It was my first day back in the office today. I didn't bother wearing my hearing aids on the drive in. Actually, that's not a hundred percent true, I wore them for a bit but the road noise swirled in an out around me and the music on the stereo seemed to jump from ear to ear so I took them out.
The office was a different story altogether. I always leave my door open, so people can drop in whenever they want and also so I can listen in on my team. Not in a sinister way, but sometimes you pick up on things taht you can jump in and help with. The trouble with that theory is I can't really hear what they are saying. So I popped in the hearing aids and it was like magic. These things are great when you are in a quiet place and you need to hear speech at distance. In many ways I guess it was like watching the telly late at night with the sound on low; or being at the theatre.
So I sat there listening to the clickety click of my computer keyboard and the daily challenges faced by my team.
I found I was less tired and in a better mood by the end of the day. I felt more focussed and productive.
On the way home decided to give the hearing aids another go in the car. This time I selected an album that I knew had lots of bass. It did sound better. I enjoyed it more. Some of the higher percussion sounds where more obvious. In fact, on some tracks it was like hearing them for the first time all over again - a bit like a remix.
When I arrived home I kept them in and did some bits in the garden, watched some telly and then headed to bed.
This was essentially my first full day of wearing hearing aids and I enjoyed the experience.
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Monday, 5 July 2010
Day Six - My New Hearing Aids
As each day passes I realise the importance of using my new hearing aids selectively. There are things that they are great for and others you should discuss further with your hearing aid audiologist. I normally struggle to hold anything approaching more than an exchange of misinterpreted and repeated words with my wife when I am washing the dishes in the kitchen and she is in the living room or upstairs.
Initially I was hoping the these hearing aids would address this but; whilst I can now tell what she is saying without irritating her by constantly asking for a repeat... or answering completely the wrong question; the sound of the dishes, cutlery and pans clattering on to the draining rack is far way much to handle. I'm guessing this is both a combination of the high frequency noises being too loud and/or me not being used to hearing them with such sharpness.
This was a similar experience to the supermarket yesterday. I took the hearing aids out and continued to wash up without them. Immediately I was more comfortable although I was straight back to, "What's that dear?!".
However, that was when it struck me. Buying hearing aids is not a quick fix answer. You have to make some changes to your life too. So I have taken a big decision to solve my washing up problem... I shall buy a dishwasher. Problem solved! :o)
Initially I was hoping the these hearing aids would address this but; whilst I can now tell what she is saying without irritating her by constantly asking for a repeat... or answering completely the wrong question; the sound of the dishes, cutlery and pans clattering on to the draining rack is far way much to handle. I'm guessing this is both a combination of the high frequency noises being too loud and/or me not being used to hearing them with such sharpness.
This was a similar experience to the supermarket yesterday. I took the hearing aids out and continued to wash up without them. Immediately I was more comfortable although I was straight back to, "What's that dear?!".
However, that was when it struck me. Buying hearing aids is not a quick fix answer. You have to make some changes to your life too. So I have taken a big decision to solve my washing up problem... I shall buy a dishwasher. Problem solved! :o)
Friday, 2 July 2010
Day Five - My New Hearing Aids
Although it’s a Saturday I'm up early at six. I decide to nip off to ASDA to get some bits in. I fancy a nice breakfast. So I pop in the hearing aids and head off to the supermarket. The car sounds different, as you'd expect. The thing I notice the most is my wedding ring clinking against the gear stick. It normally sounds like a big old wingnut but today sounds more like a fine piece of crystal. When I get to the supermarket I don't enjoy the experience at all.
To be fair, I hate the supermarket at the best of times and there is a lot of psychology in how you hear things. Because I'm so early they are sorting the store ready for the Saturday onslaught. It's a 24 hour store but the shop is still very busy even at 7am. The first thing a notice is mele of swirling noises that I find a bit disorientating.
There's a ride on floor cleaner with a big flashing orange light on the front and a constant safety beeping alert. Within seconds its driving me mad as no matter where I stand it seems like its sitting on my shoulders. I realise that this is an issue with directionality that comes in various degrees depending on what type of hearing aids you are using.
