Hearing

[Charlie_D_]

Posting here as the RVing with disabilities forum seem to get few posts. I am aware that some of you may respond with something like "this forum is not the place to get medical advise":)

So here goes: I have tinnitus and hearing loss. I wear hearing aids that are several years old. I absolutely hate the back ground music on TV programs and it drowns out the voices. Because of that I can not hear or understand much of what is being said. So frustrating and turning up the hearing aid or TV volume does little to help.

Question for those who wear aids and have the same or similar problems. Have any of you come across a way or technology to reduce the back ground music? My aids do not have Bluetooth although I will soon be seeing an Audiologist and will ask that question. I can hear and understand live broadcasts better but of course they almost never have background music.

[Scottiemom]

We full time and DH just got hearing aids a few months ago. He probably has the start of Minier's disease which runs in his family. The hiss was driving him nuts. He went to Sam's Club because he wanted to be able to get them serviced anywhere. That was such a good decision on his part because in the beginning, he did have several adjustments to make.

I just asked him and he said he background noises are not a problem for him. . . he doesn't notice them. He has several adjustments he can make himself. We were out to eat last night in a very upscale, but VERY noisy restaurant. So noisy I could not hear the friend next to me. He said he turned them all the way down and he was fine and he still could hear when I spoke with him. And best of all, most of the hiss is gone for him.

Dale

[edatlanta]

Charlie D. wrote:
Posting here as the RVing with disabilities forum seem to get few posts. I am aware that some of you may respond with something like "this forum is not the place to get medical advise":)

So here goes: I have tinnitus and hearing loss. I wear hearing aids that are several years old. I absolutely hate the back ground music on TV programs and it drowns out the voices. Because of that I can not hear or understand much of what is being said. So frustrating and turning up the hearing aid or TV volume does little to help.

Question for those who wear aids and have the same or similar problems. Have any of you come across a way or technology to reduce the back ground music? My aids do not have Bluetooth although I will soon be seeing an Audiologist and will ask that question. I can hear and understand live broadcasts better but of course they almost never have background music.

Here is the response from CBS about a program I couldn't hear well in 2015. This procedure does help. I have the Phonak ComPilot/TV-Link and that helps a lot also.

"Thank you for writing to CBS. We appreciate your comments about the audio mix on THE AMAZING RACE and will share them with the producers of the program. Occasionally, we have found that viewers who experience an overly loud background music playback sometimes have a stereo television and that the "front surround" feature is activated. This would move the rear surround, usually music and sound effects, information to the main speakers. We have found that some cable remotes have crossover signals (for instance their DVR button) which activate the "Front Surround" on the adjacent television set.

The "Front Surround" feature can be turned off via your remote control, accessing MENU, and then the audio or sound profile. Set "Front Surround" to "OFF."

We hope this information has been helpful. In the meantime, we will alert the editors and producers to your comments.

Cordially,

Ray Faiola
Director,
CBS Audience Services"

[2oldman]

Charlie D. wrote:
I have the Oticon via the VA.

Which aren't likely state of the art. My hearing impaired father used to complain about the music too, something I never noticed with normal hearing.

[KCFDCapt]

I have a set of Phonak aids with the ComPilot. So does the DW. She uses the TV link. I have a new set on order that eliminate the ComPilot.

So much for hearing aids. We both have a very difficult time understanding the TV audio. I went to the Video control panel and found various program categories. I selected different items and listen to the sound. Amazing difference. When I selected "sports event" the background music was quite a bit less. We can hear and understand much better now. Try different settings on your TV and you may hear better.

[NavManCan]

fj12ryder wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:

2oldman wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:
I have no hearing aids or psaps but am considering several.

x2. I'm not there yet even after years of playing in rock bands, but the technology is probably pretty good.

OP may want to look into an upgrade.

I was looking at a pair of the "Six Million Dollar Man" ITE models. They're sort of in the gray area between a hearing aid and a PSAP, but they say they're FDA approved as hearing aids. I have low to moderate hearing loss (from my music choices like Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, etc.) also from playing in a few garage bands, and they look like they might help, with 4 different programs/volume levels available. They're also not overly expensive. Compared to full blown audiologist approved hearing aids.

Absolutely make sure you take full advantage of a long trial period. Sometimes the aids will feel fine initially but become painful after several days of wearing them all day. Just remember if they are uncomfortable you won't use them, and you'll just have wasted your money. I've seen it a number of times with relative.

If i do get them, and they improve my hearing even a little, I'll endure the pain. I often get tired of being the "before" guy in the commercials all the time.

