Today’s the day I meet with my Audiologist to make my final decision. She called me on my 31st day right on schedule to see how things have been going. I had sent a few emails to her during my trial with some questions, but hadn’t had a response. Turns out they were getting blocked by the Clinic’s aggressive SPAM filter. She was quick to turn around some responses though, even contacting InSound to get a few clarifications for me. Great service! I’ll get some info from her replies posted up later when I get some more time.
Right after we talked, my right Lyric started to go quiet right after our call. Within a few minutes it was silent. After about 5 minutes I heard a small popping sound the device and it started working again. It’s since done that 4 or 5 times since then and will need to get replaced. I’m not sure if that means the battery is going out or not, but it seems to work fine, when it is working.
Once it became obvious that the right Lyric was going to be replaced, I decided to get one more good water test in to see how robust these devices really are. I’d spent plenty of time in the shower, lake, pool and river with lots of splashing, but had avoided putting my head under the water. So, this morning I decided it was time for a good dunking of my right ear to see how they would hold up. I’m not sure how official the test will be since the device may already be having problems, but it’s better than nothing.
I only put my right in into the water for the test. I didn’t want to risk being deaf for the day. I’m sure I looked strange dunking my right ear into the tub and cupping water into it! J
The first dunk under the water was pretty quick. It was kind of strange to hear the sounds of the water in my ear. I pulled my head out of the water and everything was just fine. Still hearing normal. 2nd try gave the same results. 3rd try I put my head under for about 20 seconds and moved it around to really get some water in there and that finally did it in. After letting things dry out for a few minutes, I checked to see if the device was still alive, even though I wasn’t hearing anything. I used the remote to switch them between the various modes. The beeps from the Lyrics sounded normal like everything was fine, but there was definitely no sound coming into my right ear. About 45 minutes later I heard a little crackling sound from the device and checked it out again with the remote and found that the beeps had turned into really low tones instead of the usual high-frequency beeps. Now, 4 hours later the tones are back to normal, but the sound still isn’t working.
I’m anxious to see one of these devices up close to see how they really work and the placement of the parts. I’m curious to know how they work so well getting wet in the shower, but don’t seem to deal well with getting dunked. I’ll be trying out some earplugs I’m going to get from my Audiologist to see if I can use them on occasion as well.
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5 comments:
Dane,
I am waiting to hear what happened when you met with your Audiologist. I am on day 17 with my Lyric. Initially, I was very pleased. However, even after getting special ear pieces for my stethoscope ($150), I still can't hear as well as I did before with no hearing aid. Also, at a recent lecture, I couldn't differentiate a word starting with a z sound from one starting with t. I am 70 years old and was told to get hearing aids 11 years ago for my moderate hearing loss. 4 years ago I got Widex Senso Divas CICs for both ears. I am troubled now by a lot of feed back and have been advised to either get new ear molds or new aids. Thus, I am trying the Lyric in my right ear as the ENT Dr was unable to force one in my left ear. I am not sure what to do. It is not clear when they will make a Lyric that would fit my left ear. When he measured my ear he thought it would fit, but, when he tried it wouldn't and my ear was sore for several days. My local Audiologist made fun of the literature on the Lyric, so I am not sure if he can or will help. I travelled 500 miles to get the Lyric and am about ready to pull it out and mail it back to them. I could fly back and have them adjust both aids again, but feel that might be more expense wasted.
I am really frustrated that a society that can put a man on the moon can't make a decent hearing aid.
Dr Don ( Internal Medicine in California)
Hi Dr. Don.
Sorry again for the long delay in getting up my last post. You'll read now that I did end up committing and have been very happy.
Here are my humble suggestions for you. I think that having hearing aids in both ears are absolutely critical to hearing well. If the Lyric won't fit in both ears, then I think you'll have to look elsewhere for a solution for now. I have heard that they are looking to release a new form factor eventually that will offer more sizes and hopefully fit more customers. Maybe you'll be a candidate in the future.
Dealing with a stethoscope has been covered really well in two articles:
http://www.amphl.org/articles/rennert2004.pdf
http://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/article_detail.asp?article_id=439
I would think that moving to an amplified stethoscope would make the most sense. DAI integration sounds like another good option too.
I know it can be really frustrating trying to grasp for solutions. Feel free to post back or email me with further questions. I hope you can find a solution that ends up meeting your needs.
Regards,
Dane
Dane,
Thank you for the excellent suggestions. It is great that your Lyrics are working so well. I have an amplified stethoscope. After a couple years, I noticed that I heard better with a regular scope, so it needs repair or replacement. From review of the 2 references it appears that the Cardionic scope with head phones would be best for me. I hate to put up $550 unless I can try it before I buy, so will do some investigating. Even though I can only have the Lyric in one ear, I hate to give it up as it works so well on the phone.
Sincerely,
Dr Don
Hi Dr. Don,
I can relate to your experience. Got the Lyric a few days ago. First HA. I am 54, moderate hearing loss, mainly high-pitched voices. Lyric concept sounded perfect, but I am finding it painful (though the soreness is abating somewhat) and background noises are too loud. (Road noise especially.) Experiencing my own amplified voice is sort of surrealistic. And I do feel somewhat plugged. Others' voices are considerably more distinct, however. Had dinner in a super-noisy place this week and could hear others pretty well. Without Lyric, I would have been lost. So I am waiting and seeing - or hearing, I suppose.I do view Lyric as a leap forward in hearing aid thinking and innovation, however, and am hopeful that the tsunami-like Baby Boom market will spur smaller, better, cheaper devices as time goes on. So far, my experience is defintely mixed. Will I commit after 30 days? Right now, I just don't know. Hang in, Dr. Don. And thanks, Dane, for an excellent blog.
Hi Rich.
Make sure to have your audiologist adjust the low frequency cut to at least 1200. It made a HUGE difference for me in background and road noise.
Good luck with the trial.
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