Tips for Navigating Social Situations With Hearing Loss

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

I wanted to take a few minutes and write about that oh-so-lovely intersection of hearing loss and social situations. I've gained a lot of self-confidence in this area, especially over the past several months, and I know I'm not the only person who's struggled with it. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, here are the things that have made social situations a lot easier for me. (As is the case with everything I write about hearing loss and hearing aids, I have no authority on wearing a cochlear implant, so CI users will have to be the judge of whether or not this information is useful.)

1.) Make sure your hearing aids are good quality and correctly programmed, and make sure you wear them all the time. I can't emphasize this enough. When I got my first pair of aids about 4 and a half years ago, I only wore them when I went out of the house for fear of wasting the batteries. The end result of that was my brain didn't adjust to them as much as it could have, and I didn't hear as well as I could have. Wearing your hearing aids consistently will help you hear better in noisier situations like restaurants and parties.

2.) Wear hearing aids that have a background noise filter. These days, most hearing aids have at least one channel that filters out at least some background noise. Don't even try to get through noisy situations without it. If you aren't sure how to access that channel, talk with your audiologist.

3.) Be discerning about when to advocate for yourself and when to avoid conflict. This has been a huge issue for me. I used to participate in a lot of Bible studies that were video-based with small group discussions, and it was always a toss-up whether the instructors would let my group meet in a quiet place or turn on the captions (or let me do it.) When I developed the habit of emailing instructors ahead of time to explain my situation, some of them told me right off the bat that they weren't going to accommodate my needs for one BS reason or another.

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying we should never stick up for our needs or try to work things out. But I've wasted a lot of energy on selfish, stubborn people who just wouldn't budge. You have to know when it's worth fighting and when it's not. This is especially important if you have any kind of anxiety or mental health issues on top of hearing loss.

4.) Be up front in a matter-of-fact way. Depending on the situation, I might say something like, “I'm hard of hearing, so please face me when you talk. If I don't respond, I'm not ignoring you, I just didn't hear you.” My hearing loss does not affect my speech all that much, and my head scarves cover my hearing aids, so my hearing loss tends to go unnoticed by people unless I say something. I've wasted so much time being angry at other people and thinking it was their responsibility to make sure they could communicate with me. But they can't when I don't ask! Once I started communicating my needs in a constructive way, most people were more than happy to oblige.

5.) Try to be specific in asking for repetition. This shows the other person that you are genuinely trying to understand. Saying “What?” is rude and vague. “Could you repeat that?” Works when I've missed a sentence or two. But if I caught part of a sentence, the most effective way to ask for repetition is to repeat what I've heard, and pinpoint what I didn't. For example, “I'm sorry, you did what last Tuesday?”

6.) When playing board or card games, keep your communication needs in mind. With games making a comeback, it's important to think about how your hearing loss might affect things. If I'm going to be at a party or someplace with lots of background noise, I don't bother with games like Catch Phrase, where the whole game is based on verbal communication. I save those for quieter settings. I stick with games that involve little or no verbal communication. For games that involve minimal communication, like Set or BS, I'll sometimes come up with signs or gestures to use for those words. It's a handy tool even if you don't sign otherwise.

7.) Don't waste your time with people who don't “get it.” I kind of touched on this earlier, but it's important. Most people will “get it” if you tell them what you need in a constructive way. But this world is not a perfect place, and there will always be people who don't get it. You don't need them. You are a wonderful, ordinary, normal person who just happens to wear hearing aids. If someone else repeatedly does not try to understand that, that's their funeral.

I think that's about it! I'm going to be pretty busy until after the 1^st, so I'll talk with you all in 2014! Have a happy and safe new year!

How To Revive A Hearing Aid That's Been Exposed To Moisture

First of all, I have to be honest. The worst-case scenarios, such as a hearing aid that's gone through the washing machine, are too far gone. If your hearing aid has gone through the washing machine, it's a goner. Don't even bother trying to revive a hearing aid that's been through the washer.

