Deaf/Hard of Hearing ping list
with interests in health and society
Posted on 06/27/2006 1:10:28 PM PDT by Ronin
I have just landed a plum of a job as an assistant news editor for one of the biggest names in industrial news reporting. The problem is my ears. I was medically discharged from the Navy 18 years ago with bilateral hearing loss and have been using a relatively good Rionet (Japanese brand) Hearing Aid for many years.
Unfortunately, its not cutting the mustard in my new office and my new boss has pretty much given me an ultimatum. Get an effective hearing instrument that will allow you to work in an office environment professionally – including telephone and conference calling -- or be let go.
Fair enough. The problem is, which new hearing aid? Digital or analog? I have just started looking and already I am overwhelmed by the huge number of new hearing instruments out there. The multitude of features they offer and the claims they make are bewildering. The technology has really improved recently.
Since I live and work in Japan, selecting a hearing aid or aids, arranging a purchase, setting it up to match my hearing loss and adjusting it as necessary is going to be a major undertaking.
Because of this, I would like to ask any FReepers with recent experience, especially as regards to digital hearing aids that can be used for telephone conversations, to pass on any insights and advice they might have so I can make an intelligent choice about this.
eh?..........
Ping for later. My hearing is terrible and I really should do something about it, but have never bothered.
There's a freeper around here that has www.bionicear.com as their tagline, and their personal page has some data/diagrams.
Anyone remember who that is? He's offered to consult anyone who needed it.
If you were in America, you could force them to make "reasonable accomodation" to adjust to your special needs.
My hearing is fine. Except for all those damn crickets........
My father always used a big funnel in which he held the small tapered end to his ear.
There are many nice varieties today which even have bendable sprouts (the tapered slender tube) so you can point them in the desired direction.
These contraptions can be fitted with a wide array of electronic enhancement devices both digital and analog and can be matched to your needs.
They also come in colored plastic models that can be loosly matched to your wardrobe. two of the most popular colors are "Red" and the always popular "Blue".
K-mart Automotive is where my dad got his.
Ho ho. I love a good disability joke at someone else's expense.
Check out Wallcrawlr's freep page.
What did it cost?
Let me ask my co-worker. He's almost totally deaf, but can hear some (depends on the tones I believe) with his hearing aid. He's gone through a lot of hassle trying to find one that works well enough. He uses his cell phone all the time, and can answer the phone and talk to some people on it. Let me ask him, and I'll let you know.
We have an professional audiology group in the same complex as our business. I'll try to get some info from them and get back to you. Better yet, if you want, send me an email with some contact info, and I'll ask them to get the info straight to you.
Good luck
Yeah, that's wallcrawlr. He knows all about stuff like this and cochleaer implants, etc.
Pinging Dr. Ed Bravo.
OK, my co-worker said to go see a hearing loss specialist. They have to determine your specific range of loss, etc.
But he did say the higher end digital are really great, some can automatically make sounds louder or softer, change the tone, etc
But he said to see a specialist.
;-) ping!
I wear a hearing aid - and the most expensive is not necessarily the best.
There was an article in the local CA paper the other day about the new University of the Pacific hearing and balance center in Stockton - they offer the "GN ReSound" hearing aid. According to an ex WWII aircraft carrier soldier, who is also retired from radio broadcasting, the ReSound is by far the best with his hearing almost normal - his wife is delighted not to get the "Huhs" and "Whats" anymore.
Here is the URL for the article: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060624/MONEY/606240311/1003
Based on your post - it just seems that the GN ReSound may also be the answer for you. Hearing aids can be purchased on line at ww.ahearingaid.com - they have GN ReSound, I purchased the Phonak Perseo 11 from them - $4K (locally they were $6K) - they offer a great service - but go through an audiologist for the tests first as all they do is sell hearing aids. Good luck - I feel your pain.
I don't know if it's right for the OP's particular hearing anomaly.
I knew it was just a screen name. I was just having a little fun, tongue in cheek.
