Completely in the canal HAs

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deafness88

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I'm not satisfied /w my CICs. I have top of the line Sonic Innovations digital CICs but I notice that sounds are just louder and not clearer when watching TV, hearing people talk, etc. And I feel like I'm in an enclosed space with the CICs on and sounds are more harsh (robotic so to say).

Would BTEs resemble human hearing better? Would I still feel like I'm in an enclosed space?

I really like the CICs because they are small and not too noticeable but if CICs don't help my hearing I may as well for go BTEs or ITCs. Would the change make a big difference?
 
That depends on the nature of your loss.. just wearing a hearing aid ( BTE or CIC ) doesn't necessarily mean that you will get crispy sounds.

As for your question about BTE , the only way to see this is trying a BTE with an audi . In addition, your CIC may need re-programming so you might get a little better performance .

If you have a mild loss then I don't think a BTE would help you much better but BTEs have more control and more options.
 
Well............go and see an audi who has a lot of experiance with fitting young people.
It's very common for mild loss people to go unaided b/c apparently distortion issues are EXTREMELY common. However, a BTE MIGHT be better. You really gotta experiment and see. There's no hard and fast rule.
 
I have moderate hearing loss and I have been wearing CICs from time to time for 2 months now.

How much of a difference can the re-programming do? I have it re-programmed 3 times. I suppose more programming won't hurt.
 
I agree with deafdyke - the only way you'll really find out is by experimenting with BTEs. Everyone is different. Is the trial period for the CIC hearing aids finished or can you still return them?
 
R2D2 said:
I agree with deafdyke - the only way you'll really find out is by experimenting with BTEs. Everyone is different. Is the trial period for the CIC hearing aids finished or can you still return them?
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I have one more month left. If I return them, I have to paid $200 for the trial. If I try something else, that's another $200.

Is that right? $200 for the trial?
 
deafdyke said:
Well............go and see an audi who has a lot of experiance with fitting young people.
It's very common for mild loss people to go unaided b/c apparently distortion issues are EXTREMELY common. However, a BTE MIGHT be better. You really gotta experiment and see. There's no hard and fast rule.
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How do you find an audi who has a lot of expierence /w fitting young poeple? Find a list of audi's and email them?

The one I went to said he had experience /w young people but it doesn't seem like it.
 
deafness88 said:
I have one more month left. If I return them, I have to paid $200 for the trial. If I try something else, that's another $200.

Is that right? $200 for the trial?
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Hmmm when I trialled two hearing aids before I was approved for a CI, I didn't have to pay anything. Did the audiologist explain what the $200 was in payment of? Is it because you've had them for two months already? I could sort of understand it if it was time related.

If you aren't happy with them I'd definitely return them before the trial period ends. Did you see any improvement at all when you had them reprogrammed? If you did then there would be some hope.
 
I didn't have to pay anything for my trial unless it went past 90 days and the fee if i can remember correctly it definitely wasnt close to 200 bucks...thats pretty high? You should get a fee breakdown maybe and definitely try bte's if u aren't satisfied with your cic's
 
R2D2 said:
Hmmm when I trialled two hearing aids before I was approved for a CI, I didn't have to pay anything. Did the audiologist explain what the $200 was in payment of? Is it because you've had them for two months already? I could sort of understand it if it was time related.

If you aren't happy with them I'd definitely return them before the trial period ends. Did you see any improvement at all when you had them reprogrammed? If you did then there would be some hope.
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He said I'm paying for his service. I see him on a weekly basis for check up, sometimes bi-weekly. I find the check ups useless, doesn't do much. I tell him what I don't like and what I like but I hear no difference.

I want clarity, is that possible /w moderate hearing loss?
 
lilitalia89 said:
I didn't have to pay anything for my trial unless it went past 90 days and the fee if i can remember correctly it definitely wasnt close to 200 bucks...thats pretty high? You should get a fee breakdown maybe and definitely try bte's if u aren't satisfied with your cic's
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I live in Canada, would that make a difference?

It's so hard to find a guy that has tons of experience /w fitting young people and that fits my schedule.

I still wonder every night why it has to be me, just like everybody. Being HOH is not cool...
 
Hey I live in canada too!...i didnt pay at all and my audi let my trial it for over a month and i didnt pay anything:S...Where in canada do u live?? My audi fits a bunch of diff ages..he has alot of older patients but a good amount of young ones too, and hes not condescending like sum of my previous audis...Im not sure how long uve had the loss but i know how u feel, i thought that when my hearing started to decline, now i definitely see some of the upsides to being hoh...I don't mind anymore and if other ppl have a problem with it then i just know that there ignorant about deaf/hoh people....don't think make the worst make the best of it...it can be frusterating trying to find something ur happy with in regards to ha's I was really lucky with the first ones i got i really liked and didnt have many probs...
I have phonak Una's they are an entry level aid and not too expensive so that you can afford it but still get a pretty good set of ha's ..btw the una can be a bte, cic, itc, or full shell.watev u wanna try..i have btes and i dont get stares.alot of ppl think they are headphones or a bluetooth headset...my bte casing is blach and my mold is a clear harder material instead of soft..no one even notices! ..if u have any q's post here or pm me:)
hope some of that helps!:)
 
