Had another audiology appt. My right hearing aid which had been replaced not long ago, needed replacing yet again. Done that, done a small reprogram, made high frequency sounds sharper which I definitely prefer and turned up the volume by 2 notches because I am finding I have to do that any way but now they are whistling like mad. Even if my coat brushes up slightly against them, the whistling is unreal. Had my hood up and it whistled like mad. Honestly anything going near the microphone area now is making it whistle so loudly. I brushed my hair and they screeched… my husband was telling me they are doing his nut in so they must be loud! What has happened? It is one thing after another I am never going to be satisfied with these hearing aids they are causing nothing but problems. I keep going back all the time and they must surely be getting fed up of seeing me. She changed them to moisture resistant tubes… could this be why?
You ain’t having much luck with your hearing aids @craftycrocheter… I am assuming you have custom moulds here… Excessive feedback is usually associated with ill fitting moulds, if they are loose, they will whistle, could also be the vent is too big? I get very little feedback from my aids, but I will get some, if I cup my hands around my ears, but aids shouldn’t whistle constantly, they will occasionally if something is too close, like a hat… I am afraid you will have to go back, and see the NHS A.uD, a PITA I know, but unfortunately you cannot have constant feedback driving you, and your husband up the wall, maybe the feedback management isn’t switched on, or it needs some adjustments? Good Luck, cheers Kev
Feedback is a balance between gain and occlusion. The higher you increase the gain (“volume increased by 2 notches”) the more occlusive the fit of the mold needs to be (better seal and less venting) So it sounds like the reason you’re getting more feedback now is because they turned the gain up and more sound is leaking out. I don’t think it has anything to do with the moisture resistant tubes. Possible solutions: 1) Is there a way to get a more occlusive fit? (less venting or better sealing molds, silicone has some advantages over acrylic) 2)Run feedback manager again and see if there are any more aggressive settings 3)Decrease high frequency gain 4)Consider tweaking
Hi there. Mold fits perfect and the vent is very small as well. Do not know the exact diameter but they are small. I am getting rather embarrassed ringing them… would it be worth me going to a different hospital? I can go to any 3 hospitals around my area. I only go to the nearest one. Even just turning my head is causing whistling.
I have had to take them out because feedback is unreal and the left hearing aid is a lot quieter than the other so I am hardly getting any benefit from it. Feels like I have unilateral deafness when wearing both! I am beginning to get very frustrated and upset.
@MDB occlusive fit meaning no venting? Not what I really want because my voice just sounds booming. The audiologist said these hearing aids I have got are not fully capable of giving me the amplification that I need… so why have I got them, then? Surely NHS can give me something that will work with my loss.
It’s striking a balance between occlusion and gain. Occlusiveness is a matter of degree. However if the boomy voice bothers you enough that making it worse isn’t worth the benefit of more gain, then you’ve reached the limit on that variable. If Feedback settings are already at max, then your options are less high frequency gain or tweaking . My take is that your hearing loss is not going to be optimally treated by hearing aids and would benefit from cochlear implants, but if my memory is correct you didn’t want to go that route?
NICE requirement just to even get an assessment for a .
For the purposes of this guidance, severe to profound deafness is defined as hearing only sounds that are louder than 80 (pure-tone audiometric threshold equal to or greater than 80 dB HL) at 2 or more frequencies (500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, 2,000 Hz, 3,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz) bilaterally without acoustic hearing aids.
Your hearing loss is a great one to try technology. This technology helps reduce high frequency gains to stop feedback too. You might also get by with a lower powered set of aids.
Your loss is bad enough that you need to realize there are things you have to give up to hear speech better. Occlusion is one of them.
Might be worth a try @craftycrocheter, another hospital will maybe give you better aids, or something more suitable for your hearing loss? You can but try… Anything that stops that infernal feedback, is a blessing! I would just tell them your aids aren’t fit for purpose, you need something better, you struggle on the phone, you need Bluetooth, for work purposes, the feedback is driving you insane as well as other family members! You have to advocate for yourself, if that means going to the press or your local MP, so be it… (suggesting it might be enough?) As NHS don’t like bad publicity, and sometimes you have to force their hand! You have to push them, or they will just sit on the fence… And do sweet FA… Good Luck, Cheers Kev
With the way NHS is dealing with me and my hearing aids I do not think I would have much luck having cochlear implants if I did go down that route which I have decided not to. Been on the phone and the next appointment to get hearing aids sorted at all 3 hospital is not until middle of next month, latest is end of June so I just said whatever do the middle of next month then. I bet I will come out of the audiology department and something else will go wrong.