Hello Ronin,
Ill ping the deaf/hoh list tomorrow morning.
Sorry I stepped away from my desk early today and didnt see the pings to me until now.
For starters it would seem odd your employer give you an ultimatum. Is this a USA company? From what I understand you and your employer are supposed to work together to provide reasonable accomodation.
So this "ultimatum" is pointless. If they were to fire you over hearing difficulties it wouldnt be good for them.
http://www.ada.gov/workta.htm
second.
yes, as youve discovered the world of technology changes :)
my advie is to hook up with an audiologist that knows/understands all the latest and pairs you up with the appropriate aid.
there is no set "which one works better" digi or analog. You have to first understand youre loss then pair it up with the correct tech.
Do you know what your current hearing loss is? has it changed over the years? which frequencies give you the most challenge? Are you a candidate for a CI?
These are questions you should first sort out with an audiologist...then attack the best solution.
btw, i could really use some JDM parts for my toyota.
Deaf/Hard of Hearing ping list
with interests in health and society
http://www.listen-up.org
mostly for parents of Deaf/HH kids, but there is a ton of info on there (links).
You may want to consider something as simple as radio shack. I think they have equipment that will make things louder. Also consider an FM system. Also, I would find your home states Self Help for Hard of Hearing Chapter. Talk to them and see what you can do. Also there is Harris Communications http://www.harriscommunications.com which has all sorts of amplification equipoment.
How about flying into House for an evaluation and see what they can do?
House is usually booked way in advance (unless you are Foxy Brown or Rush). Lots of CI patienns have trouble getting in for re-mapping and I know that some have switched to UCLA.
So he should make an appointment. The kids getting their hearing aids and cochlears paid for by Medi-Cal seem to have no trouble getting an appointment. I don't think it's that hard.
Yes, you make an appointment. How many have you made with House Ear? you need to make them months in advance...in fact, I just had a cochlear appointment yesterday with Hershey Medical Center that I made two months ago. This man needs more immediate help. Take into consideration the hearing aid fittings, etc.
By the way, I paid for my kids cochlear via my own medical insurance.
A friend of mine got her daughter in for ear tubes pretty quickly. I guess we could argue about whether it's easy to get an appointment, or Ronin could just go ahead and do it, since he's in Japan anyway and would need some advance notice of a month or two to set up the trip. Seems worthwhile in the long run if he wants to make sure he's getting the best hearing aid help, even if it doesn't help him immediately with the job he's at.
Yes, I agree. I would venture, however, that there are very good ENTs and audiologists - which he really does need, outside House Ear Institute.
Great news about your boss and the one-on-one training. That does sound promising!
As for the prices, that's something my co-worker always gripes about.
I look forward to your update. Good luck.
Ronin - regarding cochlear implants, if you do not have a severe to profound loss, you may not even be a candidate for the implant. A good digital aid or the cross over you write of are probably your best options anyway. You will see technology has changed A LOT in 10 years. Good luck!
mary
If that is a ping list add me to it. {seriously} I have partial hearing loss especially in the right ear with about 5 varying frequencies in my ears 6KHZ and above in both. I can not hear 6KHZ unless it over rides the tinnitus {pretty darn loud}.
But that's just half of it. I have audio and visual sensory processing disorders Inner Ear related according to what I've read as not much is known about this stuff. Loud noises means Stimulus-sensitive Myloclonic seizures. I also have Menieres Disease. Multitasking greatly compromised as well. 100% disability for 12 years now.
I'm afraid any hearing aide would also amplify what I don't need to hear setting off seizures and panic attacks. In some ways the hearing loss has somewhat lessened the seizures. Those are like getting a bucket of ice poured down my back in reaction. Severe upper torso spams {seizures}.