lilitalia89 said:
Hey I live in canada too!...i didnt pay at all and my audi let my trial it for over a month and i didnt pay anything:S...Where in canada do u live?? My audi fits a bunch of diff ages..he has alot of older patients but a good amount of young ones too, and hes not condescending like sum of my previous audis...Im not sure how long uve had the loss but i know how u feel, i thought that when my hearing started to decline, now i definitely see some of the upsides to being hoh...I don't mind anymore and if other ppl have a problem with it then i just know that there ignorant about deaf/hoh people....don't think make the worst make the best of it...it can be frusterating trying to find something ur happy with in regards to ha's I was really lucky with the first ones i got i really liked and didnt have many probs...
I have phonak Una's they are an entry level aid and not too expensive so that you can afford it but still get a pretty good set of ha's ..btw the una can be a bte, cic, itc, or full shell.watev u wanna try..i have btes and i dont get stares.alot of ppl think they are headphones or a bluetooth headset...my bte casing is blach and my mold is a clear harder material instead of soft..no one even notices! ..if u have any q's post here or pm me:)
hope some of that helps!:)
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I'm from BC. It's so hard to find a good audi that fits my schedule. The guy that I have now condescends on me. I really need to find a place where I don't have to pay anything at all for trials.

When you were on trial, did you see the audi bi-weekly or something like that for check up without any cost?
 
I thought that hearing aids in Canada were covered by the national health system? *confused*
Are you near a big city or a School for the Deaf? Also, maybe contact your province's Association for the Hoh. They might be able to help you. They'd also help you with socializing, and getting to know other hoh kids. I know how it is..........I grew up, the only hoh kid in town, and I can remember how isolated I felt!
Oh, and if you have a moderate loss, there's really no way that dinky aids will help you. The little aids tend to give those of us with more severe then mild losses, some hearing, but we can't hear as well as when we use BTEs.
 
See if your province has ADP (Assistive Devices Program) they auto pay 500 of ur ha(s). They did for me and it helped soooo much, and my insurance paid the other 500 so i only had to pay a couple of hundred for the remainder balance:) I saw my audi 2 weeks after i got them and we made some adjustments according to wat i told him i liked/didn't and then he told me if I needed another adjustment call and I would be able to get an appt prolly the same week I call. I was very happy, in that when i did call i got appt 3 days later and all i had to fix was tubing and turn on my t-coil option since it wasn't turned on yet when i got them. Also with bte u can have up to 4 diff programs ..i only have 3 and one open for watever if i wanna add one either. I would highly recommend u get or try a bte, esp. if you hearing declines eventually, bte's have the most power the other aids you can only go so far with...I wanted bte's/ couldnt get the other aids neways since i have really really small ear canals:) lol but i love my ha's..and i think its pretty cool how they are called Unas and im italian and una in italian means 1 so im number 1:) haha lol
 
BTEs are so much better!!! (for me)

My old aids were ITEs; never liked the idea of the big old ugly BTEs.
But let me tell you, I switched to BTEs about five years ago and
never looked back! They give me more gain with less feedback,
but the real things I love about BTEs are the following:

1. All the wax/sweat/gunk gets on the ear mold, not the aid!
And I can beat the heck out of the ear molds cleaning
them without worrying about breaking anything.

2. My ear molds are vented better than my ITEs ever were,
both to the canal itself (a vent hole) and also just the
bowl of the ear itself is less filled. I still don't like the
ear molds but they are better than an ITE.

3. It's a physically larger thing to hold and adjust; I don't have
to worry so much about damaging the microphone or
anything.

Every once in a while my ITEs would stop working; if I
took them out and let them air out, they'd start working
again. I've never had that happen with the BTEs.

The cosmetic issues of the BTE don't bother me at all; I'm not
at all ashamed, and it may help some people know I am hard
of hearing, and that's always a good thing.

This is just me of course, but I've used both ITE and BTE and
I would *never* go back to an ITE aid. (Actually, I can't; my
hearing loss is now bad enough where they'd just squeal.)
 
Interesting points from someone who has actually used an ITE hearing aid. I would not have even have thought about the ear wax getting on the actual aid (ewwwww!) nor about ventilation issues.

I agree about cosmetics. Being deaf is not shameful. In fact I think people are more likely to get impatient with you if they are not aware that you have a hearing problem. They just assume you are rude.
 
Actually R2D2, I used ITEs when I was a young teenager in jr high. The power difference is amazing. LOL. I'll never forget being at MEEI and the audi there, put a BTE on. WOW! That converted me, and I haven't looked back!
 
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