I head downstairs and I can still hear it. Now I only have a mild hearing loss so there are times when I want to use my hearing aids and times when I don't. I take them out and immediately I can relax. My sense of direction comes back and I spend the rest of my shopping trip pottering around the store quite happily... Well, as happy as one can be at the supermarket.
Time for breakfast now, fresh fruit, belgian waffles and creme fresh. Yum!
To be fair, I hate the supermarket at the best of times and there is a lot of psychology in how you hear things. Because I'm so early they are sorting the store ready for the Saturday onslaught. It's a 24 hour store but the shop is still very busy even at 7am. The first thing a notice is mele of swirling noises that I find a bit disorientating.
There's a ride on floor cleaner with a big flashing orange light on the front and a constant safety beeping alert. Within seconds its driving me mad as no matter where I stand it seems like its sitting on my shoulders. I realise that this is an issue with directionality that comes in various degrees depending on what type of hearing aids you are using.
I head downstairs and I can still hear it. Now I only have a mild hearing loss so there are times when I want to use my hearing aids and times when I don't. I take them out and immediately I can relax. My sense of direction comes back and I spend the rest of my shopping trip pottering around the store quite happily... Well, as happy as one can be at the supermarket.
Time for breakfast now, fresh fruit, belgian waffles and creme fresh. Yum!
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Day Four - My New Hearing Aids
Today was the real test for my new hearing aids. I didn't have to ask my wife to repeat herself once today. In the car I could understand what she was saying and I didn't even have to look at her. Even when we switched on the radio I could still hold a conversation with her. I could also hear everythig that the DJ was saying, which was unusual. Normally I have to turn the radio right up to compete with the road noise... until she tells me to turn it down. But today I didn't go near the volume control once - not for the radio or the telly. In fact, it was her that turned the telly up, which scretly made me smile seeing as she's the one that always moans.
We ended up spending most of the day at home and is was strange to experience a fmailiar environment in such a different way.
"What was that?" I kept asked.
"The woman next door" she'd reply.
These hearing aids are so powerful I can hear through walls. Superman has nothing on me!
The jangle of my keys and the clacking noise they make going into the locks was fantastic. I did it a few times just to I could ear it again and again.
I still have my voice sounding a bit big and booming but that's ok because I know my hearing aid audiologist will be adjust that for me next week.
What I didn't realise was how much my feet, knees and writs click when I'm moving around the house. I sound like a walking packet of Rice Crispies.
I suspect that perhaps the high frequencies of the hearing aids is set just a wee tad too loud. It's not in the least bit uncomfortable but all the swishing and clicking noises are a little unnatural feeling. This may be just the fact that I am getting used to new sounds all over again or my hearing aid dispenser may need to adjust ever so slightly. In many ways I can understand why having hearing aids is a journey rather than just sticking something in your ear and making do.
I've heard that some private (and state funding) places fit your hearing aid and then never see you again. That doesn't seem right so I did looked it up on the internet. There are lots of blogs and forums out there where people like us can get advice and share ideas and experiences. Sure enough, I read a lot of negative press about hearing aids from people who had received new ones and then ended up shoving them in a drawer and never using them again. This doesn't make sense to me. My life is better already in 4 days and I can't be the exception to the rule.
I'm going to keep a note of all my thoughts and experiences and share them with Victoria next time I see her so she can make some more adjustments to get my hearing aids even better. For example - I can hear the birds singing outside but I can't hear my cats purring anymore... I can without the hearing aids so there's obviously a change to make with my bass settings.
Right, I'm off to bed. Up early tomorrow for a day of gardening. And they say Rock and Roll is dead!
See you soon.
We ended up spending most of the day at home and is was strange to experience a fmailiar environment in such a different way.
"What was that?" I kept asked.
"The woman next door" she'd reply.
These hearing aids are so powerful I can hear through walls. Superman has nothing on me!
