Tinnitus, Deafness and Ear Problems Support Group
This group is for those coping with Tinnitus (ringing ears or ear noise), hearing loss, and all ear issues. Join to find support and get advice from others.
I've been cautious to post this but I've had a trial pair of hearing aid / maskers for almost a month now. Tommorrow I either have to return them or purchase them. I am going to purchase them (1500.00/ea) and this is not spare change to me.
I will go as far as saying they are helping me 25% to 35%. My hearing profile is normal hearing in the mid and low ranges but moderate hearing loss (-60db) in the high frequency area accompanied by severe high pitch tinnitus all due to loud noise exposure.
Note: Make sure the GNP doctor tests for high frequency loss. When my t got very bad about 3 years ago I was told after a hearing test by the first GNP that I had normal hearing for a 40 something year old and, "lots of people have t ; live with it."
Anyway, these hearing aid maskers are almost like the first time I knew I needed eye glasses. When I borrowed a friends glasses I could see little things like numbers on baseball uniforms, details in the landscape, and speed limit signs and traffic patterns clearly again.
With these new hearing devices the sound of this keyboard tapping, new sounds in traffic, new sounds in the super market, the treble sounds in music, even my own footsteps sound 25% to 35% new to me. When the batteries die I know it immediately when I'm in a noisy place.
Many of you know I've been wearing hearing sound generators (with no hearing amplification) for almost 3 years now. With these new devices, I can turn the white noise that these generate almost to the volume level of "0". I do keep it a "0.5" in quiet situations. The highest volume number is "3" on these things. With the old devices I had the volume up about a 1/3rd of the way most of the time, 2/3rds on a real bad day.
Sorry for the long post so I'll continue...
If your hearing profile sounds simular to mine, you should be able to get a free trial with these. I did try regular hearing aids (no masking) when my t got real bad and I didn't think they helped that much. Maybe the technology has gotten even better (probably has). I think in the early days I was so terrified of mega t that nothing was going to help. (mrocky5 if you're still out there, you helped me deal with the big t more than you know).
In the past year or two I was affraid to try these with fear that they would do no good and I might fall back towards despair again. That was a foolish thought. The only slight issue so far is a feedback sound if lay on one side on a pillow or if I scratch my head by an ear...really not a big deal.
They are from Amplisound Hearing and Sound Products. The model # AHPS 9S2633
Got to go know now... I'm going to appreciate the new sounds in the local convience store while I hold them up trying to get funding for these new devices. I haven't heard what I've been missing in the sounds of sirens yet.
I will go as far as saying they are helping me 25% to 35%. My hearing profile is normal hearing in the mid and low ranges but moderate hearing loss (-60db) in the high frequency area accompanied by severe high pitch tinnitus all due to loud noise exposure.
Note: Make sure the GNP doctor tests for high frequency loss. When my t got very bad about 3 years ago I was told after a hearing test by the first GNP that I had normal hearing for a 40 something year old and, "lots of people have t ; live with it."
Anyway, these hearing aid maskers are almost like the first time I knew I needed eye glasses. When I borrowed a friends glasses I could see little things like numbers on baseball uniforms, details in the landscape, and speed limit signs and traffic patterns clearly again.
With these new hearing devices the sound of this keyboard tapping, new sounds in traffic, new sounds in the super market, the treble sounds in music, even my own footsteps sound 25% to 35% new to me. When the batteries die I know it immediately when I'm in a noisy place.
Many of you know I've been wearing hearing sound generators (with no hearing amplification) for almost 3 years now. With these new devices, I can turn the white noise that these generate almost to the volume level of "0". I do keep it a "0.5" in quiet situations. The highest volume number is "3" on these things. With the old devices I had the volume up about a 1/3rd of the way most of the time, 2/3rds on a real bad day.
Sorry for the long post so I'll continue...
If your hearing profile sounds simular to mine, you should be able to get a free trial with these. I did try regular hearing aids (no masking) when my t got real bad and I didn't think they helped that much. Maybe the technology has gotten even better (probably has). I think in the early days I was so terrified of mega t that nothing was going to help. (mrocky5 if you're still out there, you helped me deal with the big t more than you know).
In the past year or two I was affraid to try these with fear that they would do no good and I might fall back towards despair again. That was a foolish thought. The only slight issue so far is a feedback sound if lay on one side on a pillow or if I scratch my head by an ear...really not a big deal.
They are from Amplisound Hearing and Sound Products. The model # AHPS 9S2633
Got to go know now... I'm going to appreciate the new sounds in the local convience store while I hold them up trying to get funding for these new devices. I haven't heard what I've been missing in the sounds of sirens yet.
You go John
Hey tell us if your tinnitus changes ----
And I am getting custom molds -- apparently it helps keep them more still on your head so the movement noise improves.
By day the improved hearing allows natural sounds to better mask t. T isn't the loudest sound I hear in the grocery store anymore. Other times a gentle white noise can be heard which to me is not unpleasing. By having places other than the shower and sleep to escape the eeeeeeeee, it makes things much more bearable - kind of like years ago (before my t got loud) when had a milder form of t and would have thought anyone who complained about t to be a sissy and a whimp.
MandieGrace,
There were much more expesive models available. Mine do not play wind chimes, music, or nature sounds - just white noise and amplification - both which I can adjust myself. The amplification is designed for the high frequencies.
Today, I forgot I had T when I woke up and have just played my shower noise and not the chimes today.
It was just too good to cover up with the zen chimes.
My doc will gripe at me.
She told me to play the chimes four hours a day to keep my brain reprogramming the audio cortex or whatever to filter out the tinnitus.
After obeying her for 14 days, now that I have a windfall of low tinnitus - what do I do? I turn off the chimes and run around celebrating.
My brain can no longer discern the white noise program from the tinnitus - can you believe that happened in 15 days?????
My brain is so used to the low shower sound - which mixes with the tinnitus - it doesn't pay much attention to either.
I better start doing my chimes again - I am supposed to do that for at least six months.
I hope people can get what you got for the price you got it - that is a small price to pay for help.
Also, guys be warned - I have been told repeatedly and have read repeatedly, if you have tinnitus in one ear - and you only get sound therapy for that ear - people have woken up with tinnitus in the other ear -
Just be sure to ask questions about this - I have been told to never do sound therapy in one ear UNLESS you are deaf in the other ear.
You wouldn't believe this - my audiologist plugs my left ear with wax for my ear tube fitting on the hearing aids - my tinnitus shifted completely to the other ear in that moment.
I looked at her and said, "can you believe that?"
So just be careful - to get worse from this treatment -
But it is tempting to try that because then you only pay half the price - for one instrument ....
Just ask all the questions when researching this - You may need one hearing aid/masker on one ear and just a simple masker on the other ear - which has no damage.
God bless everybody
They are from Amplisound Hearing and Sound Products. The model # AHPS 9S2633