I'm not joking but I don't take kidding about it serious :>}. Anybody else out there like me say when your shopping in a place like a Walmart about go through the roof when you hear their eternal paging? Bad startle reactions to noises and problems hearing conversation and when you hear clearly it still has to be repeated twice to process it? Even watching TV is nearly impossible due to skewed sensory processing audio or visual causing anxiety. This is not classical Anxiety Disorder {Phobic or result or life altering trauma etc} this is a secondary cause from the hearing and visual processing disorders. It's non phobic in nature except maybe for heights.
I hope this isn't off subject but I'm trying to find someone else who has this.
FM would be a must for most people. My parents used to listen to Rush and he was on AM band. When I would visit I would have to leave the room it about drove me nuts to hear it. I bought a Radio Shack pocket amp with some head phones and it somewhat worked but also amplified what I didn't want to hear. For about $20 it was a good buy though and if I was in a quiet room would work pretty good.
I hope you do not consider this rude...have you been evaluated for Asperger's Syndrome? I just read Temple Grandin's book - fascinating. It is called "Thinking in Pictures". She describes situations and reactions similar to the ones you outline here.
for the DHH ping list people - I have found they are a great bunch! You don't need to worry about being off topic. Take care!
any thoughts?
merry
bump for later reply
re-ping to post #36
please read and if you can help.....respond.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1656636/posts?page=36#36
Not rude at all LOL.. No what happened is I had a history of sinus allergies as a kid. This is linked to C.A.P.D. I'm 48 and have had a form of this all my life. I had allergy shots as well. The result was Inner Ear Damage. I've been monitored by professionals off and on who would have caught it including two years 7th & 8th grade in physical rehab. I'm also functionally blind in one eye. They can never work together. I went through the Occupational Therapy as a kid and learned how to get by. I entered the navy and passed the physical. I was a Machinist Mate and they tried to put me in "The Hole" That is the Boiler Rooms. 100% humidity at 115+ temps working conditions. I started staggering around like a drunk monkey dizziness etc so the Medical Officer waiver me out of the hole to Auxiliaries. I worked in cooler spaces and did fine.
About 12 years ago I was at work and started having problems first with trying to get my body to respond to such things as climbing steps. The energy wasn't there then I told myself to climb and it worked.
Time went on and noises began to bother me. What I am about to say later led me to where I knew what was wrong. I had a trouble call in the nursing home. I was a maintenance man and the boiler watch. I could tolerate the boiler room because it was not required I stay there.
I got a call to a residents room and I went. She was acting strange so I asked what's wrong? She said Oh the noise please make it stop. I asked what noise? She took me to a window. Underneath it was her air conditioning unit. I turned it off. It was on low and running quiet. I was worried and told the floor nurse. She said the woman came home from the hospital that day like that.
I walked back down to my shop and sat down in a chair up against a door. Someone behind that door in the hallway yelled and I about went through the ceiling. Within a few minutes I was loosing my ability to concentrate. Within an hour it was yes and no questions. The next day my doctor checked me and said your previous MRI and CAT SCAN was OK. See a shrink. That was a mistake. They tried anti-depressants. I now know I was a step away from Serotonin Syndrome. They made matters worse. But one doctor put me on Xanax and I improved and the seizures eased off.
I got by for a year or so and was in a used book store and saw a book called "Phobia Free" by Harold Levinson MD a research Neurologist. I thought great another let's feel good it's all in your mind stuff. I read it and the more I read the more I understood what was happening to me.
Some called him a fringe quack but in the mid 1970's he started noticing his anxiety patients had one common problem which was Vestibular Disorders.
I have a fear of heights. It is not a phobia. My brain knows my balance is poor. The therapy was for eye /muscle coordination as a kid :>} My sinus allergies did some major damage. The allergies were severe enough the shots didn't help much.
I started keeping a diary for disability purposes. I soon learned my triggers this way. High action TV with flashing sets me off. Black and whit TV or 1960's & 1970's colored shows do not. Don't make me watch a cartoon like Lion King either.