The jangle of my keys and the clacking noise they make going into the locks was fantastic. I did it a few times just to I could ear it again and again.
I still have my voice sounding a bit big and booming but that's ok because I know my hearing aid audiologist will be adjust that for me next week.
What I didn't realise was how much my feet, knees and writs click when I'm moving around the house. I sound like a walking packet of Rice Crispies.
I suspect that perhaps the high frequencies of the hearing aids is set just a wee tad too loud. It's not in the least bit uncomfortable but all the swishing and clicking noises are a little unnatural feeling. This may be just the fact that I am getting used to new sounds all over again or my hearing aid dispenser may need to adjust ever so slightly. In many ways I can understand why having hearing aids is a journey rather than just sticking something in your ear and making do.
I've heard that some private (and state funding) places fit your hearing aid and then never see you again. That doesn't seem right so I did looked it up on the internet. There are lots of blogs and forums out there where people like us can get advice and share ideas and experiences. Sure enough, I read a lot of negative press about hearing aids from people who had received new ones and then ended up shoving them in a drawer and never using them again. This doesn't make sense to me. My life is better already in 4 days and I can't be the exception to the rule.
I'm going to keep a note of all my thoughts and experiences and share them with Victoria next time I see her so she can make some more adjustments to get my hearing aids even better. For example - I can hear the birds singing outside but I can't hear my cats purring anymore... I can without the hearing aids so there's obviously a change to make with my bass settings.
Right, I'm off to bed. Up early tomorrow for a day of gardening. And they say Rock and Roll is dead!
See you soon.
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Day Three - My New Hearing Aids
Today I am flying. I'm not planning on wearing my hearing aids today. They are perfectly safe to fly in, because the have pressure vents, but to be honest I'd prefer to enjoy silence today rather than a heightened sense of hearing.
My plan is to wear my Tunz Trios (triple driver professional headphones) made from the same ear moulds as my Starkey S Series S11's. I bought these because I can now listen to my iPod on one third of the volume compared with my old in-ear headphones. Because my volume is reduced I also use less power so I get hours more from is as long as I switch the backlight off.
The headphones block off the bowl of my ear completely so I can't hear the engines or the crying toddler behind me. Hearing is great but sometimes not hearing is just as nice.
I choose to have my hearing aids when I want them. I see no need to be shackled to them. The whole point is that they make your life better. I have that as a promise with Ascent Hearing - if they don't change my life, I get my money back.
So, on with the iPod, do I go with War of The Worlds or Dark Side of the Moon? Tomorrow I have a day off so I'm looking forward to finding out how I get on in the car and at a restaurant with my wife.
Until then... Adieu.
My plan is to wear my Tunz Trios (triple driver professional headphones) made from the same ear moulds as my Starkey S Series S11's. I bought these because I can now listen to my iPod on one third of the volume compared with my old in-ear headphones. Because my volume is reduced I also use less power so I get hours more from is as long as I switch the backlight off.
The headphones block off the bowl of my ear completely so I can't hear the engines or the crying toddler behind me. Hearing is great but sometimes not hearing is just as nice.
I choose to have my hearing aids when I want them. I see no need to be shackled to them. The whole point is that they make your life better. I have that as a promise with Ascent Hearing - if they don't change my life, I get my money back.
So, on with the iPod, do I go with War of The Worlds or Dark Side of the Moon? Tomorrow I have a day off so I'm looking forward to finding out how I get on in the car and at a restaurant with my wife.
Until then... Adieu.
Monday, 28 June 2010
Day Two - My New Hearing Aids
I'm on business trips today with a load of colleagues. We are all packed in to a minibus so this should be a good test of the Voice IQ software. Normally I'll just sit there and smile a lot. Or, if I'm unlucky enough to be engaged in a conversation I'll try and pick up the key words they are using and then nod a lot and try to find the right way to respond when they pause for a moment. And to think, people call me a good listener!