[Charlie_D_]

I have the Oticon via the VA. I have had Tinnitus for so long I have become accustomed to the point I don't consider it a big bother.

One or more of you commented on consonants. During my last exam and testing that was my main issue. I have noticed that if I cup my hands at my ears with the aids in the voices are clearer.

It's the background music on taped shows that bothers me. You would think that when programs are edited and background music added they would realize how loud it is. May be a conspiracy?

[BarneyS]

Myredracer,
I also have Phonak hearing aids (Audeo B90)and the TV connector via bluetooth. It is amazing how well you can hear the TV using that device. Also, the wife can mute the TV during a phone call, or listen to it at her comfort level without affecting my listening at all.

The only drawback to it would be that you have to wear that necklace around your neck. I just tuck it under my shirt. I would urge you to try it out since you already have it and am pretty sure you will come back here and thank me. :B
Barney

[BB_TX]

You can return hearing aids within 45 days of receiving them for full refund if you find they are not suitable for you.

[2012Coleman]

Hearing Aid technology has advanced in seven years. Maybe you will benefit from something newer. Good luck.

[myredracer]

I have been wearing hearing aids a long time due to loss at higher frequencies (and mild tinnitus). Listening to TV was always a problem with them because some speech involves sounds with high freq. like consonants and I'd often miss words.

Couple of years ago I got some new fancy digital Phonak ones (not cheap!). What a difference! They take high frequencies and "downshifts" them into a somewhat lower freq. range that you can hear better. Not a perfect solution but much better than the old ones (around 10+ years old). Costco had the best prices we could find.

Hearing aids have improved a lot in just the past few years. The various manufacturers have apps for dealing with tinnitus that may or may not help. You need to see an audiologist for an up to date assessment. I have a bluetooth adapter for the TV but have never used it.

[fj12ryder]

MDKMDK wrote:

2oldman wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:
I have no hearing aids or psaps but am considering several.

x2. I'm not there yet even after years of playing in rock bands, but the technology is probably pretty good.

OP may want to look into an upgrade.

I was looking at a pair of the "Six Million Dollar Man" ITE models. They're sort of in the gray area between a hearing aid and a PSAP, but they say they're FDA approved as hearing aids. I have low to moderate hearing loss (from my music choices like Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, etc.) also from playing in a few garage bands, and they look like they might help, with 4 different programs/volume levels available. They're also not overly expensive. Compared to full blown audiologist approved hearing aids.

Absolutely make sure you take full advantage of a long trial period. Sometimes the aids will feel fine initially but become painful after several days of wearing them all day. Just remember if they are uncomfortable you won't use them, and you'll just have wasted your money. I've seen it a number of times with relative.

[fj12ryder]

The only way I know of that hearing aids "help" with tinnitus is make the ambient sounds louder and drown out the tinnitus. AFAIK, that's about the only "treatment" for tinnitus, depending of course on the reason for the tinnitus. Some ear infections and other medical problems can cause tinnitus, which may be able to be mitagated medically.

I have the Oticon with the Streamer. The Streamer broadcasts to the hearing aids using FM radio, and it receives using Bluetooth. It helps by eliminating outside noise while listening to TV or telephone. But unfortunately it doesn't help much with the music that plays over the dialogue on TV. The Oticon hearing aids also have different programs that you can use to somewhat fine tune how they work. But it is only moderately successful.

Personally I doubt that anything can really be done without making the aids pretty large and even more expensive. You'd need some kind of programmable software to sort out sounds and frequencies. Not much really works excellently.

[MDKMDK]

Vw triker wrote:
have tinnitus and hearing loss as well, I have an appointment next week to get it checked out. How do hearing aids help with tinnitus? The hearing loss I can deal with, it's not "that" bad, the wife would disagree, but....the tinnitus is driving me nuts.

Some tinnitus can be caused by some of today's OTC drugs, Ibuprofen/Advil, for one. After I found out it was a potential side effect, I stopped taking Ibuprofen and my tinnitus stopped.

[MDKMDK]

2oldman wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:
I have no hearing aids or psaps but am considering several.

x2. I'm not there yet even after years of playing in rock bands, but the technology is probably pretty good.

OP may want to look into an upgrade.

I was looking at a pair of the "Six Million Dollar Man" ITE models. They're sort of in the gray area between a hearing aid and a PSAP, but they say they're FDA approved as hearing aids. I have low to moderate hearing loss (from my music choices like Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, etc.) also from playing in a few garage bands, and they look like they might help, with 4 different programs/volume levels available. They're also not overly expensive. Compared to full blown audiologist approved hearing aids.