone when I take the aids off, just dont want to seen as very deaf to others.
I was reading that it is possible to use other forms of devices to amplify - does anyone have any experience with this. I have just ordered an amplified telephone that I can also hear "ring" by a flashing light plus I should be able to use it without my aids on.That would be nice.

I just was not prepared for this deafness and wondered how do others deal with it? Is it because I have my hearing aids programmed too loud? My audiologist doesnt seem to underdtand my problem just tells me that I am very hard of hearing and need the aids to hear!!!

Ouch! I had a pair of glesses that were impossible for me to wear because they dug into my head behind my ears. It really hurts and you have my sympathy.

Ultimately, your real problem is not that you are more deaf than before.

Your AuD should be helping you find a way to increase wearing time without discomfort. With proper fit, you should be able to wear your aids all day and be able to take them out only when you are sleeping.

If the spot that is getting sore is where the tubes or mold are touching your ear, the AuD can adjust tube length & bend radii to get a more comfortable fit. If the problem is the housing of the aid as it sits between your ear & head, and you had the option of exchanging it for a different model, you could try a different aid that has a narrower profile (every manufacturer has minute differences in body styles) If you are past trial & return period, some folks here have talked about "sleeves" they use to reduce sweat getting into the aids. The addition of one of those sleeves on the aid body may help with pressure points for you.

You are not getting more deaf, your brain has just adjusted to hearing & processing speech & sounds with amplification. Like you, I noticed that I can't hear as well as I remembered pre-Aids. I REALLY missed them when they had to go back for repairs and the AuD did not have loaners for me to use.

Removing your aids once you are used to them is the same as going "cold turkey" with a drug. Your brain takes time to get used to doing the extra work required to discrimate speech & sound without the Aids. It can take weeks to get adjusted to wearing aids without being overwhelmed by the noise. It will take almost as long to get used to NOT wearing them and doing the extra work required to hear the noises you want to hear.

Tell the AuD you want to work on getting a comfortable fit to your body so you can wear them as much as you need to. Taking them out & retreating from social life is defeating the reason you bought them in the first place.

Don't give up and hide in the den when company comes. Life is too short (and Aids are too costly) to spend it just "getting by".

[Hask12]

Your hearing aids may be too fat which is causing the discomfort with yout ears. My ears are fairly close to my head so my BTE's must be pretty thin, otherwise discomfort will eventually set in.

[Shi-Ku Chishiki]

Serendipity42 said in part..

How is your speech reading? I've been told I am an excellent speech reader.

Serendipity42

Like some of you here, I'm new to this hearing aid game too.. so please don't flame me because I ask the following questions.. or read too much into what I'm asking.

What's speech reading? Isn't speech sound? If speech is sound how do we read it? :confused: All I'm asking is to clarify what's being said so that I can use it myself. Thanks

Shi-Ku Chishiki ShiKu.Chishiki@Gmail.com

[zenon]

By speech reading he means lip reading. Looking at people's mouths when they are speaking to figure out what they are saying. There are courses in lip reading offered many places, and they are often free.

[kcrowe]

Sounds like (pardon the pun) I have similar hearing loss to you. I can't survive without my aids. Terribly frustrating without them. I also have the Naida. These are unusually large hearing aids. I agree-go back to the audiologist and ask them to work closer with you to adjust the fit of tubing, mold, etc. I suggest you go to audio after you've worn them for some time. If you are experiencing tenderness, audio can usually see redness to try to figure out the pressure points and give you longer tubing, or different shape, or perhaps it is the ear mold that needs to be shaved down at a certain point.The aid really doesn't have to 'rest' on your ear. A well-fitted mold, and proper length tube should allow the aid to stay in place, with minimal contact.
Hang in there until you get them the way you like it.