The noises that set me off are high frequency or very low like car stereo's . You can't escape them because low frequency goes through the skull part of the hearing system. The episodes if I don't chemically stop them can get very severe. The first major attack I thought I was having a stroke. I was on the Interstate driving. I lost all concept of time, where I was, where I was going, how long etc. Within 30 minutes I was OK that's when they did the MRI CAT SCAN this was about 3 months before that major episode at work I described. A neurologist could find nothing wrong even my brain waves trying to produce seizure activity were normal. That is why my doctor said shrink.
Finally I did find a shrink who had treated this. He mercifully said no more antidepressants take Xanax. that was about 10 years ago.
During this time Menieres has set in as well as the ringing again pointing to Vestibular origins. I did have some adverse or wrong reactions as a kid when seeing something that scared me stopping up my ears though and I had a fear of loud noises.
OK back to that old woman resident :>} What happened was she had an Inner Ear Infection. Vestibular Damage can mean filtering damage also. Yea it as I was to learn later sounded loud to her. Before my hearing started going I had trouble sleeping too. Right as I would be close to sleep every thing got loud. I have Myloclonic seizures sometimes right before sleep. The seizures stay above my arms and in my shoulder blades. They are short duration seizures maybe a second or so but maybe 30 in 15 minutes on very bad days.
For disability purposes I am diagnosed with G.A.D. General Anxiety Disorder.
I have done extensive searches and Vestibular Researchers are starting to confirm Levinsons theories. That man most likely saved my life and never knew it. He links this to TMJ, Dyslexia, and forms of ADD ADHD which they thought I had as well. ADD ADHD in the 60's was not diagnosed much especially where I live. My social interaction was OK. My verbal command following was and still is some what a problem but not in the case you mention. I hear it and I say huh. I say that because by the second or third time I finally process it and give the right response. For example my wife says Bring me a q-tip. I'll bring a few chips as in potato and vice versa. In a crowded room I hear everyone and understand no one. One on one I'm OK though. The more I am in a crowded room like that the more I want out. It's over taxing my sensory receptors. That is why I can not take SSRI's. My sensory receptors and processing is damaged the last thing I need is enhanced {more sensory Impulses. My hand writing is poor yes that is one. I have no problem understanding my or others emotions I read them fine. I wear corrective shoes and as a kid could wear a normal pair out in a short time {Walking off balance to compensate did that} No abnormal reactions to touching, smells, etc. Food LOL bring it on except fish and liver. Could be Asperger but other signs all my life say Vestibular Oriented.
Most of these symptoms started when I was 34 years old an almost overnight onset of major symptoms.
I did have some OCB with this that I now understand. I was not true OCB it was overcompensating. Something bad was going on. I was making mistakes at work and for 4 years I was great at my job. I started forgetting to check this or that valve on the boiler. If the phone rang all train of thought was gone on what I was doing. I would walk out of the boiler room and go back in and recheck valve line ups etc. At the end I called my relief to do it behind me. It was a major responsibility. If I screwed up a boiler is a bad place to do so.
Also during that time I had PTSS. I 10 years time I did go through some rather traumatic events Loss of my wife to death age 23. Quadriplegia later of my girlfriend now my wife. Several time almost losing her. A serious wreck my step daughter was in and I thought when I got to the scene she was dead. and a wreck {minor one} I had added to it.
I got through the OCB by reasoning it out. Once the job was gone it went away. The PTSS went away as well. The other part? It is an ongoing degeneration with slow progression. Not gonna kill me I know that but life altering. All my reactions and responses driving are OK. People with this make great Paramedics, firemen, and policeman. The rush you get on a call stabilizes it. The adrenalin is what I'm saying. When the crisis is over? Crash of the body..BTW in the Navy I was a fire fighter also and loved the job. I like Ronin lived in a loud atmosphere. Aircraft carriers are very loud even in port. My last year was in the yards.
