Hearing Aid Distortion Caused by Tinnitus?

[Bill47]

New to this site - hoping for some input

Having suffered from tinnitus for many years, I finally found a place to share my symptoms and learn from others suffering from this constant annoyance.

My story - Way back in the late 60's and early 70's I worked in a very noisy environment with no ear protection (pre OSHA). The "fix" back then was to use cigarette filters in your ears. Since I was never a smoker, I never tried that.
One machine in particular had a very high pitched whine. I recall hearing a gurgling in my inner ear if I moved my head around while running that machine. I found out much later that that was the fluid in my inner ear and the violent movement was damaging my hearing. Even though I had moderate hearing issues since childhood, the tinnitus didn't start until after the noise exposure and has been continuous since then - over 50 years. I learned to live with it and got pretty good at ignoring it. Multiple mid-range tones mixed with a high pitched whistle have been my constant companion. I fall asleep by using the tinnitus as background noise as I sing songs in my head - don't laugh, it works for me!

I began wearing hearing aids in the 90's and just recently purchased my 4th pair ($3400 - OUCH!) This is the reason I am here. For some reason, I am having a severe distortion problem with these new aids. I have had them checked and rechecked by my long time audiologist who I trust completely. With all the bells and whistles these new aids have, she can't seem to get them adjusted to compensate for this distortion. Until I started reading the posts on this forum, I had never considered that the tinnitus itself might be causing the distortion.

I guess I need to know if anyone else has had an issue with hearing aid distortion due to tinnitus. And, why would it only crop up with these new - high tech - hearing aids?

 

[Michael B]

I can certainly understand your concern. You invested thousands on hearing aids that cause distortion. That's unfortunate.
I'm wondering why you didn't experience this distortion with your previous hearing aids but do with these?
Assuming your previous hearing aids were digital, the settings should be similar unless you experienced increased hearing loss since your last pair.
Have you ruled out problems with the hearing aids themselves? Have you tried others? There are many fine hearing aids available on the market and companies often offer trial periods to see how well you like them.
The bottom line appears to be that these hearing aids are causing distortion whether stemming from the hearing aids themselves or as a reaction to your tinnitus. Rather than tossing them in a drawer not to be worn again, I would explore other aids.

 

[glynis]

Make sure you just use amplification and no masking sounds and see if that helps and set them low and increase them gradually to the sound level needed for your hearing loss.
See if it helps
Love glynis

 

[Bill47]

Thanks for the input "Michael B" and "glynis." I have an upcoming appointment with my audiologist and want to go in armed with information . Sadly, I am past the trial period and will have to work with these until I can get the issues fixed. Although the old aids were digital, they didn't have the many adjustments possible with these new ones. These supposedly are capable of communicating with each other to adjust for direction of incoming sound but I had the audiologist turn that feature off because I found it annoying. I am beginning to wonder if some other underlying "function" is screwing things up. Also, I don't have the option of throwing them in a drawer - I need the amplification...

Again -

 

[glynis]

@Bill47,
are they over the ear hearing aids or the ones that go in the ear ?
I am thinking of getting the in ear ones but I know they will cost a lot of money unlike my NHS ones but they do work great.
A few children where I work have hearing aids and happy to see me wearing mine at school so I think that is good for them having a bit of a roll model to turn to if needed.
Love glynis

 

[Bill47]

@glynis - my aids are full shell in the ear. I tried the "behind the ear" while these new one were being made and hated them. I have always had the "in the ear" type and, according to my audiologist, I have adapted to that style over the 20+ years I have been wearing them. So I guess, it comes down to preference and vanity. I couldn't care less if people know I wear hearing aids - and mine are very visible. However, I have gotten the impression from some people that they think you are mentally slow because you need hearing assistance. That, however, is their problem - not mine.

Just a comment for future reference. If you get hearing aids (especially the "in the ear" type), invest in a drying unit to keep them in overnight. My original aids had many repairs due to moisture damage. After purchasing a "Dry & Store - Global II" unit (about $90 US dollars) - I have never had an issue or repair caused by moisture. It was a great investment...

 

[glynis]

@Billy47,
Thank you for that tip...love glynis

 

[Michael B]

I personally couldn't care less as well what others think of me wearing a hearing aid. With all the gadgets people carry around and wear nowadays, I think my hearing aid is pretty cool!

 

[Bill47]

@Michael B
LOL - never thought of it that way - it is true that people have all kinds of gadgets hanging on their ears these days. Maybe I have gone from "dorky guy with a hearing aid" to a "cool grandpa!"