"Lyric" Hearing Aid Trial

What's unclear to me is whether they expect the end user to be able to remove it and put it back in again on their own.

If only audiologists/docs can do that, then I'm concerned about having something stuck very near my ear drum that I can't access. What if it itches, gets infected, malfunctions (say after it gets watered), blocks wax...

On the other hand, if I have the ability to take it out and put it in, I'm not sure I'll have the right dexterity to place it in the right spot and not damage my ear drum.

Of course occlusion effect and canal irritation are always an issue too, not unlike all the other RIC-types.

 

You can take it out yourself, but can’t put it in. You get a tool to do so.

Also you can’t go swimming without ear plugs, as water could damage it. You can shower with it tho.

 

Good to know. How does the tool ensure that you don't end up pushing the device a bit too far when you try to take it out?

 

Gooood question. I think this video explains it.

I am weary of doing some damage trying to remove it myself, now that you mention it. Also the thing sits right next to your eardrum, so I'm a bit worried it could perforate it.

How to remove Lyric hearing aids

 

Thanks for the info Drone Draper. I'd love to be brave enough to try it, but I'd be very nervous about having injections in my ear. If something goes wrong it could cause some serious damage. Do you think it's safe?

Also, I'm not sure I'd qualify. I do have high frequency hearing loss in one ear, but it's not a massive loss. Just quite significant for my age apparently (I'm 29).

 

The safety was verified of the Phase 1 trial. People please correct me if I’m wrong.

I would jump on it if I could.

 

Just found this hidden at the bottom of the page you linked to:

If you also suffer from tinnitus, and this is more of a problem to you than your hearing loss, you will not be eligible to take part.

So I suppose I would definitely be ruled out

 

They also sent me a participation form, which stated;

"Risks of delivering the drug by injection
The injections will be carried out by experienced ENT surgeons within the research team. The risks of the
method of delivery, by injection through the eardrum, are known. They include:
• Change in hearing: There is a very small risk that your hearing may get worse. This happens in less
than 1% of patients. Tinnitus (head noise) may be temporarily more pronounced or tinnitus may
develop.
• Change in balance: Some temporary unsteadiness or dizziness may occur during the first few days
after the procedure. In rare cases, the unsteadiness may last for more than a few days or be
permanent.
• Facial nerve function: A very rare complication of the injection is temporary or permanent weakness
of the face.
• Change in taste: A temporary change in taste and/or a dry mouth may occur.
• Eardrum perforation: A perforation (hole) in the eardrum membrane may develop in less than 1%
of patients.
"

I

 

At least they are claiming any increase would be temporary. I'm seeing a TRT therapist very soon, so will discuss with her and see what she says.

BTW Drone Draper, just want to say that I really admire how proactive you are despite not having Tinnitus for very long. When I first had it, I went into panic mode and could barely function. Also, every doctor I saw just told me that the Tinnitus would go, so I know how easy it is to cling onto that and do nothing. (Although, there's every chance it will go for you as you haven't had it long ).

 

Yes it does, thanks. What I get from it though is that there is no particular safeguard against you going a bit too deep with the tool, so you could potentially hurt your ear drum.

I imagine that with a bit of time you get used to the feeling and will be able to notice when the claw "grabs" the HA, as well as notice some resistance as you push the claw in the canal if it bumps into the HA.

I also notice that she is a professional and still needs a few times before she manages to do it.

Not something I'd want to do often, but perhaps not as scary as it looks.

 

By definition, clinical trials have a fairly high amount of risk: they may have completed the "safety phase", but that just means they have a tiny amount of data points about safety, compared to drugs that have been used for years/decades.

 

Cool. I know TRT isn't very popular in certain parts around here, but I know it's worked for some keeping things together.

And thanks, haha. I'm a very obsessive and analytical person. I have never been officially diagnosed with Asperger's, but many people have told me they think I have it. So my first inclination when I woke up with the ringing was doing massive amounts of research. I think this forum, specifically, has taught me so much.

The ENT I saw just gave me a leaflet from 2009 - 2009! A decade ago!- and told me it wouldn't be a problem in a year. I said "do you mean it'll get better or that I'll just get used to it?". He said "a bit of both". I nearly cried on my way home and went crazy doing more research.

How is your tinnitus doing at the moment? Have you tried maskers before?

 

Yes, I agree. I'd never even considered clawing around in my ear canal until just now. LOL. You're making me not want this anymore!

 

I know, I get told off about it here sometimes but it's supposed to have an 80% success rate so thought I may as well try it

It's genuinely disgraceful how little GPs know about Tinnitus and the ear in general. I was misdiagnosed as having ear infections, perforated eardrums etc so many times. The ENT specialist I saw told me that GPs can't even see into the ear properly with the tool they use, so to take no notice.

My Tinnitus is not great right now, hence the TRT. I had it for a year with very few problems - I 'self-masked' it using white noise on my computer and it basically diminished each month until I could barely hear it in silent rooms. But six months ago it spread to the other ear and now I get multiple tones that fluctuate in volume.

I've actually stopped masking it now to see if that helps. I'm trying to listen to it in silence for an hour or so a day. Sometimes it's very loud and difficult to try to block out, but sometimes it's quite quiet and this gives me a bit of hope

 

Appointment and flights booked! Let's see how it goes, will keep you posted here.

 

So, for someone like me who has 100% hearing loss in right ear, I would suppose that this thing would not be applicable?? And anyway... $300/month?? That's just wrong.

 

Lyric works like a normal hearing aid. The only difference is that lyric is completely in your ear, so if normal hearing aids work with you lyric will also work. It is 150$ per ear per month

 

My hearing shop said the Lyric has one design defect and that is that it is placed along the first turn in your ear canal, just after the organ that generates earwax. That earwax blocks the battery.

Hearing aid batteries are working on both battery and air, that's why you pull off the tab if you insert it into the hearing aid. There are 3 small ventilation holes on the battery.

That plus the price and the fact that you cannot replace the battery yourself makes it a really hard to justify sell said my hearing shop. The only benefit is the invisibility.

 

Whats the suggestion for hearing aids for people with H?

 

Don't know. Hearing aids amplify, or maybe if you disable the microphone and only enable the masking generator (white noise, ocean sound etc) it might help.

 

Wait, so Lyric doesn't have a tinnitus masker?

 

I doubt it. It's an analogue hearing aid, so I doubt it's even possible. An audiologist said that the Lyric was often used as bait. Customer comes in enquiring about this whiz-bang invisible device, tries and doesn't get much out of it, gets steered towards another more conventional aid.

 

It’s a hearing aid, the company wants money so a product that’s hidden, doesn’t fall out or you won’t lose it, is a great selling point to some people.

I can’t wait until hearing restoration changes the game. I’ve had hearing aids, CROS hearing aids, and aids with maskers. Hearing aids are great if you have no tinnitus or tinnitus that subsides or good word recognition. For me at severely deaf with tinnitus and bad word recognition nothing works but time for your brain to mix your tinnitus with other sound to where it becomes one.

I’m telling you for sure your brain will adjust if you don’t benefit from hearing aids. It just really, really sucks getting there.