Thread: hearing aids

Originally Posted by trog

Do they amplify or reduce tinnitus ?

i am told they can be programmed to suit.

won't know for sure till i play the game i think.

They don`t amplify and can reduce .

They can be set to make a white noise a whooshy type thing rythmic but not uniform .

Only reason i know is last tuneup i mentioned this noise , i`d only taken note of it a couple of days prior .

Today aids in or out and the cicadas are rife

One of our boys who only has 1 ear that does not work at all well recently had a thing called a "Bone Bridge" fitted.
The main part is actually fitted into his scull, a small outside part is held on by a very powerful magnet.
It even comes in various colours to match his hair or patterns for dances etc.

The whole thing took a couple of months for the operation scars to heal & the thing to be set up.
We have a remote control for it & the outer bit just comes off when he wants to swim or play footy etc.

It is a very cool bit of kit. When he finally got it all set up & working we walked out of the peoples office & he goes,
"Dad, Dad, birds!" with the biggest smile on his face.

He is now living a different life, learning better & just a happier kid.

Jonesfam
BTW This was fitted by all sorts of nefarious means financially wise, we are told it was several 10s of thousands of dollars if the people had charged what they should have!!

Originally Posted by gavinwibrow

John, when you say "back to other type", do you mean over the ear?
I'm in the same boat as many here (old age/industrial deafness/wife who mumbles and talks too quietly).
I hear many horror stories of aids not working well/as promised, which in turn has been a good reason to do nothing, but that's fast becoming a non option.

Yes. My original ones were over the ear. They were great, except for the problem of sweat in the battery compartment. The ones I have now were given as replacements. They are nowhere near as good in general, but keep working. They are not as comfortable either. If I could afford them I would go with the rechargeable over the ear type for the best of both worlds.

Originally Posted by PLR

Being a recent convert i have the opinion if you think you may need them you have needed them for a long while .

Sooner you get them sooner you can train your brain they don`t just work you have to learn to use them and you need to persist .

You have to keep going back for adjustments as your brain develops an understanding of what is happening

You`ll hear noises you need and noises you don`t and some noises you want you still can`t have it`s not a 100% fix but it is better than you have .

I used to swear very often prior tasks are less of a problem than they used to be because my brain has started to coast instead of running in overdrive all the time .

It may seem strange but i noticed prior that i was knocking things and misjudging distances just normal every day things not things thought about automatic stuff , that has stopped and i think it is my brain that has been affected .

Again may sound strange but i think my brain was putting too much effort into trying to compensate for my hearing .

Pretty consistent with my experience and how my audiologist explained how things would go once I had mine. Most important is to persist. It doesn't take long to adjust, and is totally worth it.