Do you find your hearing is worse with your hearing aid in?

[meggiemog]

I might be mad here - but I actually think my hearing is better without my hearing aid in. I am waiting for a bi-CROS as my currently 'aided' ear isn't really aided at all and sounds although amplified are annoyingly distorted and after wearing for a few minutes I feel like I have a finger stuffed in my good ear. My good ear appears to have got worse - have been waiting since January for my hearing aids (the NHS lost me apparently) and feel like things are just getting worse. Originally tinnitus was only in my bad ear - now it's in both and although it's not anything worse than white noise, it's just a reminder of how much hearing I have lost in the last couple of years. Now as we go into another lock down I wonder how much longer I will have to wait to get sorted out. It's getting so bad now I am struggling to do my job. Anyone got any suggestions?

[Happyrosie]

Oh dear meggiemog... the nhs hasn’t done well by you and I wouldn’t be surprised if audiology departments are closing again, if they had ever opened after lockdown.

Personally I find the T slightly less intrusive with my aids in, as the real world is a little louder but the T isn’t.

Just a thought and don’t shout at me - you’re sure the tubes don’t need renewing?

[meggiemog in reply to Happyrosie]

Thanks for replying Happyrosie. The tubes on my aid are fine. This hearing aid has never worked for me. My first ENT consultant was very dismissive and the aid I was given would never work. I got a second opinion - and after speech recognition tests he said that my hearing aid was of no use to me what so ever. His words were 'you are listening to amplified rubbish ' . What ever happened in this ear - I just can't process speech. I had to have the T loop programmed out of my aid because I couldn't tell if it was on or off! I work in a busy office so this is not an ideal situation. Being honest I can't wait to get my hearing aid out on a night and watch TV with sound off and subtitles on!

[daverussell]

Hearing aids should be tuned not only to compensate your hearing loss but your environment. Some aids can be programmed to have different settings for different environments. In any case, it may take several visits to make fine adjustments to suit your needs.

I also have hyperacusis, so a lot of background noise (amplified by the hearing aids) can be very invasive. So I often turn my hearing aids off, so I can hear better. Luckily I only have mild hearing loss.

Though I'm overdue a visit to my audiologist as I'm sure my hearing is getting worse.

[meggiemog in reply to daverussell]

Thanks Daverussell . The first aid I got I couldn't even adjust the volume!!! And that was horrendous! I took that back as I couldn't hear when the air con was on at work. I can put volume up an down on the one I have now - but I still wouldn't understand a single word in that ear ! If anything I think people with hearing issues are the ones who have come out worst in this pandemic as the audiology departments have been closed since March (certainly in my part of UK) unless deemed a dire emergency, which I know I don't fall under!

[daverussell in reply to meggiemog]

Funny you say hat about the aircon.... When I first got my hearing aids I was a teacher. My classroom had the AC at the front of the room over the whiteboard. I hadnt really noticed it before I got my hearing aids, but I could barely hear the students either. It was completely counter-productive to the purpose of getting the hearing aids, as - yep - I could only hear the AC now.

[MBOY1]

Are your domes (tips) not fitted properly? That would allow noise to come in both thru the mic as well as the space around it. That’s incredibly annoying and distorts everything. If you think that’s the case try getting custom fit domes. They take an impression of your ear canal so they fit very well. About $100.

[daverussell in reply to MBOY1]

The use of open or closed domes depends on the level of hearing loss, and sometimes a preference.

advancedhearing.com/blog/wh...

I have mild hearing loss with open domes. Sometimes if I cover my ear canal, to boost the sound amplified by my hearing aid, I can pick up sounds better. But for general used the open domes are fine, for me. The amplified sound, or what I think is the "occlusion effect", is very strange and uncomfortable (though I have hyperacusis too). I can understand why it would work for those with more severe hearing loss and I've sometime considered if closed domes are worth trying, and something I might get used to.

[meggiemog]

Thanks MBOY1 I am in UK. My hearing aid is OK. It fits - it's just the wrong type and has been from day 1. I am just frustrated that I am now heading for 2 years down the line from when I first had my ears checked and my hearing is worse than it was!

[lulu2608]

I also find my hearing better without aids. I have high frequency loss that is severe in loss but limited in range so they've given me full moulds that give me severe occlusion issues and I've really struggled to get used them, it's like I have a paper bag over my head and i've never worn them out or where I have to speak or eat with them in.

The way I've described it is I'm colour blind in my ears - I can't hear red. They are trying to fix red but messing up green/blue/yellow which are fine. They said they are limited in what they can do due to severity of red loss which unfortunately is the speech range. It also doesn't help with the tinnitus.

All I've done over the last 4/5 years is to try and prevent the tinnitus getting louder and all I've achieved is louder tinnitus! I have, however, had three NHS aids to try and solve this as I'm under Hearing Therapy, rather than the standard audiology, and I have had a couple of face to face appointments since lockdown relaxed and one phone call when it was full on. You don't say which country you're in. I don't know if there is a difference but I'm in England. Good luck!

[meggiemog in reply to lulu2608]

Thanks Lulu2608

Unfortunately I was 'lost' in the system for 10 months! The consultant I saw retired and he passed my information on to an audiologist who left!!!! I just thought I wasn't getting a reply due to Covid-19 . I have been told something will happen 'soon' but in my world I have waited too long already. I have had 2 years of crap and my hearing is worse now than it's ever been. I have lost confidence and faith in any NHS hearing departments now.

[lulu2608 in reply to meggiemog]

I feel for you as it's normally me that gets lost in the system. Good luck when you eventually see someone, and I hope that's soon!

[meggiemog]

Hi Alexa,I now have the biCROS hearing aids I should have had to start with. It's a country mile better than it was! I know it's not perfect - but I feel more confident than I did. If there was a fly in the ointment - then that would be the fact that the hearing aid on my good ear is at a fixed volume - and sometimes I feel I could do with a bit more - the microphone/ bad ear side I can adjust - but it can sound a bit 'false'. I can certainly tell when I take them out - it's like who turned the sound down!!