New hearing aid user confused and frustrated. May need a new audiologist?

@3dslides said:

the HVAC noise is being amplified (and perhaps the HAs are applying a noise reduction algorithm at the same time). This could account for the hiss becoming a roar, yet a rather muffled roar. Meantime, this is competing with speech sounds.

That’s my guess too. I may try playing around with the equalizer settings to see if I can come up with a compromise. Though I think trying a different audiologist is a better idea.

@DWes17 said:

Though I think trying a different audiologist is a better idea.

@DWes17: Here’s my unsolicited opinion for which you never asked: the less time you waste with this audiologist, the better. I just don’t think the "fit " is right for you.

[Like Grandma SpudGunner used to say: “You can’t polish a turd.”]

Late-night suggestions:
-If you are not experiencing a benefit from your hearing aids, return them.
-If you are not experiencing functional difficulty in your day-to-day life, maybe it’s not time for hearing aids yet. You could consider more targetted TV solutions if that’s the only issue. But ask around, maybe loved ones are noticing more problems than you are.
-The clinic that does REM sounds like a better idea.

That’s a tricky loss, though. (How’s your cardiovascular health?) You want someone who will really work with you. You have to close up the ear to get audibility in the lows, but that will block what you still hear naturally which will have to be returned through the hearing aids. Too much low frequency gain might cause some upwards spread of masking issues with that reverse slope. If your hearing continues to recover at ultra-highs, closing the ears will be harder than if it drops again after 8 kHz because hearing aids won’t be able to replace the sound you’re used to getting up there. If you had no low frequency hearing loss, the high frequency loss that is there is mild enough that many clinicians wouldn’t recommend hearing aids yet, particularly if you aren’t noticing any difficulty.

Honestly, my first instinct would be to stick some Lyrics in your ears and see how you did. Deeply fit CICs might be a less expensive option. Or, just monitor your hearing loss over time and not move forward with hearing aids until you were noticing difficulty.

I’m not convinced you’ll notice much difference between the 330s and 440s.

@Neville said:

(How’s your cardiovascular health?)

I learned something new tonight–didn’t know there was a link there. I am obese and have high blood pressure. But no issues with cholesterol and, as far as I know, no cardiovascular issues. Now though you’ve got me a little concerned.

I asked my audiologist where the hearing loss came from, if it was age or noise related. She said that it wasn’t due to either but might be genetic. Personally, I wonder if this might have something to do with COVID. I had it back in June this year. Though if you asked me, I’d say that the tinnitus issues predated June but I can’t remember when I first noticed the increase. I’ve always had a very, very minor ringing in my right ear that I really had to think about to even notice. However at some point, the right has gotten worse and I now have it in my left ear even worse than the right. It isn’t horrible but it is to the point where it does irritate me when things are quiet. I’m not so sure that it hasn’t gotten even worse in the last little bit. Last night in bed I seemed to be noticing it more than usual even with the rain sounds I play when I sleep. I’m also having TMJ issues which the ENT thinks might be causing the tinnitus.

The ENT thought that hearing aids might help alleviate the tinnitus. And I’m enough of a perfectionist that I hate the idea that there is something I might be missing out on. This is part of the reason that I didn’t really think much about not hearing dialog on TV much–I figured it was just me wanting to hear every word so I didn’t miss a plot point though most times it’s just a word here or there. Now after the hearing test, I have been thinking that I do sometimes have a hard time hearing people in a noisy restaurant too. But how do I know whether it is just a problem for me or if a person with no hearing loss would also have these issues?

@Neville said:

I’m not convinced you’ll notice much difference between the 330s and 440s.

This is good to know!

Honestly, I think I will heed the advice from @SpudGunner and see about getting an appointment at University of Kentucky Audiology for a third opinion. That will either give me more clarity or just confuse me more.

With my first hearing aids I kept taking them in and out to test the difference and found it subtle. My advice now to new wearers is — it’s a fact that you have hearing loss. HAs help but are not the same as normal hearing. Put them in when you get up and take them out at night so you maximize your brain’s adjustment and forget about comparing.

@joanhawsey said:

My advice now to new wearers is — it’s a fact that you have hearing loss. HAs help but are not the same as normal hearing. Put them in when you get up and take them out at night so you maximize your brain’s adjustment and forget about comparing.

@joanhawsey: FWIW, I think this is great advice!

@tinkyp said:

if the domes were changed the sensogram needs to be rerun otherwise the sound is tailored to the previous fit

I thought I had read that on here so I was surprised that she didn’t do that when I mentioned that I had changed to medium domes. This is assuming that the sensogram is the tones like a hearing test but through the hearings aids?