At first I don't really notice much. I've got the road noise, the engine, the radio and four different conversations. But I do seem to be holding my own. I'm not convinced though, I was expecting something more profound, but everything sounds fairly similar to normal... Apart from the newspaper in the back which - can hear above everyone's voices.
So I take the hearing aids out and try to hold a conversation. I don't really notice much change in the quality of sound but I do notice myself starting to feel that familiar "I've been concentrating too hard" tired feeling. So I pop the hearing aids back in again and it's like someone has just polished everything up with a duster. It's a strange thing, you can't quite put your finger on it but something is better - easier.
One thing I'm not comfortable with the sound of my own voice. It sounds like I've got my fingers in my ears and up my nose. Everyone tells me that I'm talking very quietly and that they're struggling to hear me... a strange irony. I ring the centre. As I call, the hearing aid in the ear I'm holding the mobile to gives a funny little bleep bleep and kicks automatically into phone mode) and I hold the clearest phone conversation I've ever had. Victoria tells me that the strange sensation I'm experiencing with my voice is due to occlusion - this is a phenomenum that you can get with custom hearing aids where your voice has too much bass. She tells me that's fine and she will adjust the occlusion filter at my next appointment.
As I go through the day I notice the new sounds less and less until everything feels completely normal but that's how fast the human brain adapts. I have been started on level one of five but I have to say I feel ready for level two already.
At first I don't really notice much. I've got the road noise, the engine, the radio and four different conversations. But I do seem to be holding my own. I'm not convinced though, I was expecting something more profound, but everything sounds fairly similar to normal... Apart from the newspaper in the back which - can hear above everyone's voices.
So I take the hearing aids out and try to hold a conversation. I don't really notice much change in the quality of sound but I do notice myself starting to feel that familiar "I've been concentrating too hard" tired feeling. So I pop the hearing aids back in again and it's like someone has just polished everything up with a duster. It's a strange thing, you can't quite put your finger on it but something is better - easier.
One thing I'm not comfortable with the sound of my own voice. It sounds like I've got my fingers in my ears and up my nose. Everyone tells me that I'm talking very quietly and that they're struggling to hear me... a strange irony. I ring the centre. As I call, the hearing aid in the ear I'm holding the mobile to gives a funny little bleep bleep and kicks automatically into phone mode) and I hold the clearest phone conversation I've ever had. Victoria tells me that the strange sensation I'm experiencing with my voice is due to occlusion - this is a phenomenum that you can get with custom hearing aids where your voice has too much bass. She tells me that's fine and she will adjust the occlusion filter at my next appointment.
As I go through the day I notice the new sounds less and less until everything feels completely normal but that's how fast the human brain adapts. I have been started on level one of five but I have to say I feel ready for level two already.
Day One - My New Hearing Aids
OK, so I've had the hearing test, the ear mould impression and the mandatory ticking off from my hearing aid dispenser for having my headphones too loud when I was younger. If you want to read about my back story then click here and I'll tell you how I got to be here today.
Right then, day one! I have ordered my Starkey S Series S11 with Voice IQ software (I always get all the gadgets so why break the habit of a lifetime). I opted for C.I.C. (Completely in the canal) hearing aids, with clear shells and faceplate because they look pretty cool (not that you can really see them when they are in). I'm not a fan of the flesh tone ones, besides, I'm only 39 and I have nothing to be ashamed of - just because I struggle to hear the telly or hold conversations in a crowd doesn't make me an invalid so I'll wear my 'secret agent' listening devices with pride.
I have turned up at the hearing aid centre for my fitting. I am lucky that my hearing aid audiologist is one of the best in the country. You'd think you'd get that as standard in the UK when you go private but the truth is that, although they are all registered with the Health Professions Council, there are still some sharks out there - so beware. That's why I chose Ascent, because they only employ the cream of the crop.
We sit down and she gets the hearing aids out, this is the first time I have seen them. I'm pretty impressed, but like I said, I love my gadgets. Sizewise, they are about the same as the nail on my index finger.
The first thing she does is check my ears. As per usual, they are clear and infection free. I also win brownie points for not using cotton buds since I last saw her - that was another ticking off, apparently you should "never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ears"...unless it's a hearing aid.
