Hearing aid tips and advice.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

You will almost certainly lose things like "cocktail party effect" which is the ability to pick out one sound (signal) in a noisy background environment (noise) e.g. restaurant or dining hall.  Hearing people with normally working ears are using minute differences in when the sound hits each ear to do amazing cognitive processing which hearing aids can't yet fully do.. They're getting there, especially if you get two which speak to one another properly...  You may well get directionality if not true stereo/other effects.

I never knew there was a name for it, but all my life I've found it from hard to impossible to hear conversations in noisy places.  At school I never understood how my mates could learn the lyrics of pop songs easily.  When I got a half decent hifi it helped, but headphones can give me tinnitus.

Without a noisy background my hearing is ok, often I can even decipher tannoy announcements in many parts of the country.

[Kim]

This is why single-sided hearing loss is more debilitating than you might expect - you still hear well, but lose the ability to filter sound based on spacial cues.

It's also possible to have audiologically normal hearing and struggle with that sort of speech-in-background-noise auditory processing.  It's common in people who suffered from temporary hearing loss as a child, as well as in autistic people.  Bonus points for later having to use hearing aids on top of that.

[fimm]

My husband and I had a Skype chat with his uncle H and aunt S the other day. He's had to use hearing aids for quite a long time and is competent with them. So we got connected, and S was complaining she couldn't hear us.
"Ah!" says H, "I can hear them, I know what the matter is."
Close up of his hand while he made adjustments to the settings of the tablet they were using, so that it was no longer bluetoothed to his hearing aids, but broadcasting to both of them...

They then told us that one time, S had been trying to play some music on the tablet and couldn't understand why it wasn't working. Then she got a phone call from H, who was in their next door neighbour's house, in a room right next to the room S was in... you've guessed it, the tablet was playing the music into his hearing aids!

[Kim]

I managed to rickroll barakta this way last week.  It wasn't even intentional.

[Beardy]

I apologise in advance if this is either far too obvious, or has already mentioned, but twice is better than not at all I feel.

For those of you with (proper) ear moulds and have need to clean out the holes and pipes, I’ve discovered that disposable interdental brushes make a good tool for the job.

[barakta]

That's clever! I used to use pipecleaners back in the 3 months I had a BTE "trial" in the 80s (didn't work, we knew it wouldn't work but fuckwits insisted).

Also ultrasonic cleaner on any kind of earmoulds/tubes can be good to get the schmoo out.

Ear wax issues vary, some people have more of it, or gooier/dryer variants than others. One friend found her ears got super waxy when she was pregnant. Bodies!

[Basil]

I apologise in advance if this is either far too obvious, or has already mentioned, but twice is better than not at all I feel.

For those of you with (proper) ear moulds and have need to clean out the holes and pipes, I’ve discovered that disposable interdental brushes make a good tool for the job.

Gosh. That's an amazing coincidence.
Yesterday afternoon I was clearing out a bathroom cabinet prior to ripping it off the wall.
I came across a couple of those very items and the thought crossed my mind that....
Well you know what thought crossed my mind. 

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

I got a referral to the NHS audiologist, only a 7 month waiting list. In the meantime Boots will clean out the earwax, 2 week waiting list and I need to spray olive oil in for a few days prior.

Recently I started getting tinnitus brought on when I drove the car and lasting several hours after.  About 3 or 4 weeks ago Toyota sent me a letter telling me they were updating the car software, including emergency signalling. They said it would be undetectable and when it was finished a light would stop being red and turn green.

When I drove the car I noticed an uncomfortable ‘singing’ noise a bit like a dog whistle. It wasn’t very nice. Also, the app I used to car status info packed up and I had to re-install it. After reinstallation the car lost connection with the app and was constantly trying to regain it. Unfortunately my attempts to reconnect failed so I called in at the dealer. Only the manager had a clue what was going on and got it sorted. Since then, no more singing noises and no more tinnitus. I still haven’t worked out which light should have turned green.

[Beardy]

I’ve been a bad user of hearing aids for the past 30 years or so. I have reverse slope hearing loss which hasn’t really altered a lot for most of my life, and certainly not since I was issued with hearing aids. Part of the reason for my poor compliance is that the technology hasn’t really been up to dealing with my atypical hearing loss until very recently and partly because I’ve been in denial for much of my life. 

