Difficult listening situations which are still difficult

[Mary Beth]

In our journeys we all encounter difficult listening situations. Sometimes those situations remain difficult.

 

What are difficult listening situations for you right now?  

[Jewel]

I have two..... Whenever I'm driving and the car is moving I keep hearing a sound like wind which is just like when you have the windows down and you're driving fast. I am yet to her rid of it. I find it very annoying. 

Secondly, I was in training earlier this week. About 25 people sitting at 6 seater tables. I sat at the front. When everyone was introducing themselves I faced each person and could make out practically everything.... But when someone asked a question during class and the person was sitting behind me, I couldn't make out what they were saying. I had to be pointing my Roger Pen this way and that way and could not make out what was being said a lot of those times. It wasn't practical for me to face the people talking as it was like ping pong! More practice I guess. 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel  I wonder if the sound you are hearing in the car is road noise?  Tires on the road.  If you have an always adaptive program, try that in the car.  It cuts down on road noise a lot.

Hearing people from behind you is best in omni mic setting.  That’s why Med-El recommends omni mic setting for hearing people behind you in the car too.

I don’t remember which mic settings you have.  If you try either of these, let us know if it helps you at all.

Which ear do you have implanted?

You really are doing so well on your journey already.  It’s exciting.

[Mary Featherston]

What @Mary Beth said, I bet it's road noise.  It bothers me far more now with the left ear implanted that it did when I just had the right.

[Jewel]

@Mary Beth

I have a program for all three mic settings. I prefer natural the most. Adaptive is pretty good. To be honest I hate omni. I don't get much from it. It is only great when I am using the Artone to listen to music while at work.

I am not sure which mic setting I used at training on Monday but Tuesday I used the Roger 21 and the pen. So that would mean I was in omni the whole time and I was still having problems hearing people behind me. 

I was out in a plaza last month. My friend was to my right and she was talking to her friend who was to her right. I tried all the programs on my Fine Tuner and still couldn't make out what they were saying unless they turned to me to talk to me. 

I know I have used adaptive in the car but I think I think I still have the wind sound nonetheless. I will try again tomorrow and switch among the three mic settings on my drive to work. 

My left ear was implanted. I was sitting at the long side of a rectangular table which was placed in the 6 o'clock position. So my left ear was toward most of the people in the audience. Others sat at tables that were parallel to mine. I had the same problem for all those people. 

I hope I can convey my problems properly to my audi for my mapping next week. 

[Emily C.]

Gotta say I'm glad I haven't really been in any conference or crowd situations like that, or have to for work... sorry to hear!  Pretty sure I'd /not/ be able to keep up well.  Also pretty sure I know what you mean about the 'wind' sound though... just the road/'whoosh' of the car.  Hopefully it'll tone down.

You really are trying a lot more than me, though!  Like I commented in the wow thread, I know I'm doing okay, just get swirled up sometimes thanks to how my mind gets with "keeping up" with things or "coasting" along, or being 'eager'.  Just tend to be simple in my habits and stay on the default setting instead of often experiment, and what exactly I practice with and how often.

Still frustrating/difficult would definitely be the phone.  Haven't gotten much practice with that yet.  In my sheepish defense, it was impossible at first... you can't understand people when they're even more digital and all high-pitched.  :PP  Ehh.  Thank goodness for still having an aided ear, to pick up the work phone when absolutely no one else can get it.  Except - last month when I was cleaning out that ear (since I /hate/ dry skin/wax), I must've slightly scratched myself on the underside of that curved... 'ridge', whatever you call.  Being as the top of the mold rests inside there, it gradually got so red chafed it hurt to wear it.  Thank goodness for remembering my pair before my last standard BTE's-and-mold were the tiny little ITE's I tried out!  I found them in my drawer, had to buy new batteries and yay, no chafing mold.  Except then I had another problem... I couldn't hear well on the clunky office-style work phone unless I was in T-coil, which I couldn't do with this one cuz I'm not sure where the remote is anymore.  Gah.  😜 ;D   Was proud of myself a couple times managing to squeak by since the person had a deep voice, and just hard being able to press the phone tightly close enough, without getting awful feedback, but... oi, something's gotta change.  Thought nearly two weeks was enough to let my annoyingly-sensitive skin recover, but a few days of wearing the mold again, and I was right back to being super-chafed.  Hate sensitive skin sometimes... it's always ucky from mold by end of the night when I clean it, then dries out.  I did make myself schedule a time to go into the closer local clinic (not my main audi in the city) for a new mold tomorrow, thinking this one is so old, it must be irritating my skin.  We'll see!  Oi... I think the best thing for my skin on my implant side has been not wearing a mold anymore!

