New to the Forum, introduction and a couple questions...

[willie1280]

Hello everyone!

My question is in bold below, but some background in case your interested:

My name is Matt and I am 30 years old. I was born with hearing loss in both ears. I am trying to track down a copy of my last Audiogram so that i can share exactly what my loss is. I currently wear 1 ITC aid in my right ear, it is a Siemens LS. I am still trying to understand why I have only worn 1 aid all my life. My current audiogram shows my hearing as being very similar in both ears.

Anyway, only until recently did I really start paying more attention to my hearing loss. Mainly because it finally came time to where I had to be financially responsible for my aids. I was fortunate enough to get my parents to purchase an aid before college, then my employer that i worked for right out of college paid for a new one. Now 8 years later since that aid was bought, i am in need of a new one.

I have seemed to luck out again because as i was going through the hearing aid evaluation process on my own dollar, i was told about a state program that goes by your need/loss vs. income. So 3 months later i was qualified and my file was activated. They will cover the cost my aid(s) in the most economical fashion. So basically if it comes down to a 700.00 aid vs a 2000.00 aid and the 700 will meet my need, that's the one they will purchase for me.

So last Friday I had my hearing aid evaluation at the audiologist. The reco'd an aid for both ears and the suggested the Oticon Vigo RITE. So I will ask for details on that aid in the appropriate category.

However, my question here is, What is my transition from a single ITE/ITC aid all my life to 2 BTE aids going to be like? Am i going to hear things i never heard before? Am i going to struggle during the "learning" process in my left ear which has never had an aid? What are going to be the biggest differences in my lifestyle with a BTE vs. ITC?

I am excited and scared at the same time because it is somethign new for me. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Thanks
Matt

[kretsh]

Hi Matt and welcome to the forum.

I'm not an expert by any means, but wearing two hearing aids can only be beneficial - I'll list a few that I can think of:
Balanced hearing - you'll hear in both ears
Directional sound determination made much easier
Your speech comprehension will improve.
Stereo sound - enjoying hearing the sound the way they were meant to be heard.
Be able to tolerate loud intermittent sound better.

I've worn Oticons for many many years prior to Phonak which I just got recently. They are a world class company with world class products and their repair service is top notch.

[ABB]

I made the transition from ITC to BTE when I was in middle school. If you are vain or insecure at all, you won't like the BTEs at all. They are more visible than ITCs, and right at first, if you are against the whole idea as I was at age 12, you'll think you have a watermelon hanging off your ear. LOL. Ah the joy of hindsight and the wisdom that comes with age - it really only took a few days before I hardly even noticed that I had anything in my ear, much less behind my ear! Not, of course, that I let my parents know that, haha, I was all about making them suffer back then, sigh. As adults, I'd like to think that most of us don't give a rat's a** who notices what we may or may not have in our ears - piercings, hoops, aids, wires, earbuds, or whatever - anything goes these days. This is not to say that I've graduated to wearing bright pink BTEs, but you get the idea.

So that was the vain part, the other part is that you'll hear alot more sounds than you heard before so you'll spend a few days identifying things. You'd probably be doing that with any new aids if it's been 8 years since you've had a change. Good luck. Stick it out, there will be a learning curve. As far as difference to your lifestyle - it's all going to be about hearing more and hearing better. All the other precautions you took with your ITC will still apply with the BTEs. Ummm, maybe you'll have to take one out when you take a nap on a lazy Sunday afternoon!

[willie1280]

Thanks for the responses so far!

My last 2 aids have been the Siemens LS.
I really loved how versitile the ITC's have been, especially when it comes to active sports, headphones (clip over ear type), phone use (land and cell). But now with BTE's coming, it looks like all that will change. From what I have read, i can't use headphones the same, i need to hold the phones differently, sweat is a bigger issue and active lifestyle can cause problems. Correct me if i am wrong on any of those.

As for the "looks" factor, I have grown up on that part. After having my son and starting to realize just how much i am missing of his speech, it really makes me push for better hearing. Since he will just be 3, his speech isn't perfect yet. So reading lips, which i rely on very heavily, is tough with him. Especially since he doesen't like to stand still

I must confess, in all the years (well over 20) that i have been wearing aids i have only used a dry kit maybe a dozen times. And usually that was around the time i was having mechanical issues. So I will deffinately be looking into the different dryer kits that are available now days. The last kind i had were the ones you baked the puck and had the red bag....old school from what i hear is out there now.

[RMinNJ]

willie1280 welcome..
I am a long time hearing aid wearer..almost 35 years now. I've been partial to the Oticon brand as
that is what I've worn lately.. My Oticon DigiFocus aids are 11 years old now so I'm looking at new ones now.

I remember the puck in a bag moisture dryers.. That said, I've been using the beads in a plastic jar and its kept my aid functioning for 11 years now.. I remember the old analog aids used to last 5 years tops even with putting them in the silly bag every night.

[kretsh]

Originally Posted by alstonfered

Hello Everyone,
I am new to this forum.
I am using internet and forums from last 3 years.
I want to thank administrator for giving us the space for sharing our knowledge.
I have one question regarding hearing loss of my brother.
Is this a right section to post?

Welcome to this forum.

It's probably best for you to start a new tread or posting in this section for have your posting seen and perhaps answered.