I have mostly profound loss and has been recommended a by two audoilogy doctors.
But something happened today was interesting. I removed my hearing aids in order to dry my itchy ears from heat wave. Then There was a sudden Whatsapp notification from my samsung phone and I noticed I could hear it albeit at a lower volume and fading. I can hear if a glass knocks over on a kitchen counter if I’m close. I cannot hear normal level conversations but can hear a baby wailing. I guess I can hear some very high frequency sounds beyond 8khz at high volume without my hearing aids. It seemed complicated to me. I got dozens of hearing tests in the past and all indicate at least severe - profound loss.
Yeah @eyesgreendeaf, it’s quite weird what we can hear, if we concentrate 100%… For instance, I am bad for not using my aids, if I am on my own at home… Occasionally, during these episodes, someone will phone me on my cell phone, if it is someone, and I know their voice, then I will take the call “aid-less”, and switch the phone to loudspeaker, now I am going to miss the odd word, and ask for someone to repeat or rephrase, but I will usually get the gist of the conversation… I can also have a rudimentary conversation with my wife when I am aid-less, as I am a good lip reader, and she is excellent at enunciating, but Elspeth gets easily frustrated, unlike I, and will quickly tell me to put my aids in Cheers Kev
I had an experience that blew my mind.
I got my Paradise audeo P90Rs about 2 years ago. I forgot that I had them in; I put my fingers in my itchy ears. The volume was twice as loud.
I learned here that I had the wrong domes. Thanks to my audiologist. I had open domes. He put in (with two tiny holes) and the volume was twice as loud. That helped.
How can a 50 cent part mess up hearing aids that cost about $6,000 here in Canada? I just want them to work!
Chiming in! @eyes, my is about the same as yours! And I’m not sure what I could hear without my aids in. I suspect, like you, something in a super high frequency range. But it better be LOUD!
DaveL, as for dome size, shape, et al, it’s absolutely true that if the tips on speakers are fit well, hearing will be optimized. I also find that if I press my power domes in a bit, I hear about 10% better/louder/richer.
Well-fit tips will allow for maximum volume and minimum feedback. That is a balancing act, and ironic indeed that a 2-cent piece of silicone can determine the ultimate satisfaction and performance of a $6,000 piece of electronics.
Well-fit tips will allow for maximum volume and minimum feedback. That is a balancing act, and ironic indeed that a 2-cent piece of silicone can determine the ultimate satisfaction and performance of a $6,000 piece of electronics
Well said and quite true. This is also another reason why it’s hard to put a lot of credence in any individual’s review of their . They may be really disappointed and blame it on the aids when in fact if they had a different set of domes or custom molds their experience would be very ,very different. Or if the had a different audi who was better at optimizin the HAs for that person!
Thanks for the replies. @DaveL it’s interesting to see that a small plastic change could have such an impact in your hearing. @kevels55 quite a funny story. Most hearing people dont realize that we sometimes need to have a break from hearing aids. @1Bluejay we get used to hearing aids and forget how much we hear without them, I suppose
You say that you are hearing things without hearing aids that you never heard before. That doesn’t surprise me.
We think of hearing as sound exciting nerves in the ear. It’s more complex than that. There is also our brain processing what it hears and our brain constantly learns/adapts. If you have been wearing aids for while, your brain is learning to hear all over again and you might very well now hear things without aids that you didn’t hear before.
As an analogy, a professional musician will hear an out-of-tune instrument that we amateurs think is just fine, because their brains have learned how to hear those details. Similarly, an experienced carpenter will notice a wall being out of true without needing a level because they’ve learned. Another more relevant analogy in vision is called the McCollough Effect, where you can teach yourself to see colors.
Of course, another possibility is that your ear nerves and cilia have really changed and improved. That’s also a possibility.
If you want to test yourself, there are a few free internet programs that allow you to create an at home with no special equipment. All you need is a computer and a fairly good pair of headphones. You might want to try the program once every few months and see if you notice any changes. Example: https://hearingtest.online/5 Caution: checking every day or every week is not recommended. Testing too often will cause your brain to learn how to improve at hearing tests and make the tests less meaningful.
Disclaimer: I am not a professional and have no affiliation with that website. These are just the opinions of a lay person. An audiologist or MD may give you better answers and better advice.
Scottish Highlands
Cheers Kev 
Canada (Toronto) YYZ