So much for the history. Technology has improved and I’m now wearing my HAs pretty much all the time, a thing I find very tiring. But my family and friends all agree that my interactions with them is vastly improved as a consequence, so I’m stuck with using the HAs.

However, this evening I was out with my drinking buddies and I found it very difficult to keep up with the conversations, especially when they were talking face to face and neither of them looking at me. The background noise was almost overwhelming. That said, they were both very receptive to my enquires and complaints when I questioned them about where the conversation went, so that’s a plus.

I’d like to,say that I hate wearing my HAs, but I cannot ignore the fact that those around me consistently agree that I’m more sociable when I wear them.

The jury is still out on whether I like being considered more sociable.

[MikeFromLFE]

Seeing this thread reminds me that I've not updated my hearing aid situation.

I went to the hospital audiology department for a self-requested reassessment about 10 days ago. I had become aware that my hearing was poor even with my single left side aid in my ear - to the point where I'd stopped using it as it didn't seem to help.

The short story is that my left side needed 'the volume turning up' and my right side (which was fine 3 years ago) has deteriorated to be slightly worse than the left but with a similar frequency loss profile.

I was fitted with two new hearing aids at the appointment and the world is bloody noisy again.

Curious to say that now, with two hearing aids in, my tinnitus is much less trouble, but is just as bad when they're out.

The new aids (NHS Oticon) have an app with a 'speech in noise' setting which tweaks the frequency response to allow speech to be a bit clearer when there's a lot of background noise.

[hbunnet]

The new aids (NHS Oticon) have an app with a 'speech in noise' setting which tweaks the frequency response to allow speech to be a bit clearer when there's a lot of background noise.

I have NHS Oticon (Engage) and on "Speech in Noise" I think they work by switching off the rear microphone. The frequency response could well be tweaked too.

[barakta]

Fatigue from listening using hearing aids or 'while deaf' has a name "concentration fatigue". There's a great article by Ian Noon in the Limping Chicken blogsite at https://limpingchicken.com/2013/06/28/ian-noon-concentration-fatigue/

Their highest commented post ever.

For those people struggling with the cost (fatigue) vs benefit (easier to talk with, sociability) I recommend breaks from hearing aid wearing. Anything from 5 min microbreaks to hide in a toilet cubicle with the hearing aids off through to actively building in down-time to your day; a time when family know you're "Having A Break" cos it is very tiring to listen through hearing aids all day.

Another Googleable term is "listening effort" basically hearing always takes some effort. Hearing people with working ears and cognitive processing do not use much listening effort most of the time (and get a shock when they do have to do it). Zoom Fatigue is basically hearing people realising video calls are harder to hear due to the variability of people's microphones and internet connections making the sound poorer than f2f. Deaf people whether using hearing aids or not (e.g. mildly deaf people) need to put in more listening effort to achieve the same or a poorer ability to follow speech. There is increasing work this past 10 years to measure listening effort and create ways to objectively measure this so that during hearing aid fittings the audiologist can objectively get the best possible outcome (least listening effort). Again, I suspect prelingually severely/profoundly deaf and later deafened people will have different issues with this cos cognitive wossnames. Anyway, nice rabbit hole of reading for anyone wanting to be nerdsniped by that.

While I know tinnitus is often better when hearing aids are worn (I'm actually the opposite, mine gets worse with too much hearing aid time or audio overload). That doesn't preclude short breaks or times each day you have a break if the brain is otherwise a bit overloaded.

As for group discussion, there are apps and gadgets which can help, but I don't think much can fully replace working ears and ability to do directional hearing and cocktail party effect. I know people who find benefit in using the streamer with their hearing aid, either clipped to themselves, someone else or on the table (watch beer spillages!) and you can buy specific table top mics which help. I can't comment on their usefulness as I'm prelingually deaf and too conductively deaf as well as deaf overall to get directionality so I find those features just mangle the sound unbearably for me, but that's unusual.

So yeah, TLDR: take breaks, even short breaks can really help. Hopefully families would be understanding of a regular and predictable break time, or extra breaks during increased listening effort situations.

