DIY hearing aid adjustments?

[NeilSG]

I recently got new behind-the-ear digital hearing aids from the National Health but I feel that the sound settings that 'technically' match the results of the audiology test ('moderate to severe' loss at high frequencies - 60db from 2000 to 8000Hz - in both ears) do not actually meet my hearing needs. I feel that the settings overcompensate for my high frequency loss, resulting in a thin, sharp, hissy sound that leaves me struggling to hear lower frequency consonants (distinguishing between 'p' & 't', 'm' & 'n' etc.).
What I was wondering is whether there should be any means of me obtaining a remote (or even wired in) control setup in which I can alter the sound characteristics myself at home and try it in different situations? (I know there are remotes for switching channels but I want to change the sound settings of each channel)
Another question: Do you think that standard tone audiology tests are enough to accurately guage hearing loss and to base the hearing aid setup on? We must have had roughly the same test procedure for over a hundred years or so - surely its time to move on to something more sophisticated, because I don't feel this type of testing has worked for me?

[Digital Hearing Care]

Hi Neil, if you are new to hearing aids we often find clients find it difficult to tolerate the prescription supplied by the fitting software, in the private sector I often find I need to tone down the high frequencies initially at least until the client becomes used to the sound quality. Clients will after a period often ask for the extra high frequency emphasis to aid clarity and usually be able to tolerate it better.
Having said all that the software isn't always right, unfortunately the NHS departments often seem reluctant to stray from the prescription fittings.
As a private hearing aid audiologist even I can't access the NHS hearing aids to make adjustments and I have all the necessary software and hardware, I'm as locked out from the process as you are!
The equipment to program hearing aids is pretty expensive to buy and with the best will in the world successful hearing aid fitting is a bit of a dark art...
Regarding the hearing test you experienced at your local ENT department, it's a pretty standard test throughout audiology, it may seem a bit antiquated but the result you are experiencing I would guess has more to do with a combination of the type of hearing loss you have, the technology supplied and the way the hearing aids have been set up.
In the first instance I would go back to the NHS and ask for some fine tuning, if you get nowhere you might want to consider private hearing aids supplied by a good quality local independent hearing aid audiologist, you'll have plenty of choice of product and with good aftercare you should find it easier to get a good result.
Hope this helps 

[NeilSG]

Thanks for your prompt reply. I'm not new to hearing aids - just to digital ones. Its a long story, but basically I've mostly used an analogue behind-the-ear type until it broke down recently and NHS told me they don't deal with those any more. One plus factor with it was I could adjust the 'h' & 'p' screw settings to alter the sound (do you know what 'h' & 'p' stand for?)
Yes, at the NHS they look at me as if I've got two heads when I dare to suggest that the sound needs some adjustment - they tell me I just need to get 'used to it', when I know its definitely not picking up certain sounds well enough. Another thing is that the default volume when I first switch them on is way too loud, so I'm thankful I can at least adjust that! I would say that the rather crude audiology test has led them to A: overestimate my hearing loss and B: not get the settings accurate enough. I just think the audiology test is simply too basic and they shouldn't base everything on it. They should turn their own hearing aids up and listen more to the client afterwards!
You will have to forgive the 'naivity' of some of my statements because I've been a bit out of touch with the progress made with hearings aids in the last few years. It may even surprise you if a tell you I've been an intermitant user of hearing aids - have got along ok in most situations despite my apparent 'moderate to severe' loss, although its definitley limited my social & professional life. 20 years ago (I am now 47) I tried a couple of times for hearing aids from private dispensers for the in-the-canal type and found that the 'taylored' sound wasn't as good as the NHS one I had and I also had a big problem with OCCLUSION (a vastly underated problem in my opinion - never see much discussion about it on the web).
It seems odd that these days there seems to be no way of testing a client's hearing with the aids in! I don't think private dispensers do this either? I also think that with more young people wearing aids (the new designs seem to be becoming a fashion accessory) they would want more control over the sound settings - I certainly do!

[Digital Hearing Care]

Hi Neil, sorry I didn't notice you had replied to my post... if I remember correctly H is for high cut (a cut in the high frequencies) and P is for peak clipper, a very basic ceiling of output. I couldn't swear on that, it's a long time since I had anything to do with analogue technology!
I agree about your sentiment 'listen to the client', I find the audiometric test in conjunction with the algorithms in the programming software gives a pretty accurate fit generally, but if my client says a hearing aid is too loud, too sharp, too dull, too whatever, it probably is!
Re occlusion, I've had clients with major hearing losses who should never experience occlusion or something like it but they do..... take heart though Neil, there's so much new technology about nowadays that it's pretty rare for me to be unable to provide satisfaction with my clients. In your position, knowing what I do, I would seek out a good quality independent hearing aid audiologist in your area and get back in the saddle again, you never know what can be achieved until you do!

[Murp]

I too went through this in my mind.  Why couldn't I do this better than the audiologist (or anyone else for that matter), when adjusting my own hearing aids?  I had used a sound mixing board once or twice in my life and it just wasn't that difficult.   

I bought a set of open fit hearing aids from a company called newbielink:http://HearSource.com [nonactive] and have been doing just that for about 2 years now and I get along fabulously.     First, here in the States, hearing aids are expensive (about 4 to 6 thousand dollars a set).  I was able to procure these for less than $2,000 and have been doing my own sound adjustments ever since.  At first, the staff from HearSource assisted me, but within just a few days, I no longer needed their assistance and I have been a hearing aid do it your selfer (DIY).

My local audiologist of course was none to happy with my decision to procure amplification devices via the web.  But it is my money and my choice and i am completely satisfied with my decision. 

[Rickky]

Here in Australia good BTE digital hearing aids typically cost AUD ~ USD $10,000 from an audiologist, but last on average just 3 years.  This is too much to fork out for small devices that are just too easily lost or damaged.  I am told the chips and software for digital aids are now made by just two companies in the whole world, and that aids have become very standard as far as their internal workings go.

In revolt against this unjust persecution of the hearing impared, I bought a pair of digital BTE aids with directional mikes and receivers in canal -- from DIY Hearing in Indiana, USA.  They cost me about USD 2000, including the PC software and dongle for connection to the PC.  This was over a year ago, and I have been wearing them ever since.

Just recently I had my audiogram redone and I adjusted my aids accordingly.   There was initially too much feedback, but I applied the suggested fix in the help menu and this cured the problem.   This seemed to consist of a small reduction in the gain of the higher-frequency channels.   I also set the noise reduction parameter to maximum, and this has resulted in cmuch learer speech in noisy environmnets.

If you are prepared to do a bit of research on how to use the DIY software properly, I can tell you it works very well.   The end result may well be better than you would get from an average audiologist.  My aids have four programs, and I have set three of them to reducing volumes, and the fourth is dedicated to the embedded telecoil.