Phonak ITE Valeo

Codger

Codger

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I just got my first hearing aids after a several year struggle with State and private agencies to get funding. Talk about frustrating! Well, getting used to them is awkward, as I guess anything new and worthwhile is. Using a telephone is a pain. I have to adjust them before answering, and hope I don't miss the call in the meantime. And I found out that my truck makes all sorts of odd noises! I have to take them out when the grandchildren come over. The noise a 3 year old girl and her one year old sister can make is amazing! So far, the batteries have lasted a bit over a week with me turning them off every night. Keeping them clean has been no problem, but they make my ears itch! And they scream at me if I get my finger close, like when I am searching for the filament to take them out, or if I hold the phone too close. But it is nice to be able to hear again. I had to wear hearing protectors when working heavy machinery like a backhoe, power saw, and drills, even with them set at their lowest setting. Anyone else have experience with this type and brand?

Codger
 
Wow! It sure has been awhile since you've posted--welcome back! :thumb:
Well, the frustration and the long wait/struggle to just get the funding you needed is now over...and congrats on getting your hearing aids. Batteries don't usually last too long, but if you get 'zinc air' batteries, these will last longer than the regular batteries. As far as for the noises the two children makes, perhaps the 'tone' setting for your hearing aids might not be properly set, something that might be making it uncomfortable when they're around. As for the phone, your hearing aid should have such a setting/switch that allows you to 'block out all sounds' and hear only what's on the phone--otherwise, you might be indicating it's a feedback problem? Since you didn't really specify what it was doing...sooo...???

Anyhow, hope you'll continue to enjoy your stay here in AD and good to see you around again. ;)



~RR
 
Thanks Roadrunner! Well, the batteries are cheap enough, and the first month's worth were gratis with the three grand hearing aids, so their life isn't a problem. They actually last longer than I expected. It is just a major adjustment hearing again. I am post-lingual deafened/HOH, and I really needed these six years ago or more. The kids, both girls, love to scream and be shrill. My HA's are tuned to boost my high frequency loss. They have four programs, and I am still learning which to use when. But dang, my truck suddenly needs a water pump, tires, and an exhaust system! Not to mention squeeks and rattles in the dash fixed. And new door and window gaskets. And a radio. My Spark-o-matic just don't sound good at all. Yep, a lot to get used to all over again. And the phone? Yeah, feedback. But I'll figure out the settings and get it to work, even with my cell phone. Becoming "social" again will take some getting used to. I hadn't really noticed how I had withdrawn from social settings where I'm expected to hear and interact. I've lamented for quite a while how the average Joe is ignorant of what I call "the psychology of deafness".
Thanks again RR.

Codger (Michael)
 
I understand how you feel Codger :hug: . I was in the same frustrating situation till end of this august. My old hearing aid were not powerful enough for my bilateral severe / profound loss so I almost always would get frustration from hearing world till I wear my two hearing aids. Now I am more comfortable with being in hearing environment. Understanding people is much less frustrating although I still have understanding problems at times.

Take care and enjoy your new world of sounds ;)
 
Thank you Highlands!

I didn't realize how difficult it would be readjusting. It seems like my ears are worn out at the end of the day when I take my HA's out! I still haven't figured out the program sequence correctly. Program three (three loud beeps) is the only cue I can hear. The other three are too soft. I have 80% hearing loss, pretty much bilateral, but The HA's do work for me. My hearing loss was progressive, so there is no telling how long it had been going away. Seven...ten years? It has gotten much worse in the past four though. Not an "end of the world" thing, by any means, but I did miss music and watching TV with the family. No fun watching with the sound turned off. And the family couldn't stand for me to listen to music in the car. I blasted them out. I realize all of this seems pretty trivial to those who have been profoundly deaf for most of their lives, but to an older late deafened person, it has been an adjustment.

Codger
 
Codger,

You're right. It does take a period of time to adjust to hearing aids. When I started wearing them at age 15, I had constant headaches and couldn't wear my aids any longer than 3 hours at a time.