I have literally had enough of dealing with them. I lasted 20 years without so I will manage again until I am able to buy privately. In my previous posts, I know I said that I am thankful for the NHS, they are brilliant in so many ways but this is ridiculous. Twice I have had faulty hearing aids, and now the left one is not working properly. I did tell them at the appointment that the left hearing aid does not sound right but as usual she just said go off and see what they are like… well they are sh!t. That is all I have to say about them!
I have to keep going back to get them adjusted and now the will not shut up whistling and I now have to wait for a month to get them sorted out. They are now back in the drawer because, well what can I do? I have told them this is something that I urgently need… and all I get is “sorry love, but that is the only available appointments we have.”
@kevels55 probably worth a try but I doubt it! All of those things above would help so much… plus reliable hearing aids
Yes, there are zebras, but when somebody complains about feedback with nearly new hearing aids right after they had high frequency gain turned up, I’d bet on it being a horse.
I used to have NHS hearing aids myself so I completely understand your frustrations on feedback! It was something every hospital I used said there’s nothing we can do about it suffered 25 years with feedback it didn’t matter what style mould or hearing aid I could never hug anyone without them going nuts, couldn’t brush my hair or lean in to listen to something close without feedback or even move my head too fast. I found asking for absalutely no vents helped a tiny bit but not much, downside is the occlusion but i found I rarely notice it now…
I’m not berating the NHS at all like you said it’s a wonderful function but most NHS audiology units see feedback as something you have to “live” with past a certain leval of hearing loss in my experience and they say well it’s normal. My loss isn’t quite as profound as yours and I had that exact same issue…they couldn’t or wouldn’t take the time to fix that issue over 25 years I don’t think it’s a hearing aid issue it’s a programming issue within their budget allotment so they give whatever is “deemed suitable and available for a particular loss” and one due to time limits and budgets for that particular hospital
Any side problems often gets pushed to the back burner because their main objective is to make sure you can hear something even if it’s produces feedback/whistling their main goal is to just fulfill the need
to hear anything fixed beyond that is a bonus. Some audiologists really do work with you as best they can with their software I’ve had some amazing NHS audiologists and some really shitty ones too
They fail to realise it doesn’t just impact you, if other family members are complaining about whistling to you then it’s a problem. Maybe at the next appointment ask are these the only hearing aids that will suit my losses or is there another option, also ask for moulds that are solid I found skeleton ones were more prone to feedback than a solid mould.
IF they cannot accommodate you it may be worth trying another hospital if it’s in your catchment area but if the travel isn’t far they may only have 1 brand…i.e London back in the day it was Siemens in South Essex I had the option of oticon or Phonak tried both ultimately preferred oticon. Lincolnshire and Yorkshire it was just Oticon for me as the preferred choice they recommended. On wait times it seems normal to wait months sometimes several months between appointments and one of the drawbacks of the NHS. If possible ask to go on a cancellation wait list sometimes I’ve been able to get earlier appoints that way with the NHS audiology unit, doesn’t always work but sometimes I’ve got lucky.
I hate to say it but if you are still unsatisfied with your NHS hearing aids it may be worth venturing privately, my first set of privately brought hearing aids reduced me to happy tears. I’d complained of a lifetime of feedback my fitter assured me with the newer technology that could be prevented or stopped completely even with my severe losses. 5 years on 2 sets of hearing aids and I have had NO feedback except if the moulds slide out on a sweaty ear day. Or I take them out before I turn them off.
@Zebras 14 weeks! How the hell can they do that to people? Like you and many others, hearing aids are a lifeline! Thank you for your reply and very helpful with the link, too. I am currently searching for 2nd hand hearing aids and I have consulted an audiologist who can program them to my needs at a cost. Any idea whether Oticon Synergy would be OK? I found a pair on eBay, but says it is for severe hearing loss so is that too much of an overkill? Looking at Phonak as well. I will not randomly buy. Will consult either on here or do proper extensive research first. I cannot afford to pay full price for new hearing aids otherwise I would, without a second thought. I am without my hearing aids and feel really low and lost. I simply cannot wear them I am worse off with them than without right now.
@LoubyLou thank you for your kind response. That is how it seems to be with me, unfortunately. I am going to another hospital now so hopefully there is a different audiologist that can at least sort them out and help me work with what I can only have (nhs aids) until I get to have private, more reliable ones. I understand they are under pressure with time etc., but I do not deserve to keep on having to go back every few weeks to get them sorted out. It is beyond ridiculous and I have to keep leaving work early or take a day off because of it.
I had no idea they were NHS! I thought the Zest was. See, thank goodness for this forum (and to you) lol. So these people still selling NHS hearing aids. Putting me off bothering to go on eBay now. Most private ones are all mini rite or ones that are not suited for me.
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