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Costco Hearing Aid Adjustments

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I have been wearing hearing aids for about 15 years. I purchased Jabra Enhance Pro 10 (11/2022) from Costco. After 4-5 adjustments I still have a very difficult time understanding speech along with really bad feedback. My last adjustment was 1 week ago and my comprehension is less with much feedback. The salesperson recommended checking into the cochlear implant(s). My (which I have entered) is severe in the left ear (66%.comprehension) and profound in the right.(2% comprehension). Any recommendation is appreciated!

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Are you wearing custom molds with a small vent? That loss is likely going to need custom molds.
If you’re already in custom molds, then a cochlear implant eval could make sense. Seems like they should be able to get you enough gain without feedback with custom molds though.

Edited

I have a moderate to profound loss and have never had issues with feedback using custom (ventles) molds. I even have feedback blocking turned off, if you fully cup my ear I might get a little feedback but nothing day to day. I would definitely follow @MDB’s suggestion and first exhaust your options for molds and feedback blocking (if appropriate for you) - a cochlear implant is a big commitment and my understanding is you need to already be correctly fitted and wearing for a period of time first anyway.

Edit: Just realized I missed the part where you have been wearing HAs for 15 years :woman_facepalming: maybe another hearing aid brand will give you better results for speech recognition? Might be worth trying.

In reply to @MDB

No. I suggested that this might be an option but they wanted to try a different type of ear mold - not custom. I will schedule an appointment to get the custom molds. Thanks.

In reply to @Heather_R

Over the 15 years I have had aids first then (several types and Resound before the Jabra).I will try Costco to fit me for custom molds. Thanks!

To amplify on the above posts, feedback is in frequencies that you need to understand speech. So feedback and poor speech comprehension aren’t unrelated problems. Get molds that block feedback, get the aids adjusted to boost high frequencies to levels they can’t do now because of the feedback, and you may hear better.

Edited

If you’re already using custom molds and still feedback issues, it may be worth your while to try out another brand like the Philips 9040 also from Costco. At least if they let you just wear it around the store for 30 minutes without having to make a purchase (Costco tends to accommodate that request, and especially if you’re a current patient of their), maybe with a or power dome to see if you might get less feedback on the Phillips aids or not.

The reason I recommend the Philips aids is because they use the new proactive feedback prevention technology that is exclusive to Oticon aids only. It’s supposed to be more effective than the traditional reactive feedback management.

The traditional feedback approach is to cut gain to minimize feedback, at the cost of reduced volume and lowered signal-to-noise ratio (), making speech harder to understand. The Oticon new feedback technology doesn’t do this gain reduction, so there’s no sacrificing the SNR like the traditional way. It proactively detects energy build up that can lead to feedback and insert special quick repeating “breaks” to break up the potential for feedback.

@x475aws said:

You may mean Demant instead of Oticon?

No, I mean Oticon, not Demant.

William Demant is just the parent company of the 3 sister companies (Oticon, Bernafon and Sonic) and the licensee company Philips (and whatever else). William Demant didn’t develop the OpenSound Optimizer technology (the new feedback prevention technology I was talking about earlier). Oticon developed it (not Demant, nor Bernafon nor Sonic) for its OPN S model, and eventually carried it over to the More and Real models. William Demant eventually licensed many of the Oticon peripheral technologies and accessories to Philips, the OpenSound Optimizer (feedback prevention) technology included. The whitepaper written for the introduction of the OpenSound Optimizer was a technical paper written by Oticon specifically for the OPN S.

My first thought is you should not be dealing with feedback with any properly fit hearing aids.

With the correct aid and receiver with proper acoustics you should get the correct gain or volume for your hearing loss.

I would recommend asking for a different fitter or try a different Costco.

Getting a evaluation is a good thing for learning purposes. There you will learn about your hearing and how well your hearing aids are set up for your hearing loss. It also gives you another opinion about how you are doing.

@Raudrive said:

My first thought is you should not be dealing with feedback with any properly fit hearing aids

Exactly, you shouldn’t be getting feedback with correctly fitted molds.

