Tinnitus Sufferer Trying Hearing Aids

Hi, this is my first time here. Since 1993, my work has involved headphone use. I am a realtime broadcast captioner for television. We receive our audio through standard phone lines, the quality isn't the best, and volume always seemed to help. I'm afraid the years have taken their toll on my ears. Visits to two audiologists confirm mild hearing loss, but the tinnitus has become unbearable. often interfering with the audio I'm trying to caption.

BTW, I know there's a lot of poor quality captioning out there. There are many reasons for that. FYI, I'm one of the good ones. ;-)

I'm on my third day with Phonak Audeo Q70s. The tinnitus is definitely masked, and the hearing is improved. I love classical music, and hearing notes and texture that have been missing is wonderful.

For some reason, I can't turn down the maskers. The audiologist probably forgot to program that with all the other gadgets that came with these. This is a lot of white noise to live with, though more pleasant than the tinnitus.

Thanks for listening. I'll be hunting around the forum to see what I can learn.

Edited to add - BTW, I do have an appointment on Monday for a check-up and I really want to explore the programming of these. Sadly, I'm aware that many consumers know more than their audiologists. I've love any suggestions you may have.

 

Wow, 96 views and not a single welcome to a tinnitus sufferer who got this way providing a service to the deaf and hard of hearing since 1993. Tough audience!

 

Hey, David, and welcome to the forum.

I am in a similar spot with my Q50s, I've only had them about 6 weeks now. Although they haven't really helped me with the T, they have improved my overall quality and attitude.

As I understand it, you won't be able to adjust the masking volume on your own, but the audiologist can adjust that down for you during your visits. I found that my masking levels were too high off the bat and had both the overall volume lowered, as well as the level of the white noise.

In general, just ask a lot of questions of your audiologist - having that extra information can only help in customizing the programming to your specific needs.

Hope your HAs are helping!

mike

 

Haha. Well, you see.. you must write in your title that you feel depressed and borderline suicidal if you want massive attention!

Joking aside, welcome to the gang David!

So I would like to hear how you feel about your tinnitus in regards to your work. I find it interesting to talk about the implication of tinnitus rather than just its annoyance(which can be a big part, don't quote me wrong).

I am working on becoming a professional filmmaker. This hyperacusis + tinnitus thing is sure ain't making it easy!

 

LOL. My work as a realtime broadcast captioner is probably the time my tinnitus bothers me the least. I'm busy listening to poor quality telephone audio at a high level than I'd care to so I can figure out what's being said. Even without hearing loss, discerning final consonants while listening to a tape over a telephone line is far from ideal. What you hear on your television is so much clearer than the audio the captioners receive at the time they're writing a show live.

Because of my work, what I truly desire are periods of silence, and that's when the tinnitus rages. I put on music, but the music's out there and the tinnitus is in me.

All of that said, I love my work. It was a very special transition after years of being a court reporter, working with attorneys and litigants, to then serve a totally different population and help provide accessibility to television and live events.

Thanks for the welcome! Much appreciated.

 

If my so-called audiologist knew what she was doing, perhaps. I hate to admit this, but while researching hearing aids online, I was approached, unsolicited, by Hearing Planet. It all sounded good. They're owned by the same company that owns Phonak, I figured it's a better start than Costco, but I think it's been a big mistake. The Phonaks have a lot of programming options, and it's truly my belief that hearing aid providers make so little off of Hearing Planet referrals that they are not willing to spend the amount of time required to properly program these hearing aids.

The tinnitus maskers do provide relief, and after the last check-up, I can control their level, but no longer can control volume. When I stream through the ComPort, the tinnitus reverts back to its default setting, which is too loud to hear what I'm trying to caption. I can't believe I'm supposed to listen to this white noise all the time. I think it should be used as part of a program to provide relief when needed. I don't think that's the path I'm on at the moment.

I called Hearing Planet to ask about their return policy. They say I should just try a different brand, Siemens Pure. I've determined the guy is just a salesperson. I have an appointment with a Doctor of Audiology the end of March.