OK, so my ears get the all clear. Now we can get on with the business of programming them. I didn't know until today that my hearing aids have Pentium processors in them! For the none teckie types amongst you that means I have the latest computers in my ears - wow.
I'm pleased because they fit like a glove, in fact they are so comfortable you'd hardly know they are there. She describes some of the features and tricks that they do but like any normal person, I don't really remember it all. Thank heavens for the booklet I picked up, from my last visit, that reminds me of everything the S Series 11 can do.
My hearing aid dispenser (by the way, her name is Victoria) takes them out of my ears and plugs some wires into the hearing aids. She also threads a couple of tubes through them. Victoria tells me that she is about to conduct "Real Ear Measurement". Basically this means that the computer is going to test the noise in the space between my hearing aids and my ear drums. This helps find the right volume levels and also assists the feedback cancellation software (the clever stuff that stops our hearing aids from whistling).
They immediately start talking to the computer on her desk. Not literally, but you can see things blinking and strange looking graphs moving around.
We put the hearing aids back in my ears (they still have the wires attached to the computer).
Now she tells me to be quiet, I'm quite the chatterbox. The computer begins a series of tests that involve playing weird sounds into my ears. I don't need to do anything other than sit there and not say anything. After a couple of minutes the bleeps and fizzy noises stop, they're not loud, surprising or uncomfortable.
Some more bleeps and squeaks and then I'm proved wrong- hearing aids actually do talk. Victoria simulates my batteries running out. A funnily little voice says, "low battery". We're done with the set up.
My new hearing aids have now been born and are wide awake.
It is time for my hearing aids and I to "become one". I'm told that these are non-surgical implants and that I must treat them as a part of me. I used to love watching The Six Million Dollar Man when I was a kid. Now I am bionic for life and it didn't cost me anything like six million - just the price of a quick holiday!
Victoria shows me the computer screen where I can see some graphs - one for each hearing aid. We start by chatting and for the first time I notice that there are sounds in my ears that I hadn't noticed earlier.
"What's that annoying high pitched buzzing noise?" I ask.
"I'm sorry," says Victoria, "that's the fan. I'll switch it off." She does so and it goes away.
"What's that other buzzing noise?"
"That's the fan in the computer. I can't switch that off." She says, beaming from ear to ear with a cheeky glint in her eye.
We chat a bit more and I tell her about the things that I'm hearing and how they are bouncing around from each ear.
Victoria clicks a couple of times on the mouse and the sounds in the room become more natural. All the time she's asking me very specific questions like, "How do my S's sound?" She even tells me a couple of limericks.
Then we do some more tests with bleeps again. They go up in scales and it reminds me of my piano lessons when I was a kid. This part of the programming is designed to make sure that some noises aren't too loud for me.
All the time Victoria is using her mouse to adjust the hearing aids. The mouse sounds more "clicky" than usual, it's quite nice, I like it.
She disconnects the hearing aids from the computer, pops the batteries in and I stick them in again.
Now we go outside into the street. Victoria is very, gentle and caring, she talks to me constantly in an assuring manner, explaining that this might sound a bit like that and so on.
The only way I can describe to you what the outside world sounded like is, brighter, sunnier. I don't think the weather had changed but it seemed to have a strange psychological effect on me. I genuinely think that I was seeing colours brighter and crisper - that's just my experience and you'll have your own so don't use my experience as a yardstick. We are all different so you need to go and find your own sunshine. As for the sounds, well the world sounded sharper, more defined... and happier.
So that was the fitting session over. I booked in with the receptionist to return in a week for a follow up adjustment and I'm off into the sunset.
For the rest of the day I take every opportunity to "taste" the new sounds I'm hearing. Crispy newspapers, the swish of my hands on the fabric of my trousers, the scrunch of a zip - I didn't realise zips sounded so amazing. At the end of the day I was sorry to take them out but sleep beckons and so does tomorrow. See you then. Nitey nite.
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