If the hearing aid has only been exposed to mild or moderate moisture, such as rain or falling into a puddle, it might be possible to revive it. The quicker you are able to revive it after exposure, the most likely your aid will “survive.” For the record, I've done this twice. One of the times I was successful, and the other time I wasn't. It all depends on the amount of moisture and how quickly you are able revive it.

Here's how to revive a hearing aid:

Step 1: If the hearing aid will not turn on, disconnect the hearing aid from the earmold tubing, remove the battery, and open the battery pack. (Dispose of the battery. Batteries can't withstand any moisture.)

Step 2: If a dehumidifier is handy, put the hearing aids in it right away. If you don't have it on hand, put your hearing aid in a container or ziploc with a bunch of rice. If you don't have access to a dehumidifier or rice, set your hearing aid and earmold out on a flat surface. Try turning it on again in a couple hours or so. If you get sound, awesome! If you don't, move on to step 3.

Step 3: Turn a blowdryer on low speed and low heat and blow-dry the hearing aid for a few minutes. If you're at work or out and about, the hand dryers in the bathroom should suffice, but don't hold it too close. (Do not blow-dry the mold, just the hearing aid.) If your hearing aid has not been exposed to copious amounts of moisture, it should revive by this point. If it doesn't, you can try leaving it in the dehydrator overnight. If it's still dead in the morning, it can't be revived.

If you don't have a hearing aid dehumidifier or a blow-dryer, get both. Everyone who uses hearing aids must own a blow-dryer, male or female. Blow-dryers are relatively inexpensive and they can save your hearing aids.

Tips for New and Prospective Hearing Aid Users

I don't know how many readers have been newly diagnosed with hearing loss. But just in case someone out there is wearing hearing aids for the first time, or about to get hearing aids, I'd like to share some tips that will, hopefully, make this transition a little easier. I don't have a cochlear implant, but I'm sure this would also apply to CI's as well.

1.) Your first pair of aids should only be used under the supervision of an audiologist. I bought my current pair of hearing aids online and am thrilled with the results, but my first pair came from the audiologist. I know it costs an arm and a leg to get them from there, but it's really worth it the first time around. In the US, health insurance rarely covers hearing aids but most clinics will let you set up a payment plan. I've heard from a few hearing aid users in Canada and the UK and other European countries who said their aids were either covered or mostly covered by insurance. So if you live outside the US, check with your insurance provider, because it may be covered.

2.) When you first put your hearing aids on, things WILL sound weird. Give your ears and brain time to adjust before taking the aids back for a tune-up. I've seen YouTube videos of people getting a cochlear implant activated or putting on hearing aids for the first time. They always seem so excited, and you don't see any hint of shock or discomfort. Frankly, that was not my experience for either pair of hearing aids. Sure, I was excited, but everything was SO loud. Ambient noise sounded like a train running through my head because I didn't remember what it sounded like. And be prepared for the fact that your voice might sound weird to yourself. When I got my first pair of hearing aids, I hated my voice because I sounded like a robot. All the little sounds I'd never heard before drove me insane. This is completely normal and starts to go away anywhere from a few days to a few weeks after your fitting.

3.) Wear them for a few hours a day and work up to full days as quickly as you can. Wearing hearing aids is not like wearing glasses. Your brain needs to adjust to how you hear through your hearing aids. The more you can wear your hearing aids, the quicker your brain will adjust, and eventually you'll get to the point where you forget you're even wearing them. If you're worried about the cost of batteries, I'm with you on that one. Nowadays there are several models that use rechargeable batteries, which will save money and batteries in the long run. (These models can still use regular batteries if something were to happen to your rechargeables.)

4.) Always, always, ALWAYS carry extra batteries and a case. I can't emphasize this enough. You don't want to be in a situation where your batteries run out of juice and you don't have other ones. Even with rechargeables, I have the occasional night where I forget to put them in the charger before I go to bed. And if, heaven forbid, your hearing aids come into contact with water, the battery will be a goner so you will need a new one to use after your hearing aid is revived. Assuming it still works, that is.