And my audiobook that's my main source of practice right now (besides tv shows, since the app is also high-pitched hard) is so much work... if not for promising to follow along the whole time listening to the narrator, I would have been far far ahead by now, leisurely reading at my own pace, wherever I wanted (not just at home where it's easier to listen)!  Because you're trying to 'work at it' by just listening, but then you need to keep track of where you are on the page (since can't catch /everything/ he says), but try not to rely on just reading.... So...  yeah.  Ha.

Ack... well, sorry that went on so long!  Ha... just had a couple different things wanted to comment on, thought would be helpful to share.  Thanks for listening!

[Jewel]

Hey @Emily C.

You're right about the whoosh sounds. 

I'm happy that there is no mould to wear with the CI. I hate wearing things in my ears. 

Have you tried Cochlear's Telephone with Confidence? The telephone has been good for me most of the time except for the odd call here and there where it is like how it was when I didn't have a CI. I'm not sure why some calls come through loud and clear on phones and others it's a struggle. Anyway, I bought a Magic Jack so I can call the 1-800 number for the Telephone with Confidence. I don't use it very often but when I have time I call and follow along. Maybe you can try that. 

I know what you mean with doing audiobooks. It certainly slows me down as I would read faster on my own than when I have to follow someone read the book aloud. 

I still don't make out the telephone very well. I hardly watch though. Maybe it's because the speakers are at the sides instead of at the bottom of the TV. When I do watch I usually have put the Roger Pen in its dock and just place it by one of the speakers. I find that I'm able to make out the Jamaican channels pretty well. They don't have captions. But for the US channels I would still be lost if there weren't captions. 

It's so hard to find time for formal rehab. Secular work is so draining. Sometimes I feel that my progress with the CI is at a standstill cos I'm not doing rehab daily. So it goes! 

I hope your audi sorts out the HA mould issue for you. Take care! 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel  I am glad you like the Natural mic setting.  It is the setting recommended by Med-El as the main program.

When using the Artone (on T) I don’t think we have to change programs to access different mic settings as the sound is not coming through the mics at all.  

Many audiologists encourage us to keep dealing with everyday sounds (like road noise) so our brains learn to ignore it.  That’s easier said than done though.  😊 

Sometimes when using Roger, it becomes more difficult to hear people whose voices are not going through a Roger mic.  Some users have a special program made on their Sonnets only to use with Roger which increases their mic volume to compensate for the decrease in mic volume which Med-El says happens on purpose when the Roger System is used.

 

Good luck at your appt.  safe travels.

[Jewel]

@Mary Beth

Sounds like I need at least five programs on this Fine Tuner! Lol! 

I find that when I am in T and use Omni the sound is best with the Artone. I know what you said but that has been my experience. 

I'm here driving and even in adaptive I am hearing the whoosh sounds. It isn't the engine or tyres. I hear those separately. 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

That is interesting and I believe you.  It just is baffling as the mics are not used in T.  I can only test adaptive on T versus omni on T as I no longer have a natural mic program.  I will experiment tonight and see what happens for me.  Very interesting.

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

Is it your air vents blowing in your car perhaps?

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

 

I just stay in one program 99% of the time. I only use my FineTuner to switch to T.

I like things simple.

[Mary Featherston]

1 hour ago, Mary Beth said:

@Jewel

 

I just stay in one program 99% of the time. I only use my FineTuner to switch to T.

I like things simple.

Same here, I'm in Omni almost all the time.  I use Adaptive in the plant, where the automated machines make a lot of background noise, or in restaurants.  But mostly it's Omni.

[Mary Beth]

@Mary Featherston

I did not realize you prefer omni over Natural too.

[Mary Featherston]

1 hour ago, Mary Beth said:

@Mary Featherston

I did not realize you prefer omni over Natural too.

My audiologist started me on it and I never moved to Natural.  I haven't seen any benefit of Natural - I like pulling sound from all around.

[Emily C.]

Ugh, @Jewel, I know!  (regarding the molds, books, and phone)   The mold, well... that's a long-time on-and-off problem with frustrating skin.  I don't know what other people use, but my skin just gets so dried and sensitive and ucky at the end of a day, wearing it, and I'm particularly picky about cleaning it all out with a damp washcloth, then just picking it off... I try to vary it between a tiny bit of plain lotion, Eucerin, neosporin (if very chafed that day... allergies seem to have a factor too!), and my mom pushed trying just plain vitamin E salve.  I don't know sometimes... even the implanted side still gets a bit of dried skin once in a while, and like I said, it's so much better with not even wearing anything on that side anymore!

I hear ya with the books, too.  I'd rather just read at leisure, ha!  But after getting annoyed/struggling with the less-understandable mickey-mouse-sounding hearing apps, I figured having a more conversational narrator to listen to would at least be okay (kind of like trying to not look at captions on tv shows, but still have them/the actual book there, just in case) and not feel guilty about not practicing (stuff in 'real life' didn't really count - I do just fine there).