So what do you think :>}
I think I'm going to look at some yahoo groups tomorrow and see what I can suggest. There have to be adults with similar symptoms. I'm just a mom of a deaf kid - so I'm familiar with some of what you write here....and years ago she was dx'd autistic, so I got interested in Aspergers (she actually is just deaf I've learned).
Have you been to the VA, or were you not in long enough?
Thanks. I haven't been to VA for several reasons. I'll draw more off what I paid in to Social Security and I'm on Medicaid and Medicare. VA Hospitals from what I hear are the pits. And this wasn't really service related.. A few more things saying Inner Ear is I used to be able to work on cars also. My last time under a car laying down was about 8 years ago. I got Vertigo real bad and had to lay there a few minutes before getting up..
You won't read this in any Mental Health web site but you do in Vestibular sites that Anxiety and my symptoms except the seizures is a secondary condition cause by the primary Vestibular condition like the link I mailed to you. The seizures may be a form of epilepsy I understand. They still don't know that much about those type of seizures and they have differing origins and triggers. When driving in the winter I have to wear good sunglasses. Driving on a road with tree's and sun light flashing on the road through them will do it. A strobing effect IOW. I never pass out it just maxs out my sensory system and triggers an attack..
Have you been to a university like UCLA to see about their balance clinics?
I've heard that tinnitus can be a symptom of traumatic events.
I have never see this word: nystagmus. That seems to have something to do with the eyes and the ears.
I wonder if you could get your doctor to fax or email this guy:
http://www.oliversacks.com/
I'm sorry, I just don't know a lot.
Have you been to a university like UCLA to see about their balance clinics?
I've heard that tinnitus can be a symptom of traumatic events.
I have never see this word: nystagmus. That seems to have something to do with the eyes and the ears.
I wonder if you could get your doctor to fax or email this guy:
http://www.oliversacks.com/
I'm sorry, I just don't know a lot.
More scarier they are treating Sensory Processing and sensory/ motor damage patients with antidepressants or Serotonin altering drugs. They did it to my wife about 4 years ago. It put her into acute Serotonin Syndrome. Best description is it would be like giving someone LSD but the trip last for days and can be deadly. Thanks to some Freepers of long ago who posted about SSRI risk and made me think different and some prayer the problem was discovered because the doctors were clueless. The drugs involved were Trazadone {SP} and Zoloft. You give me Paxil or any such drug and I'll have serious problems. We both have sensory damage.This is a thread about Vestibular Dysfunction and I strongly think persons with sensory damage should be made aware in case a doctor tries to treat them for anxiety or depression. Be very carefull.
That's the problem I'm having, having my hearing tested by someone who is in the business of selling hearing aids. I for sure have hearing loss but I wonder if any testers who also sell have ever told anyone that they didn't need a hearing aid.
I checked with my insurer and they will pay a flat $500 once in 36 months. I looked on line at hearing aids, just to get a rough idea of the cost and there is a very wide range of prices.
Ronin: I found this post by using key word "hearing loss", and see that it was posted in '06. Wondering how you are doing and what kind did you get and how much it cost.
By the way, do you wear one or two aids? My loss seems to be equal in both ears. I used to be tested by my company every year when I was working but the last test was about 10 years ago.
Thanks for posting this
To find an audiologist with the least amount of conflict and bias, ask the audiologist if he or she is willing to perform the hearing exam with the understanding that if you do need aids, then you intend to shop for the lowest price from someone other than the person who performed the hearing exam. If not, then go someplace else.
You may also want to contact an ear, nose, and throat doctor and ask for a recommendation. Some doctors do them or contract out to do them, but are not in the business of selling aids.
A third option is find a local college or university that has an audiology type department. Some of these places have clinical programs the are open to the community. If you don't mind offering your ears to students in training, then you will probably get a really objective opinion.
I wear an aid in each ear, although they are separately programmed specicially for each ear. Whether you need one or two will depend upon your hearing loss. Some of the latest, top of the line models actually communicate with each other in an effort to replicate real hearing. Some of them even have blue tooth capability.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.