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OTICON RECEIVER 85 VS 100-105 for severe hearing loss?

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Hi all,

Based on this and my thresholds being in the 70-85db, do you think a stronger receiver will be better and will enhance speech understanding which is where I need the most help?

I am in between Oticon Intent 1 and Starkey Omega , currently trialing Oticon intent 1 with close domes and they have a 85 receiver that has a #2 on it as well.The left hearing aid, which is louder than the right, whistles sometimes and has this thing where the sound comes in and out constantly with a hiss.

Does the brand matter when looking at the power of receivers and which one will work best for me? Would it be better to go with a P/UP equivalent for my degree of hearing loss?

I want to ensure I have the correct information so I can advocate better for myself when I make the go decision. Which is coming up in about a week.

Thanks!

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No, I wouldn't choose the 85dB but the next level up.

Why?
1.- There is almost no room for gain increase adjustments (during fitting process or later in life, if your hearing deteriorates).
2.- There are instances where, if the prescribed gains are too close to the max power of the receiver, you may get some distortion.


More powerful receivers may be larger -- that could be an issue during fitting.

Different brands have different receivers and depending on which, they have different fitting ranges: The fitting range of a Signia P may not be the same as the Phonak P receiver.

Whistling occurs when the sound in the ear canal escapes/leaks and reaches the hearing aid mics. The solution to this is to fix the leak. Just tell the fitter than you are getting feedback.

The Intent is now a generation old and it has been replaced by the Oticon Reveal. I would not get the Intent unless you are getting a good discount on it (or other good $$$$ reason).

My is a little bit like that so I'd be going for 100, that's what I have on my current pair.

In reply to @ha4lyfe

That needs earmolds. Until you get your acoustics right it's tuff to judge the aids.

I would lean towards the P or 100 receivers as well. The aids you are asking about are both good aids if fit properly. Other brands would do well too as would Costco's aids if money was a concern.

Good luck with this. You are getting some good help.

In reply to @ha4lyfe

I see you have only 60% in each ear separately? Have you had your WRS tested binaurally?

60% is quite low, at the border of 60/60 rule, that makes you eligible for at least cochlear implant evaluation, especially before you spend much money.

It may turns out that you need only one hearing aid, because woukd be better for your poorer ear.

@Bimodal_user said:

I see you have only 60% WRS in each ear separately?

I missed that. Looking at the it makes me wonder if the OP is dealing with something else causing low word understanding. Have they had poorly fit aids in the past or are these their first pair of aids. Word understanding typically is not that low with that audiogram.

 

Indeed, this is why I am insisting for evaluation, not straight to CI surgery.

testing can be variable (can be higher, but also lower than that 60% in next tests).

If @ha4lyfe would be not eligible for CI, I would choose 105 receiver.

In reply to @OcramSagev

Thank you! I will talk to my specialist about this, she has mentioned molds and recommends them but with a 85 receiver. I got a second opinion and was told exactly what you said, earmolds and a higher power receiver.

During my research I noticed that there is a newer model, and thats the one im getting. The Oticon Reveal 1 with earmolds and a higher power receiver.

As far as molds go, I do have very tiny ears/canals what material do you recommend best? I was doing some reading and it seems that a softer material is better. I had an acrylic set WAY long ago, but they only hurt my ears and were impossible to keep in as I run warm and get a lot of moisture problems.

Do you think a skeleton mold would work?

Edited

In reply to @Bimodal_user

That is a great question, I will need to find out if it was tested binaurally or not. I am new to advocating for myself so this is great advice to have, I appreciate it. I will ask to trial the 100 vs. 105 and see which one works best.

In reply to @Raudrive

Im 100% sure this is due to poorly fit aids. I have kept all my the aids ive had and they were all one power down from what they should've been from the get go. The molds I had before were also not fitted correctly and done with a closed mouth, instead of open mouth as my canals are v tiny.

Sadly, I just went with whatever my specialist said. I know better now and I'm more informed (thank goodness for this forum) and ready to go in with expectations and a lot of questions to ensure I am set up for success. Even with the Intent, speech was still lacking, so I know I need more power/molds.

In your experience, if I have very waxy ears, moist ears (even with the properly fitted power domes, they are sometimes wet when I take them out), which mold material would work best? I want to ensure I am not pushing/adjusting the molds quite often as I did way back with the acrylic ones.

If you have narrow ear canals 105 may be too big unless there is no vent. However this is rather rare situation.

First and foremost, before spending much money for , get evaluation. That will provide you much useful information about your hearing.

In reply to @ha4lyfe

@ha4lyfe said:

Im 100% sure this is due to poorly fit aids.

Have you used the same fitter or audiologist the entire time dealing with your hearing loss? You are being fit with the most expensive hearing aids and not getting the benefit you should with them. Trying a place that uses best hearing aid fitting practices might be a step in the right direction. Costco uses best practices. Not all brick and mortar hearing aid sales use best practices. Your situation might really need to be fit properly to find out if your low word understand scores are permanent.

As mentioned you might consider getting a cochlear implant evaluation. Your word understanding is low enough to justify getting evaluated. It's a very informative evaluation that might teach a lot about your hearing and reasoning to buy or not to buy new hearing aids. Many hearing aids are pushed by salesman when that's not the best choice for the patient.

There are skills fitting earmolds. Both silicone and acrylic are very capable of sealing properly. Silicone tends to seal best for severe/profound hearing losses. I used silicone canal lock molds with great results years ago.

I did, this pair I am getting is from Sonus the new place im using which has an in house audiologist and way better testing technology. I will talk to the audiologist when I see them again about a evaluation. This people do whereas my previous place was always like ' We dont do that cause tech is so advanced now'.

The more I read up on it, the more I am leaning towards soft/semi-soft silicone skeleton mold or a canal mold and will make sure they do an open mouth impression. Im nervous about it cause if they get it wrong, its hella expensive to do them again. We shall see if this place is better than the last, I already am liking the transparency.

@ha4lyfe said:

I'll make sure I ask about a CI evaluation next time I go in.

That's good, but keep in mind that your new audiologist may be not experienced in knowledge about indications and may provide advice basen on old, outdated guidelines.

In that case you can ask him/her about Audis specialised in CI. But first and foremost, indications for CI are chcecked during CI evaluations.

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