Hearing Aid advice

[pacerron]

Don,
Did you try opening both battery compartments completely and then re-closing them? Sometimes that resets the circuitry, just like rebooting your MAC. Mine, different brand, have a beep, beep, beep tone prior to the batteries getting too weak. They will do that 3-4 times over an hour or so and then shut down, if I don't replace the batteries. I have on off, program, and volume controls on both BTH devices but one side of either controls the other in unison. I did not want automatic volume control since I knew from my first pair that only my brain could determine the best volume depending on the environment, wax build up, and tinnitus, at a particular time.
I have one of those carry in your pocket controls but don't use it. Much easier to just do it on one of the ear pieces and one less piece of junk in my pocket to get crushed or lost.
Proper/comfortable fit of the ear molds is what separates an experienced audiologist from a beginner. Not only must they be trimmed to fit comfortably but also to not distort the sound of your own voice too much, as well as not leak air so they don't squeal when you move your jaw in some weird expression. They are worth the effort, as I said in the beginning of your thread, to capture more high frequency loss. You said after your test that you did have a good bit of high frequency loss so once they are adjusted/trimmed properly and the air hole is sized correctly you will have all the advantages your model's technology can give you.
Too bad you have to drive so far for adjustments. That increases the overall cost.
Ron

 

[txdon]

Ron, thanks. The problem started while I was in Austin yesterday a little while after their adjustments. I went back to Costco and they put in new batteries. I thought the problem was solved but an hour later it started again. I did turn everything off to reset but it repeated the same tones and loss later. The hearing aids have 2 beeps when the battery is low, these sounds are one baaappp, left ear, and 4 musical tones, right ear, and not the musical tones that always sound when they are initially turned on.

Yesterday when trying to insert the new molds I was just about ready to tell them to forget them until they finally twisted and turned and shoved them in, and then the hearing was excellent. But if I can't insert them by myself they are useless for me. Costco and I are not giving up and we will continue to try to get the right fit.

I have the remote that hangs around my neck under my shirt. It allows streaming to the hearing aids from all my accessories and adds so much to the enjoyment of the HAs. I can make program and volume adjustments through my shirt with it's big buttons, luv it.

To return them will be the fourth trip to Austin for the hearing aids and then fifth trip when I pick them up again.

 

[oldpilgrim]

Mine, different brand, have a beep, beep, beep tone prior to the batteries getting too weak. They will do that 3-4 times over an hour or so and then shut down, if I don't replace the batteries.

Mine shut off, which takes me a few seconds to determine what happened, and then after about 30 seconds, they go beep beep beep. I'm not sure that's correct, but they work fine other than that.

 

[pacerron]

Try opening the battery compartment doors and looking at the contacts the battery rubs against, top and bottom. Check the little well the batteries sit in for hair grease or dirt. When I change my batteries I always swab out the wells with a Q-tip moistened with alcohol. They may also have given you bad batteries; try new ones. A lot of HA have an extra little door flap that the technician opens to hook up test leads. That also needs to be closed properly.
If it were me, I would research the problem on the net for your particular model before driving all that distance to just drop them off. How long would it take for you to send them in by insured mail?
Going after them when the new molds are done and getting them properly fitted and tuned is important but I'm sure you have more to do than just being an errand boy taking them back this time.
Your grapple might rust from missing your fun activity.:laughing:
Ron

 

[txdon]

Ron, I'm back from Austin and am going to jump on the tractor and grapple me up some firewood.
The Dr. at Costco changed out a hearing aid transmitter in the office and I got my ears back! So far the problem has not reoccurred. Next trip isn't for two weeks when the molds should be in.

 

[Bird]

My last pair of hearing aids would beep when the battery was low, and then die in about 30 seconds. So that beep warning was actually useless. My current ones have a louder da da da ding tone that will repeat once every 5 minutes for more than an hour before they go dead.

 

[txdon]

Good news Bad news.

I called my health insurance company before I went to get the hearing aids and the person said my insurance did not cover it. I called back yesterday talked to someone else and they do - After my deductible is met and I pay 20%. I got a claim form on line and had a question and called the insurance back and they started using the terms "In network" and "Out of network" I asked them about Costco and they said they are out of network -so- instead of a in network $1500 deductible it is an out of network $3000 deductible and I pay 40%. Since the hearing aids were $2600 that full amount will not even satisfy the deductible.

Bottom line - I'm still responsible for all cost.