@tinkyp said:

If you are committed to the purchase & audiologist

Definitely not committed to this audiologist. Part of the reason for me posting was to make sure that my instincts were correct and that I need to find a new audi. Plus, this place is almost an hour away and driving back and forth is starting to annoy me. The only real hesitation I have had is with the hassle and cost of switching. It is late in the insurance year and I’ve already met my maximum out of pocket so if I am going to purchase, this would be the time to do it. And the other place I went to was going to be $1600 more (which would still be out of pocket), though that was for 440s instead. But as a coworker told me, money is not important if I’m going to stress about it and not be satisfied. I’m beginning to see the wisdom in that.

@DWes17 said:

Yeah, I’m doing that quite a bit! I am wearing them all day for the most part though to try and adjust.

@DWes17: i’m sorry I’m confused. These two actions seem to be mutually exclusive. You’re either taking them in and out a lot, or you’re wearing them mostly all day. Which is it?

What rang the alarm bells for me was the testing in a noisy room. Weren’t the testing and setting up done in a noise proof booth? If not, get out of that relationship immediately, and I would be wary of any ENT that would allow such a setup.
Yes, the unaccustomed noises are bothersome, but speech should be more clear. That’s what hearing aids are designed for. While theoretically all good brands, including Widex, can be programmed for anyone, different brands work better for different people. Some people want the noise to go away; some people want the ambience.

@Herbhornist said:

Some people want the noise to go away; some people want the ambience.

@Herbhornist: why intention is not to be nitpicky, but I’m sure it will come off that way. Sounds that I want to hear that my animals make when they are sick or in distress are more than “ambience”. They are vital non-speech sounds, which are very important to me. My hearing aid has to allow me to hear them, even though it’s not human speech. But these sounds represent much more than ambience.

I just wanted to make that clear.

Yes that’s correct, the sensogram should be run every time you change the fit. It plays the tones directly into your ears via the aids and is a bit like making sure the tyre pressure is right to handle all hearing situations best placed and also enable the software programming to maximise your hearing experience. It really is a key part but is sometimes overlooked. You can say you like to have this run whenever you change the fit moving forwards. It doesn’t take long yet doing it every time can prevent many more appointments where something isn’t quite right.

I thought you had already gone past the return period, so referred to if you were committed as in you had purchased with no return. Your instincts are making you ask the right questions and the relationship with the dispenser is very important. You may find you both learn and become skilled at what you are looking for from your hearing experience as you are working through it.

@Herbhornist said:

Weren’t the testing and setting up done in a noise proof booth? If not, get out of that relationship immediately, and I would be wary of any ENT that would allow such a setup.

The actual hearing test was done in a sound-proof booth. Set-up was NOT. It was in the audi’s office with hard surfaces and no sound-absorbing material. And there was a fair amount of noise from people walking in the hallway. She would pause when that happened but I still didn’t think that was the best way of doing things.

@SpudGunner said:

As you are aware, taking your hearing aids in and out is very confusing for your brain.

This is something that I also struggle with–I’d almost find it easier if I could wear them to bed. Went I put them in in the morning, I noticed that muffled quality, usually fridge noise and that irks me. And then my steps on the carpet and my clothes moving when I walk are more prominent but they sound “hollow”. Not sure that’s the best description though. By the end of the day, I’m used to most of this and then I take them out and everything sounds muted for a bit. I think @Neville mentioned Lyrics and those are intriguing.

@DWes17: In the final analysis, I believe you’re going to discover that your choice of audiologist has been more important than your choice of actual device. As others have mentioned, and I believe it to be true, most of the big five produce products that are very similar in their ultimate capability. Yes, they each have their own character and their own design priorities, but they can all be programmed to do many wonderful things that will probably suit your hearing loss if you find the right audiologist. This last clause is the key …

You must find an audiologist that will work with you, that can communicate with you, and that likes doing it. That’s the best advice I can offer you: find the right audiologist for you, and work that relationship for all it’s worth.

@tinkyp said:

I thought you had already gone past the return period, so referred to if you were committed as in you had purchased with no return.

Yes and no. Technically the return period was supposed to end yesterday, November 11th. But when I made the extra appointment to complain about the hiss and ask about the 440s, I said I was worried about taking care of these things before the 11th. She said to see how things go with the adjustments she made and she would make a note and I would have until my next appointment on the 22nd to make up my mind. Hopefully, it will be that straightforward. If it doesn’t however, at least the 330s are good devices.

The trial period, I have learned, is also a big differentiating factor. Current place is 45 days but the other place I had the consultation at was 75 days. That audi didn’t think 45 days was enough, which I think speaks volumes as to who really cares for their patients.