Which brings me to the phone, and all your guys current comments on programs.  Ugh, not to feel klutzy with that, too, but... yeah.  Nice to just hear you talk about!  I realize that, like I commented in last post, I'm pretty darn 'simple' as far as just staying on the default setting all the time and can't help but think I should experiment more, or not sure what I'm doing with what instances I would want to switch to which programs.  Such as the phone, obviously being more familiar with t-coil, but it really depends.  My cell I always used with my regular aid, no t-coil (made it sound too tinny).  The work phone is awkward... I'm in a retail department, so our area just has the basic multi-line corded office-style phone all departments have, shared between all of us.  I discovered I heard so much better with my old aid on t-coil, but as I mentioned, I can't 'switch' around with my 'temporary' ITE, and people still sound mickey-mouse unintelligible half the time, using my implant instead, which isn't good when you're taking a customer call. 
Ugh...  I'll see if the guy at the clinic has any thoughts.  Thanks!

[Jewel]

4 hours ago, Mary Beth said:

@Jewel

Is it your air vents blowing in your car perhaps?

@Mary Beth

I don't think so. When the car is stationery I don't hear the whooshing sounds. 

[Jewel]

@Mary Beth

@Mary Featherston

Maybe if I had started with Omni I would love it now. It still comes in useful for the music and Artone. 

I am like Mary Beth in that I could probably stay in Natural or Adaptive all the time. I don't usually have the Fine Tuner with me. 

I will continue to experiment. 

On another note, do you guys view yourselves as disabled even though you have CIs? I think I'm still disabled cos if the battery is dead I am very deaf. Thoughts?

 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

I tested listening to the same song with my Artone neckloop, Sonnets on T...

first using my omni program

then using my adaptive program

These two programs are exactly the same for me except for the mic setting.

They sound exactly the same to me while on T listening to music via the Artone.

 

Is there any chance that your programs in omni and natural are not exactly the same except for mic setting?  Is there a chance your audiologist  adjusted one of them in some way?

 

@Mary Featherston.... are you willing to do the same test using omni and adaptive with your Artone and music and report of you notice a difference?

 

@Jewel Who else on HPs has both natural and omni programs and uses an Artone? 

[Mary Featherston]

2 hours ago, Mary Beth said:

@Jewel

I tested listening to the same song with my Artone neckloop, Sonnets on T...

first using my omni program

then using my adaptive program

These two programs are exactly the same for me except for the mic setting.

They sound exactly the same to me while on T listening to music via the Artone.

 

Is there any chance that your programs in omni and natural are not exactly the same except for mic setting?  Is there a chance your audiologist  adjusted one of them in some way?

 

@Mary Featherston.... are you willing to do the same test using omni and adaptive with your Artone and music and report of you notice a difference?

 

@Jewel Who else on HPs has both natural and omni programs and uses an Artone? 

I could,  @Mary Beth, but I don't know if I'd be able to tell at this stage of rehab with the new one.  I can give it a whirl if you'd like.

[Mary Featherston]

3 hours ago, Jewel said:

@Mary Beth

@Mary Featherston

 

On another note, do you guys view yourselves as disabled even though you have CIs? I think I'm still disabled cos if the battery is dead I am very deaf. Thoughts?

 

I never really did think of myself as disabled.  I had some high-level coping skills and just somehow managed for a long time.  It wasn't till I embarked on my CI journey that I actually came to realize that this isn't just a minor thing, it's a serious disability.  I guess I was good at kidding myself!  

I actually blogged about this back in March:  https://hearinglisten.blogspot.com/2018/03/then-this-occurred-to-me.html

[Mary Beth]

@Mary Featherston

No need to try it.

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

I felt most disabled prior to my first CI surgery.  I had a long standing completely deaf ear and an ear with a severe to profound progressive hearing loss and a very small dynamic range.  That was the period of time that I felt most hindered by my hearing loss.  It was isolating, exhausting, frustrating and depressing.

Then I started my CI journey.  Wow my life changed forever.  Amazing!

Now that I am as deaf as possible......I hear nothing when my processors are off....I actually feel less disabled.  Strange huh?

My audiologist guided my hearing journey so well that by the time it sunk in that I am deaf, I was actually hearing better than I had been for decades.  I am so grateful for the skill, guidance and caring heart of my awesome audiologist.

 

But your point is valid.  Without fully functioning processors, I am completely deaf.  I depend on my processors to hear everyday.  I need them to be consistently reliable.  They are my ears. 

 

I am thankful for my CIs and the return of hearing.

[Mary Beth]

@Al West

I read your comment about phone calls with one CI and one HA.  Does your HA have a telecoil?

[Al West]

My HA has a telecom. I hope to get some ALD help. Phonak seems to be a good source. I"m working with a different audiologist and hope to find an HA that will be powerful enough. The new Phonak Marvel doesn't current have enough power but is rumered to have something pending.

Thanks for your response. I've read about your recent trip - Congratulations! You are very deserving of praise.