Still content with the HAs and will go back next week to see if the 3rd set of molds will work. If not there will be a $160 refund and the domes will suffice.

Three things stand out for me:
1. On the "car program" road noises are reduced and voice is enhanced - wonderful!
2. TV stereo streaming right to the hearing aids - outstanding!
3. In a crowed room the "restaurant program" adds clarity to the words.

 

[oldpilgrim]

People I know prefer the domes to the molds...they are more comfortable. I know I do.

But some Rx's really need the molds. If your hearing is REALLY bad, the molds apparently carry the sound better.

 

[jlgurr]

YES

Definitely see a specialist and get more opinions. Like I wrote I had several doctors going to fit me for a hearing aid before one found it was real deep wax.

Audiologist measured slight negative pressure (I call it vacuum.) Then the doc saw that the ear drum was pulled in slightly. Prescribed a steroid spray and see me again in a month to check progress. He mentioned that other patients have used lipo flavonoids to reduce ringing. I've not had a chance to check that theory.

Jeff

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Audiologist measured slight negative pressure (I call it vacuum.) Then the doc saw that the ear drum was pulled in slightly. Prescribed a steroid spray and see me again in a month to check progress. He mentioned that other patients have used lipo flavonoids to reduce ringing. I've not had a chance to check that theory.

Jeff

Ingredients to Help Ease Ringing in Ears - Lipo-Flavonoid® Plus
Interesting but never heard of it before. My ringing stopped when I stopped taking NSAID's (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for arthritis pain.

 

[txdon]

Ingredients to Help Ease Ringing in Ears - Lipo-Flavonoid® Plus
Interesting but never heard of it before. My ringing stopped when I stopped taking NSAID's (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for arthritis pain.

Nsaid's do have some strange side effects. Along with ringing of the ears there is a sun allergy which I got - it causes itching where you are exposed to sun. (It is listed as one of the side effects.) I had mine mostly on my let arm (window arm when driving). The allergy went away after I quit taking them.

 

[jlgurr]

Ingredients to Help Ease Ringing in Ears - Lipo-Flavonoid® Plus Interesting but never heard of it before. My ringing stopped when I stopped taking NSAID's (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for arthritis pain.

Gale, what alternative to NSAID's do you use?

Thx,
Jeff

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Gale, what alternative to NSAID's do you use?

Thx,
Jeff

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

Well after a bad fall in Aug 2004 due to balance issues from meds I just stopped them and tripled up on fish oil. This Aug I added coconut oil and cut out most all carbs, gluten and diary. I stay away from anything with sugar in it if I am paying attention. Now at first taste I can detect sugar and other sweeteners. I have to be very careful at potluck dinners. If it looks like a desert I do not touch it. 90% of food in the store has added sugar it seems.

What drove me to this action was over the summer I would have to have help out of the car especially if I rode for an hour or two. The doctor wanted me to go onto Enbrel weekly injections that knocks down your immunity protection and can lead to cancer long term plus other issues.

In researching Enbrel I learned about coconut oil and nutritional ketosis (a natural thing when one eats < 50 grams of carbs a day). All of these years I thought carbs was required for human life only to learn only Fat and Protein are required for a long healthy life. I have to watch the kind of nuts I eat to watch the carbs. But if one leaves off all grains, fruit and drinks with fruit juice and dairy and eat/drink nothing with added sugar you are kind of home free on leaving off the carbs.

My pain is down from 7-9 to a 2-3 most of the time. I have lost 20 pounds over 4 months too.

The fully part I think I hear a bit better but maybe it was just fat in the ears. I know I taste and smell better.

Dietary Considerations | Vestibular Disorders Association

Hearing Loss Tied to Diabetes in Study - US News

Well a quick Google search indicates sugar may impact hearing well in some cases.

 

[jlgurr]

Well Gale, that's a very detailed explanation. Looking forward to putting some of these suggestions to work. I could stand to lose fifteen to 20 also. Thank you for all this info.

Jeff

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[txdon]

Dietary Considerations | Vestibular Disorders Association

DIETARY STRATEGIES for vestibular disorders:

1. Distributing food and fluid intake evenly
2. Avoiding foods and beverages that have a high sugar or salt content. Foods with complex sugars (e.g., those found in legumes and whole grains) are better choices than foods with a high concentration of simple sugars (e.g., table sugar and honey). Sodium intake also affects body-fluid levels and their regulation.
3. Drinking adequate amounts of fluid daily.
4. Avoiding foods and beverages with caffeine.
5. Limiting or eliminating alcohol consumption.
6. Avoiding foods that contain the amino acid tyramine. Examples of such foods include red wine, chicken liver, smoked meats, yogurt, chocolate, bananas, citrus fruits, figs, ripened cheeses (e.g., cheddar and Brie), and nuts.