@Tom1 said:

My last adjustment was 1 week ago and my comprehension is less with much feedback.

Sounds like your Audiologist is trying to “program” out the feedback using a lot of processing features, better to get those molds made to a tight fit, including the possibility of using silicone mold instead of acrylic, talk to your clinic about the possibilities, get this right and you’ll see improvements in your overall satisfaction.
Also ask if they are using technology from ReSound it’s “sound shaper” if used it does need to be correctly set, too much can cause audible artifacts making things difficult to understand.

In reply to @Raudrive

What is s Cl evaluation? I have tried three different filters from Costco. The better of the three is on vacation for one month so I will wait for them to return and discuss getting the custom molds. Any recommendaton for material for molds? Acrylic or silicone?

In reply to @Raudrive

@Raudrive said:

I would recommend asking for a different fitter or try a different Costco.

:+1:

@Tom1 said:

I have had ITC aids first then BTE

Are you using as a general term to include both traditional BTEs with a silicone earmold and receiver-in-the-canal hearing aids? Or are you currently trying to move from the former to the latter?

@Tom1 said:

My audiogram (which I have entered) is severe in the left ear (66%.comprehension) and profound in the right.(2% comprehension).

66% word understanding is not a long ways from cochlear implant. Your right ear at 2% understanding is definitely a candidate IMO but there is more to candidacy than word scores.

You really need to make sure you have exhausted the fact hearing aids will not benefit you first. With that hearing loss the correct hearing aids set up properly is very important to get those word understanding scores up if you can.

As mentioned just might help you a bunch but it takes some getting used to. It worked great for me prior to getting CI’s.

The Jabra aids at Costco are type aids, receiver in ear or also known as type aids, receiver in canal. Your right ear is just about out of this type hearing aid range even with the most powerful receiver unless frequency lowering is used. Phonak hearing aids might be a better choice with that hearing loss if frequency lowering technology is used heavily.

I still believe getting a cochlear implant evaluation would be a good idea for you just to give you a baseline about your hearing at this time.

In reply to @MDB

I had custom made about 4 weeks ago. After several adjustments my hearing comprehension is actually worse!! I can understand much better without the hearing aids!! I have been to 2 Costco locations for adjustments but they really don’t spend that much time with adjustments… I would like to go an independent audiologist for the adjustments (willing to pay) but my understanding is this Jabra Enhance Pro 10 is locked. Deep well sound when speaking! I asked about the really small air vent and possibly enlarging. They didn’t.think that is would help. Really don/t know what to do? Any suggestions appreciated.

To the best of my understanding the Jabra Enhance Pro 10 is not locked. Finding an audiologist willing to adjust hearing aids you didn’t buy from them can be challenging though.
The “Deep well sound when speaking” does sound like occlusion and bigger vent holes might help. You also might get used to it over time. Your right ear is a tough loss to deal with.
What are your word recognition scores? (and at what level) The right ear might be a Cochlear implant candidate.

My last experience with Resound aids was, feedback control was excellent. I agree with the others, good fitting molds would help. Are yours set for ? Looks like you would benefit from that and those aids have it available.

Why not find a ReSound dealer and ask if they’ll adjust your aids? With 18-19 months on your Pro 10s, you’ll soon be a candidate for new aids. If they help you now and satisfy you, they win a customer for for the replacements.

I’m sorry you’re having trouble. I hope you find a good solution fast.

In reply to @Tom1

I have the Jabra Enhanced Pro aids and am attempting to programme them my self. Still a neophyte but learning. They certainly are not locked. The first stage in the programming process is to calibrate the aids. Notes say that an inability to calibrate can lead to feedback… In my most recent attempt to touch up my aids I was unable to Calibrate my left aid and as I felt that my comprehension was down I took them to my local Costco. With whom I have continued to be friendly … When he tried to calibrate the Left aid he could not, so has sent the aid back to the factory for testing. Should get it back in a few days and maybe a diagnosis.

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