Good luck my fellow deafies. It is very tiring out there!

[MikeFromLFE]

The new aids (NHS Oticon) have an app with a 'speech in noise' setting which tweaks the frequency response to allow speech to be a bit clearer when there's a lot of background noise.

I have NHS Oticon (Engage) and on "Speech in Noise" I think they work by switching off the rear microphone. The frequency response could well be tweaked too.

Thanks - that makes more sense

[Kim]

I have NHS Oticon (Engage) and on "Speech in Noise" I think they work by switching off the rear microphone. The frequency response could well be tweaked too.

It's probably cardioid microphone witchcraft (where you can make a microphone directional by mixing the signals from an omnidirectional and figure-of-8 element) rather then simple 'front' and 'back' facing, as that gives you the option of true omnidirectional pickup, which is obviously important if you want general awareness of the environment.

[Beardy]

However it achieves the cleverness, it doesn’t work for me.  I find it actually amplifies that group of noisy women over in the corner more than the people I’m sitting with. And they’re already spending far too met electrons on the agroup befor I wish it modes!

[Beardy]

After a visit to the audiologists (for a new ear mould) where I had her tweak a setting, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Oticon Companion app is a steaming pile of donkey excrement after it’s eaten a particularly bad curry. Even ignoring the reconnection latency the control options seem to work fairly randomly on the functions of the HAs.

I suspect that a user with a single portable computing device who only uses the app to control the volume of the HAs might have a reasonably consistent and reliable experience. Possibly.

With two iOS devices as regular sources for direct connection to my HAs plus a TV adapter the app is as described above.

[barakta]

I don't use the Oticon app, it's laggy and slow even on a brand new phone - it spends ages showing a splash screen every time it opens which feels deliberate. It is quicker to cycle through the 6 progs myself on the BAHA (esp as you can skip the bong-bong-bong-bonging for the later enumerated ones by clicking a volume click one ping only).

Kim wired up a small mixer for me to the Oticon EduMic gadget which means I can keep the hearing aid largely in the Edumic prog and then control audio from phone, computer(s), etc.

When they take buttons off the hearing aid for prog/volume, I will have a massive shitfit at the manufacturers. I am hoping Oticon won't actually do that, Cochlear already have.

[Beardy]

Having the buttons do anything remotely predictable is somewhat relient on the audiologist have a modicum of clue with respect to Genie. At least until,I get my own copy set up. I’m hoping that will be achievable without me having to,invest in a windows  capable PC newer than those I can dig out of cupboards in the beardycave.

[Jaded]

After a visit to the audiologists (for a new ear mould) where I had her tweak a setting, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Oticon Companion app is a steaming pile of donkey excrement after it’s eaten a particularly bad curry. Even ignoring the reconnection latency the control options seem to work fairly randomly on the functions of the HAs.

I suspect that a user with a single portable computing device who only uses the app to control the volume of the HAs might have a reasonably consistent and reliable experience. Possibly.

With two iOS devices as regular sources for direct connection to my HAs plus a TV adapter the app is as described above.

Well, Mum has Oticons now. I thought the app would be good for her to learn, as it should be straightforward. We failed at the first hurdle, in that the options available were not really worth trying to get her to learn them. But the real downer was the “funny noise in my ears” every time she walked away from her phone.

[barakta]

Having the buttons do anything remotely predictable is somewhat relient on the audiologist have a modicum of clue with respect to Genie. At least until,I get my own copy set up. I’m hoping that will be achievable without me having to,invest in a windows  capable PC newer than those I can dig out of cupboards in the beardycave.

Ah yes. A friend of mine has the Genie software for his BTEs and has had a fiddle and is very happy with it. He kindly offers to lend it to me, but I use BAHAs which are a whole other level of tricky to reprogramme. I don't think it's particularly spec-heavy.

My kind friend keeps offering to send me his wires and help me download the software but as I use BAHAs they are complex to program and I don't think it's worth me mucking around and fucking it up. My audiologist is both excellent very easily available for urgent or non-urgent appointments (which not everyone has). My audi was able to solve the tone issue I reported straight away and we went through a fair old list of quibbles, many of which are improved on this review.