As for the programs on your hearing aids, have you thought about asking your audi to write down what each program does so that you have this in writing? This will give you something to refer to until the time you know them by heart. Over time, you may become familiar with each program according to the way each of them sound. (For example, I wear bilateral CIs. One of my CI processors has four programs. I can always identify program one easily because of the way it sounds compared to the others.)

Have you had a chance to listen to music with your new hearing aids yet? I can still remember how excited I was to enjoy music again and to hear it clearly. Prior to wearing hearing aids, I couldn't understand lyrics and could only hear male vocals. Once I received my hearing aids, a whole new world of music opened up for me.

Hope you enjoy your new hearing aids and all of the new sounds they bring you! :)
 
No, no music yet. Maybe this weekend I'll dig out some older stuff and give it a listen. Music had always been a big part of my life. In my youth, I was in many musicals. Fiddler on the roof, Oklahoma, Lil' Abner, My fair lady, Oliver, Music man, Hair. Then in college I was in the touring singing ensemble. I was on stage after that with a few big names as a fill in backup singer. I gave up performing, but not listening for a long time. Classical, blues, funk, early rock, hard rock, country, pop, I like most types of music. From Brahms to Arlo Guthrie, Woody Guthrie to Earl Flat, Frank Zappa to Funkadelics, Cheryl Crowe to Stravensky. Yeah, I guess you could say I miss it. Maybe I'll try to find my Robert Plant and Paul Simon albums. What the heck, Harry Belefonte too. "Hey Mr. Tallyman, tally me bananas, daylight come and I wanna go home!" :-o

Still haven't figured out how to use the phone yet.

Codger
 
Hi Codger,
I love the Phonaks, been using them for 3 years and never had a problem. I wear two of them and have profound hearing loss. I used Miracle Ear analogues before and they kept breaking on me. The ones I have are digital and come with a remote control for volume control and FM control, you can also get the watch remote control for them. With the remote control you can preset volume levels to settings like quite time, noisey room filtering, adjust volume so you can talk on phone without feedback (Screeching noise), and FM. I learned the hardway that even with digital HA, you'll get feedback screeches when and object comes to close to them. Anyway, now I use my Miracle Ears for backup or for when I'm working around the house.
 
Codger said:
I didn't realize how difficult it would be readjusting. It seems like my ears are worn out at the end of the day when I take my HA's out! I still haven't figured out the program sequence correctly. Program three (three loud beeps) is the only cue I can hear. The other three are too soft. I have 80% hearing loss, pretty much bilateral, but The HA's do work for me. My hearing loss was progressive, so there is no telling how long it had been going away. Seven...ten years? It has gotten much worse in the past four though. Not an "end of the world" thing, by any means, but I did miss music and watching TV with the family. No fun watching with the sound turned off. And the family couldn't stand for me to listen to music in the car. I blasted them out. I realize all of this seems pretty trivial to those who have been profoundly deaf for most of their lives, but to an older late deafened person, it has been an adjustment.

Codger
Click to expand...



Valeo's have 3 programs. The standard configuration is:

1. Basic (quiet)-1 Beep
2. Party Noise (noise-like a resturant)-2 Beeps
3. Acoustic Telephone or T-Coil (depends on what was ordered with the Hearing aids)-3 Beeps


To use the phone your going to hit your program button till you hear 3 beeps. If you can still hear thru the hearing aid you did this on when someone speaks to you, then you have an acoustic telephone. If you don't hear thru that hearing aid and only hear a hum, then it's a telecoil.


The feedback you experience when your hand goes near it is pretty common. The hearing aid however should not feedback when your hands are away from them and your positive they are in your ear properly. If they do FB out of the blue, then it may be a fit issue, or they are trying to squeeze too much power thru a smaller hearing aid. The Valeo's have a feedback management system that your audiologist can run on the heairng aids thru the programming while they are in your ear.
 
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