5.) Get a hearing aid dehumidifier. Nothing can wear out hearing aids and molds faster than moisture. If you use rechargeable batteries with an electric charger, the charger sort of acts as a dehumidifier so you won't need to use it as often. But even if you have a charger, you still need a dehumidifier. On super humid days, you'll need to throw your hearing aids in there whenever there's significant moisture buildup, and they can be very helpful for reviving a hearing aid that has gotten wet.

(Reviving a wet hearing aid is a topic that deserves its own post. I'll work on that and get it posted as soon as possible.)

6.) Keep them out of reach of pets and small children. I don't know what it is about pets, but they love hearing aids. My previous cat would take them out of the dehumidifier while I was in the shower if I didn't shut the darn thing all the way. She would play with them, and throw them around, and hide them places. If your dehumidifier has a screw-top lid, make sure it's screwed all the way tight. If it's only screwed on part way and a dog or cat knocks it over, it will break open.

7.) NEVER take your hearing aids off and put them in your pocket. If you need to take them off, put them in a case or dehumidifier. This is asking for trouble. You could forget they're in there and run them through the washing machine. You could drop them in a puddle trying to get them out of your pocket. I've done both of those, I'm sorry to say. The possibilities of what could happen are endless. Just don't even mess with this.

8.) Be patient with yourself while learning how to use the phone with your hearing aid. I'll be writing another post about hearing aids and phone usage at some point, but know that it takes some getting used to. Don't be afraid to use other communication modes if it's easier.

Introducing my new Joy V-Slim BTE Hearing Aids!

If you don't wear hearing aids, this entry will probably be of no interest to you.  But I've been getting enough questions about my new hearing aids that I wanted to do an entry for anyone who's interested.  

By now I’ve been using my new hearing aids for a few weeks.  They are the Joy V-Slim BTE model by Rexton, from Lloyd Hearing Aid.  BTE stands for “behind the ear.” My favorite thing about these hearing aids is they can take rechargeable batteries.  Anyone who’s ever worn hearing aids or cochlear implants knows that the batteries cost an arm and a leg.  And for anyone who’s never worn them, I’ll tell you, the batteries cost an arm and a leg.  So rechargeable batteries that can last 8-12 months are pretty sweet.  I’ll still keep some non-rechargeables on hand “just in case,” but it’s great to have the option of saving money and the environment at the same time.

The Joy V-Slim model has 4 channels, whereas my previous hearing aids only have 3.  I have the normal acoustic, background noise filter, and telecoil, and now I have a TV/music channel.  Honestly, I’m not sure what I think of the music channel.  I don’t really use it for music.  I either just keep my hearing aids on the acoustic channel or plug in my neck loop and put on the telecoil.  For me, that channel makes music louder than my baseline decibel level without really making it clearer.  And as for using it for TV, if there’s any kind of background noise at all, everything just sounds way too loud.  Because of the negative experiences I’ve had using that channel with background noise, my desire to use it has gone down.  But maybe I just need to give it another shot sometime if I’m watching TV and there’s no background noise. 

I happened to be due for new molds around the time I got these hearing aids, so I got those from Lloyd Hearing Aid as well.  I’ll have to do an entry on making your own mold impressions, since I’m sure people will have lots of questions about that.  And in a year or two, when I’m due for molds again, I’m going to have the hubby make a video of me taking my own impressions so you can see how quick, safe, and easy it really is. 

The one thing that’s still taking some getting used to is having a volume control on one aid and the channel changer on the other.  This means adjusting volume for both hearing aids with one volume control.  I wouldn’t say I hate this arrangement, but it’s definitely taking some getting used to.  With my old aids, if I needed to make a phone call I would take out the aid for my bad ear and use the phone with the hearing aid on my good ear.  Because I use my left ear for phone calls and the volume control is on the right aid, I have to leave them both in when I use the phone.  Since I now have to have both aids on t-coil to use the phone, this means I can’t hear ANY environmental sounds outside of the phone (except for maybe a smoke alarm!)  I guess this isn’t really good or bad, it just is what it is.  I’ll get used to it eventually.  

