Coordinating mapping for processor AND hearing aid

[russboltz]

Like some others here (I think) I have bilateral hearing loss, and wear a hearing aid in my left ear (I lost my right ear aid a few months ago and in light of the impending implant surgery, decided not to spend money on a new one). The aid in my left ear is relatively new – about 6 months – and the audiologist doesn’t seem to have it programmed ideally, since I have a lot of “tinny” sound and reverberation still.

I asked the audiologist associated with my forthcoming implant if, as she starts programming my implant (this is mapping?) if she can also program my left ear hearing aid so that they work together optimally. She said she can’t, and that I’ll have to have that done by the hearing aid audiologist.

This seems a bit crazy to me, since first I’ll get one side working (better) and then the other and then back to the first and so on. While testiny/mapping may be unilateral, it seems to me that when I walk out the door, I’m not going to be taking one (processor OR aid) off in order to see which is making sounds less than ideal, and it seems counter-intuitive to “program” them in isolation: While a good conductor might do a practice with his brass section separate from rehearsals with his strings, the symphony only performs as a combination.

Is what I’m saying making any sense?

rusty

[Adam]

Russ, i can see your point. my suggestion would be to start a dialouge both people to try and get some clarification. it might just be a matter of giving you a more detail explanation of how the aid and implant will work together. Maybe email both with your concerns so everybody is on the same page. Heck it might end up a pretty easy fix.

[jpl2ci]

Rusty, you are describing exactly what I went through when one side had an implant and the other side a power HA. Unfortunately the two audiologists were never able to get on the same page. This is not due to any personality conflict but rather due to the fact that you have a HA using one form of sound capture and transmission and a CI performing the exact same function using a different technology. what you can do is share your audiograms and other settings between the two devices so each is aware of the other's status. you might want to get your HA audiologist to get you as "balanced "as possible well before your surgery so that you won't be totally overwhelmed and/or frustrated by your perceived lack of comprehension.  I say perceived because you will be hearing from both sides and trying to reconcile the sound differences between the two sides.  Your brain will adapt!

[russboltz]

Dear John and Adam -

 

thanks for similar posts, each with a little more info. This strikes me as strange, and while MedEd and other manufacturers probably don't see much role for themselves, it would seem that the hospitals would do more, as  their audiologists are very different from most hearing aid dispensers, who spend a lot of their time on replacement/upgrading for people who are very used to what is going on. The Hospitals/CI Audiologists, however, are more of a rehabilitative function, with "newbies" to the CI situation, and having two separate and different sets of people - the CI and the HA offices - is very strange. It's rather as if someone with an amputated foot was told, "We'll help you move your prosthesis forward and back, but if you want to use both legs, you need a different doctor for the other foot. They're in another office. Different appointment. Have fun!" Hearing is (or is supposed to be) bilateral, meeting "in the middle" as a unified system, not an opportunity for "patient ping pong."

 

rusty

[simekj]

Russ you have explained it well but as John says they are different technologies using different systems and this is the reason why they are HA audiologists and CI audiologists.  Technically the CI audiologist could load the software for the HA onto their computer and make the adjustments but they don't because they are specialists with CI and would seldom use the HA programs which would be expensive.  Of course if you had two CI and they were different brands they would have the same problem but at least they are similar systems so programmed accordingly with different functions.  HA is a different problem solving system so not all CI audiologists would be good at programming them and vice versa.  Like John says get the HA sorted as much as you can prior to op.  If its too tinny, get them to turn the high freq soft sounds down and add some bass (not lowest bass).  It might help. If the audiologist still can't do it, I would change HA audiologists.  I had to do that and it was helpful as I found a better one.

Karen

[Adam]

Great advice Karen!! I think you hit the nail on the head