NON-DIETARY SUBSTANCES
In addition to dietary adjustments, avoid:

Antacids
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Aspirin
Nicotine

 

[Gale Hawkins]

This is a reply to a private message that I wanted to posts for others with questions about the human body not requiring carbs to live a long life.

While carbs are not required any more than pure gas/E10 to drive a car for many years if it is set up like the human body as a Flex Fuel machine.

Carbs can be fine foods for humans because they are handy to grab and cheap to buy. I really do not expect eating or not eating carbs is going to change one's life's expectancy any more than running a car on pure gas/E10 or E85 for a million miles is going to be a huge factor in the life of the car.

While no carbs are needed a min of 130 grams of glucose are needed daily but since 50-60% of the protein we eat is converted to glucose we more than meet our need for glucose IF we eat protein daily.

I now mainly burn/run on ketones (a product produced when the liver breaks down fat) and of course use protein for my glucose source instead of mainly carbs. I do eat 25-50 grams of carbs a day accidentally just in the process of eating Fats and Protein.

If one is going to walk a mile burning only ketones is fine. If one is going to run a mile in < four minutes he or she better have eaten some carbs I expect. Being off carbs (sugar is toxic in my case) is super as my arthritis pain has dropped from like 8 to 2 on a scale of 1-10 and I have NO more sugar crashes mid afternoon or late at night.

The links below are just a few to get you started reading. Many doctors think carbs are required still today. I hold an OD degree and thought the same until this past summer. Again it is next to impossible in the USA with The Standard American Diet (SAD) to eat NO carbs.

Are Carbohydrate Essentials? Daily Requirement is Next to None


Is dietary carbohydrate essential for human nutrition?

Why Fat, Not Carbs, Are the Preferred Fuel for the Human Body | Mark's Daily Apple

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Keep in mind dieting is more like religion than science for most people. I personally think one can eat and drink as they wish. There is just a lot of incorrect info being taught on the subject I am learning. In the end we are going to die where we eat good or bad food. My goal at this point is to eat what may give me a better chance of quality health until I die.

 

[Jim Shooz]

People I know prefer the domes to the molds...they are more comfortable. I know I do.

But some Rx's really need the molds. If your hearing is REALLY bad, the molds apparently carry the sound better.

How far into the ear do the molds actually go? are they visible?
On my last visit they were pushing me to get the molds (more $$$) but the domes I am using are full with no slots or openings to allow outside noise in. I would think there would only be a marginal improvement.
When I balked at that idea they told me as I was over 65 I was entitled to a $1k discount from the gummint. To get it I would spend $5k to get 1k discount to get new hearing aids that I didn't really need.

 

[txdon]

How far into the ear do the molds actually go? are they visible?
On my last visit they were pushing me to get the molds (more $$$) but the domes I am using are full with no slots or openings to allow outside noise in. I would think there would only be a marginal improvement.
When I balked at that idea they told me as I was over 65 I was entitled to a $1k discount from the gummint. To get it I would spend $5k to get 1k discount to get new hearing aids that I didn't really need.

The first molds were flesh color. The second molds were clear and go in till they are not visible. The third set are suppose to be clear and made of a spongier material. At only $80 not bad if they improve sound quality. I now have the domes with no openings to allow outside noise in. I'll find out soon if mold are possible/comfortable for me.

$1K discount on $5K spending you might as well just spend $3K on comparable hearing aids at Costco and be $1K ahead.

Everyone says they don't need hearing aids but you really need to ask the people you communicate with if they agree with that.

 

[oldpilgrim]

yeah, the molds fill the ear even more than the in-the-ear HA's. If they are done correctly and are of the right material, they are not that obvious, They usually have plastic tubes that transmit the sound from the HA thru them to a hole in the mold. The tubes are larger in diameter than the ones with the domes and wire running from the HA to them.

The 'domed' ones like I have, have the 'speaker' in the end of the little wire that sends the sound electrically from the HA.

Of the 2 styles, I prefer the domes. More comfortable as there is less contact with the ear.