Time to call it a day?

Hi Finovox, Not great that so many of us have had such negative experiences. I had a new audiogram done a few weeks ago and am wondering if the aids need to be reprogrammed. I have explained the effect of the metallic sound etc but the audiologist office isn’t the best place to try out any changes. As you say, it is difficult to explain the problems and I have to say, that after so long, patience is wearing thin.

Thanks khoever. As you - and others say - the domes may well be the problem - but I’ve had so many changes of domes from closed to vented, that it is difficult to know where to go with this. Although custom made ear molds might well be the next step.

Thanks SandraN, I can’t deal with the occlusion either. Good to hear that your aids are working well for you.

Hi LouisaCheng, The ‘metallic’ sound and the speech-in-noise has really worn me down and it is exhausting. And you’re right, no matter how many domes and programme changes there are, it makes no difference. Thanks for the tip about hearlink 3-in1 on google, and may give that a go. I’m mindful about not giving up, but there are limits to the number of times, I am prepared to go back to the audiologists for tweaks that don’t work.

@Judi_L said:

I’ve no idea how to exchange email addresses - does anyone on the forum know how to do this?

Select the persons avatar that you want to message. There you can start a personal message.

So sorry to hear that you are struggling as well. And with all the hype about the Phonak Spheres, there are so many of us struggling with these aids. Sounds as if you had a dreadful time with the custom moulds; it is so stressful with the loud sounds so not at all surprised that you had to remove the aids. As for the sound distortion, that is unbearable. Why is it such a problem for audiologists; they say that by reducing the harsh tinny sound, that this come at the expense of clarity? We all appreciate that hearing aid technology has come a long way, but reading of people’s experiences and the impact it has on our lives, I do wonder. Perhaps I am being unfair?

Thanks Raudrive, I’m not tecchie so can you let me know what the person’s avatar is please?

^[1]

1. Footnotes ↩︎

These are my custom ear molds, I believe they are made out of an acrylic material. They fit perfectly in my ear canals and zero discomfort. I really think they are an integral part of hearing clearly. Eliminates all outside sounds and noises.

Yes I had the exact same experience with the Phonak Spheres. Picking up many voices of people behind me but not the actual people I was trying to listen to. They really messed with my head. Each day I couldn’t wait to take them out at the end of the day. Im waiting for a few more generations of development before giving ai aids another try.

Phonak Spheres are messing with my head as well. All the hype about these aids and how wonderful they are, is almost beginning to sound dishonest. I also cant wait to get them out of my ears and put in my older ones. I’ve no idea what the latest audiologist did, but everything sounds so much louder, sharper, echoiey, and I really don’t want to keep taking paracetemol for the resulting headaches. Do you have a spare pair of aids that are more ‘restful’?

Hi WhiteHat and Neville, That didn’t occur to me and doesn’t sound like good patient care to me if these sorts of decisions are based on money. I’ll be very interested to see the response from the audiologist on Thursday when I suggest custom moulds to her.

Sounds good to me khoever. Pleased that they work so well.

I trialed dome and then went with the custom molds. The molds helped me hear a lot better. Over the years I have had to have the molds adjusted and sanded down because one mold was too tight and caused discomfort. I have severe in one ear and severe to profound in the other. I would try custom molds first and make sure they are snug but comfortable. This would be the easiest fix I think.