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Hearing Aid Advice, RICs or BTEs for moderate-severe loss?

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Hi everyone!

I am looking into hearing aids and need some advice on what to look for and what would be appropriate for me to ask for. I’ve worn hearing aids for about 14 years. I started with in-the-canal hearing aids to fit a mild/moderate loss and now wear RICS for my moderate-severe hearing loss. I have Oticon More 1 rechargeable hearing aids with power receivers and custom silicone molds, and I have enjoyed them; however, I have a few significant issues that I want to change when I get new hearing aids. The biggest thing is that I want to go back to disposable batteries. I really don’t like the rechargeable aspect because of how much I need to use my hearing aids. I struggle when I can’t use my hearing aids, as I need them to be able to communicate successfully. The second thing I want to change is durability. I love my hearing aids, but I do feel like they break easily. I’ve had to replace the receiver a couple of times, and because of this, I don’t think the hearing aids have great longevity, which is important to me as well. I want hearing aids that I can use and adjust long-term. A lot of these issues point me towards looking at more traditional models, but I’m not sure that it’s appropriate for me to ask to move to BTEs with my range of loss. My favorite things about my hearing aids are the speech access and the bright colors (mine are pink) I also worry that the sound quality won’t be as good with traditional BTEs, but in terms of lifestyle and comfort, I think they might fit what I’m looking for.

In my right ear my loss ranges from about 45 db in the lower frequencies (250, 500, 1000) then drops down to 75 db at 2000hz and then slopes back up to 65 db (3000, 4000, 6000, 8000)

My left ear starts at 70 (250, 500, 1000) goes down to 80 dB at 2000 Hz, and then up to 60 dB in the 3000 - 8000 Hz range.

My loss is progressive and sensorineural. My word recognition is 100% at 85 dB in my right ear and 90 dB in my left ear. My scores were 50 in my right and 70 in my left.

Here are my main questions:

  1. Is it weird or unusual to ask about traditional BTE hearing aids? Or are those reserved for more severe loss?
  2. With moderate-severe hearing that straddles a few different fitting ranges, is there even a brand of hearing aid with a BTE that covers this range?

I’ve loved my Oticon hearing aids, but have looked at what Phonak has available as well. Any insight or recommendations? I’m a teacher in a hearing classroom so I’m incredibly reliant on my hearing aids and really want to make sure I’m looking for what will be a good fit in the long run.

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Edited

Welcome to the forum. I am sure you will get some good responses here. I am not qualified to answer your questions about aids since I have never used them. However, since you like Oticon, I would suggest you try the Philips 9050 aide from Costco. Philips is made by Oticon and is reported to be pretty similar to the Oticon Intent 1 aid. At Costco the price is about $1600 for a pair of aids and they give you a six month period to return them if you are not satisfied. Good luck and again welcome to the forum.
Edit: I overlooked your comment about wanting disposable batteries. The Phonak Lumity series has a model with disposable batteries, but I would urge you to at least try the rechargeables since there have been significant improvements over the years.

@olive15 said:

Here are my main questions:

  1. Is it weird or unusual to ask about traditional BTE hearing aids? Or are those reserved for more severe loss?
  2. With moderate-severe hearing that straddles a few different fitting ranges, is there even a brand of hearing aid with a BTE that covers this range?
  1. hearing aids are not reserved for any particular severity of loss. There is a lot of fitting range overlap between BTE//, so most of the decision making between them is related to intrinsic advantages and disadvantages of the style e.g. size, rechargeability, wireless, etc.
  2. Yes. To @MDB 's point, manufacturers do tend to roll out BTE later (if at all) than RIC on any particular platform, so needing to go backwards in platform is not unlikely. Combine that with offering a disposable battery model and you may be waiting even longer. However, I find that Phonak, Resound, and Oticon tend to do a decent job at being fairly “quick” with offering disposable battery BTEs on current platforms.

In reply to @raylock1

Thank you so much! I currently wear rechargeables and I’m not a big fan of them which is partly why I want to go back to disposable. I have found that they don’t really have the accessibility I need. I can’t function as a teacher without my hearing aids so I can’t get hearing aids that have to be sent back to the company every few years potentially for weeks at a time. Thanks for the recommendation though! I didn’t realize that Costco worked with severe loss. I thought they were more mild - moderate!

In reply to @MDB

Thank you! I think I’m okay with giving up the latest tech since I don’t have it now with the Oticon Mores. Although even the maids lumity devices seem like they might be a step up in that department! Thanks for the recommendation!

In reply to @PaulC

Thank you! I’ve been considering waiting until Oticon releases a new with the intent platform (if they ever do) but since I’m having issues with my now I might just have to go with what’s already out in the BTE style. Thank you for your response though! It helps a lot!

Hi, I think your hearing loss is somewhat comparable to mine. I am very happy with my Phonaks (Audéo P90, , little speaker in ear, highest power). They have fantastic Bluetooth capabilities and amplify well. Yes, they are rechargeable, but if you get the Sphere you will easily get through your day whatever you do…

are usually a little bigger and more noticeable. If that isn’t an issue, go for it. They are more powerful, more reliable, big replaceable battery option, and some here say that you can hear better with them.

In reply to @olive15

Many CostCo stores do not have audiologists. So I’m not sure a hearing specialist, if that is the case at your local store, would be best for a severe hearing loss fitting, since a friend of mine had a bad experience (though not at Costco). She changed to an Audi and had no trouble getting a good fitting. Just one person’s experience. I’m sure others can give more info on this.

It doesn’t matter what ones loss is to get a good or bad fit, as you mention it actually comes down to the fitting, audiologist are no better or worse then other’s, plenty of people from right here on hearingtracker can contest to their experience with this.

In reply to @Psych2

Definitely not an issue for me! My current hearing aids are bright pink with metallic green tube ties and bright ear molds. Reliability and easily replacable batteries are much more of a concern for me so it’s good to know that they tend to be better in that regard.

In reply to @LawyerFL

That’s what I thought! I’ve always gone to an audiologist because my hearing loss happened so young. I have a communication sciences and disorders degree (Deaf Education) so it was drilled into me to always go to audiologists. The one that did my current pair of hearing aids is the first one I’ve ever had issues with, but I think it was because they were a student and were still learning. They flipped my hearing aids and put wrong prescriptions in the wrong ears. I realized and switched the tubes/receivers myself and they fixed it during my next fitting. That being said I decided to switch now that I need new hearing aids. My new audiologist seems much better though!

The current Hearing Aids have much improved battery life. Widex claims to have one of the longer life, at 30+ hours. I have excellent battery life with Rexton, sister company to Widex. Most audiologists will offer a service of sending back to manufacturer for battery replacement before their warranty period runs out. Of course, that depends on whether the time it takes for battery replacement is of major inconvenience to you. BTE type hearing aids should have better reliability as well since the electronics are housed outside of the ear canal.

Some chargers have batteries built in or you can add one. I have an added battery on my Phonak charger, allowing me 2 or 3 charges without electricity. Helpful on long flights to Europe.

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