If anyone has any questions about these particular hearing aids or about earmolds or ordering online, please feel free to leave your questions in the comment section!  You can read my blog entry on purchasing online here.

 

Are Two Aids Better Than One?

Hearing people and those who are newly diagnosed with hearing loss often wonder if they really need two hearing aids.  I’ve had so many people say to me, “hearing aids are so expensive!  I just want to buy one!”

I hate to burst everyone’s bubble, but the truth is, if you have bilateral hearing loss, wearing one hearing aid is going to be about as effective as wearing one contact lens.  Anyone who wears contacts knows you need to wear two lenses or your vision doesn’t appear corrected.  Just like eyes, the ears are designed to work as a team.  You can buy just one hearing aid, but you won’t feel like you’re getting your money’s worth if you have hearing loss in your other ear.  I’ve had a few unfortunate hearing aid casualties that have resulted in having to wear one aid until I could get the other replaced, and let me tell you, that was a beast.  I actually got a lot of headaches because everything sounded so “unbalanced.”

So if you have bilateral hearing loss, save yourself the frustration and just get two right off the bat. 

Buying Hearing Aids Online

 I recently bought a new pair of hearing aids online.  As I expected, several well-intentioned people questioned the safety and the efficacy of that choice, so I decided to do a blog entry about it.

Buying my hearing aids from Lloyd Hearing Aid saved a ton of money as well as time.  You take a hearing test online with headphones or earbuds, and they can program your hearing aids according to that audiogram.

In my opinion, buying hearing aids online is a perfectly viable option for people who have had their hearing loss formally diagnosed by an audiologist, have used at least one pair of hearing aids, and know how to read an audiogram.  I felt good about the decision to purchase my new aids online because I fit this criteria.  I could have had my old hearing aids reprogrammed, but they were having some problems and I wanted a pair that could use rechargeable batteries, so I took the plunge and got new ones.  I’m so glad I did!  (I’ll be doing another post on my new hearing aids for anyone who’s interested.)

I absolutely do NOT advocate ordering hearing aids online if you have never had your hearing loss formally diagnosed.  If you already use hearing aids but are experiencing sudden severe or profound hearing loss as a result of illness or injury, I would get that checked out before ordering new hearing aids.

Listening to Music With Hearing Aids

I’m trying to come out of the hearing loss closet, both because it’s a part of who I am and because these entries might be useful to someone else with hearing loss. 

One of the questions I get asked the most is how do I listen to music with hearing aids.  When my hearing loss was more mild, I would just take my hearing aids out and use regular old earbuds.  Now that my hearing loss is creeping into the moderate range, earbuds don’t work as well.  I can hear through them, but not very clearly, and I can’t make out any lyrics at all.  When I listen to music through my hearing aids, the sound is much clearer and crisper, and I can usually understand at least some of the lyrics.

If you want to have music on in the background and not use your hearing aids as earbuds, you can simply leave your hearing aids on your normal channel, or if your aids have a music program, you can use that.  My current hearing aids don’t have a music channel, but I’m about to get new ones, which will have it.  I’ll let you know what I think of it once I’ve given it the old college try J. 

There are a few different options for using your hearing aids as earbuds.  I’ve used a neck loop for the past few years.  A neck loop is an FM transmitting system that plugs into the headphone jack of a computer, CD player, or MP3 device.  The top part goes around your neck (thus the term “neck loop.”)  You turn on the neck loop, put your hearing aids on the tele-coil channel, and you can hear the music right in your ears at your decibel level.  I learned from experience that the sound quality diminishes with the battery life, so I own two sets of rechargables that are only for my neck loop, and I change them out when it starts sounding “static-y.” 

Cochlear implant wearer Rachel Chaikoff has done a blog entry on listening to music with cochlear implants. The only one she mentions that won’t work for hearing aids is using regular earbuds.  I don’t know how you’d get them to stay put if you wear hearing aids.  Rachel has tried more listening options than I have, so if you want to try something other than the neck loop, click here to read her take on it!