[hearagainusa]

Been wearing Naida hearing aids for only about 5 months.Have a mixed hearing loss, conductive loss in all frequencies worst in low frequencies. Happy enough with my aids and had a few adjustments to the programs mostly to increase gain and give me more volume.
Before I was fitted with aids I was "getting by" ok, definately had problems hearing and had to ask people to repeat, TV turned way up etc but generally I figured things out and got by. The problem I am having now is that when I remove my aids I am very deaf. There is no way I can get by like I did before I wore aids, famliy and friends have to speak very loudly and be close up to me, I am very dependent on visual cues. Before I could sort of get by on the phone but no chance now, can hardly make out a voice. I also speak very loudly and those around have to signal to me to speak softer.
I was not prepared for this and it is really getting me down. I cant wear my aids 24/7 as my ears get tender but I find myself withdrawing to be alone when I take the aids off, just dont want to seen as very deaf to others.
I was reading that it is possible to use other forms of devices to amplify - does anyone have any experience with this. I have just ordered an amplified telephone that I can also hear "ring" by a flashing light plus I should be able to use it without my aids on.That would be nice.

I just was not prepared for this deafness and wondered how do others deal with it? Is it because I have my hearing aids programmed too loud? My audiologist doesnt seem to underdtand my problem just tells me that I am very hard of hearing and need the aids to hear!!!


Hello...2 things that will help you:

#1- Do you have a soft or hard earmold?
If it is a hard style like an acrylic mold you can ask you Aud...or any other to try a softer silicone material that will work just as well and be MUCH more comfortable
#2-If your comfort issue is ON your ear or in your ear canal you can try putting this product on your outer ear AND IN your ear each night to relieve your issues..you could even put a very thin film of this same material(very thin) around your mold(not at the the top or bottom) before insertion each day to combat discomfort

Try this product(order online or call around to different ENTS or Auds until you find someone who carries it:


http://www.miracell.com/uses.html



But please find somehow to wear them 16 hours a day..the biggest reason is below at the following link:

http://www.macalester.edu/psychology/whathap/ubnrp/cochl03/deafness.htm#auditory


Good luck and let me know if I can help you anymore

[Hask12]

Your complaints are fairly common. I think that the more you wear your aids the more of a tolerance you build up, so when you take the aids out, the world is perceived as being much quieter then before you started wearing aids. You need to resolve yourself to the fact that you either go without the aids and struggle all day, or wear the aids and hear, but when you take them out the world will be silent. As people have mentioned, concentrate on a persons mouth. Watch their lips when they speak. You should be doing this when you are or aren't wearing aids. Before you started wearing aids you probably weren't hearing as well as you think you might have been. That's a common symptom. Now that you have gotten used to the aids you are much more aware of just how bad your hearing was without the aids. You need to face reality and understand that your are dependant on your aids. Not trying to sound harsh, but if you are wearing naida's then your loss is already pretty severe. You'll get used to all of this and eventually you may even realize that sometimes silence can even be a godsend.

[Confused]

By speech reading he means lip reading. Looking at people's mouths when they are speaking to figure out what they are saying. There are courses in lip reading offered many places, and they are often free.

You might want to look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJNi2__j-Kg

I am sorry for some bad language..................

Speech reading / lip reading: You will be amazed at how much you can really understand if you can see the persons lips. If someone is not facing you while they are talking, you might find it much harder, but as soon as you see their lips you can understand much more.

I can 'hear' when people face me because I compensate by reading their lips (I have not been trained, just force of habit). When I wake up, the first thing that I do is put my aids in. They come out for a shower and then are put back in until I go to sleep.

[JennyB]

Auditory deprivation won't start to cause you to lose auditory memory for about 5-7 years. This is what doctors have told me. You don't have to wear your aids for every waking hour or risk this happening. You are at a much higher risk of this occuring if you are profoundly deaf than if you are hard of hearing.

I never wear my hearing aids on weekends or evenings. Monday-Thursday I have them on for about 6-8 hours a day, from Friday-Sunday I will only sometimes use them.

If I go a week without them I do notice that everything seems exceptionally loud and sometimes my ears get a little sore from the earmolds but after an hour I adjust to having sound once again and after a day my ears readjust to the earmold.

[MarvinMartian]

When I had a working hearing aid, I would wear it during every waking moment, except for times when it could get damaged (eg: shower, swimming, anywhere walking near water, etc.). I have never been able to use a hearing aid one the phone, though, even with a telecoil. I found they just never delivered anywhere near the volume that I could hear what was being said.

It's important to have one that fits well, as others have said. It's also imortant to just wear them to get used to them.

I've been without mine for about 6 months since it broke and can't afford to replace it. I do miss it!