[Horizon]

After a visit to the audiologists (for a new ear mould) where I had her tweak a setting, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Oticon Companion app is a steaming pile of donkey excrement after it’s eaten a particularly bad curry. Even ignoring the reconnection latency the control options seem to work fairly randomly on the functions of the HAs.

I would rate it worse than that, in fact I don't use it/can't use it, 9/10 it fails to connect. Oticon took a perfectly basic but functional (and working) previous app and stopped it working, forcing users to use the new app. Look at the 100's of one star reviews on the App Store and the cut and paste platitude stock reply from Oticon. I've had my Opn aids for 5 years now and they're just out of warranty, although they work perfectly, apart from crashing almost daily, which I've got used to. I'm seeing my audiologist tomorrow and will bend his ear about the app. I was new to aids 5 years ago and trialled Oticon and Phonak - I actually thought the Phonak was a better sound but their app just didn't work so I went with the Oticon. The things I really dislike about them are the prominence they seem to give to sounds behind me and also their poor performance in a noisy room, especially a restaurant or meeting. The presets are too crude to make much difference and not editable. The Phonak Audeo looks promising when the time comes.

[chrisbainbridge]

Has no one created an app for the hearing aids? 
It was diabetics who really pushed the integration of pumps and sensors with third party apps.

[Jaded]

Phonak is ok, but i hardly use it. The differences between the settings aren't that noticeable, and after an app update it no linger remembers special settings i have programmed, like Meetings.

I really like the ability to stream stuff from the phone to the aids, but only recently noticed that they stop being hearing aids when streaming.

Chris, there must be so much money in doing hearing aids properly, can't understand why the industry hasn’t been democratised…

[barakta]

Hearing aid companies make apps, but as mentioned in this thread, they are ABSOLUTELY crap. The Oticon app takes ages to load for me even on a brand new phone, and it doesn't "stay open" properly, so each switch to the app is 20s of staring at a startup screen, which is USELESS for any HA settings I'd want to change. I need it instantly loaded so I can go "vol up/down" or whatever I'd do. If it isn't quicker and more reliable than on-aid buttons (which I find unreliable 30% not doing as I want rate and slow cos digital bullshit) then it's worthless. (I would like the buttons to be 100x less crap but that's a lost cause, modern digital nonsense, a loss from analogue that was instantaneous and reliable). If I could revert to my 2011 BAHA, I'd still do it.

Hearing aid companies' link between app and HA is proprietary (or they'd like it to be) and the companies spend a lot of time trying to sue one another for stealing ideas etc.

I annoy audiologists by changing volume manually a lot. They claim it shouldn't be needed but I won't/can't use the "magic settings" for sound management cos they sound terrible and I hate having my audio messed with. I suspect it would work better if I had directional hearing capacity (which I don't, too old, too conductively deaf, too deaf overall) which is where the magic is trying to replicate. It's all designed for deafened people not born-deaf folk like me.

Also the hearing aid companies are getting fewer in numbers, one or two companies are buying out all the rest. My audiologist had to give evidence to the UK government about why Cochlear buying out Oticon would be anti-competitive for BAHA users and leave us with even less choices than we have now. Especially as Cochlear are particularly evil. Incidentally, Cochlear have taken the volume controls off their BAHAs now which is a hard nope for me. Apparently this was successful and Cochlear was told that the UK Competitions and Markets Authority or whatever wouldn't allow the merger/buyout.

Diabetes apps aren't actually that great, there's been a big kick off from diabetic Twitter recently where Apple's update broke one of the CGM apps and the CGM company took weeks and weeks to fix it properly leaving people in limbo or having to do manual somethings to ensure the readings were correct.

I am really wary of medical anythings controlled by apps by commercial companies and at the mercy of OS updates and companies taking 'their sweet time' about communicating bugs or fixing them.

[Jaded]

It's all designed for deafened people not born-deaf folk like me.

Indeed, and the apps are for tech savvy people.

I agree also on the buttons versus the apps, and I’m pretty tech savvy.

But as a deafened person, I’d say that what is on offer now is streets ahead of what was about years ago.

There’s theories that losing hearing is a factor in dementia, and social isolation.