I headed to the track and got on my dirt bike for the first time since getting the Lyrics. My previous aids were too loud to leave on while riding, so I usually took them out and wore ear plugs. If I just muted them, my ears would tend to be ringing a little bit afterward meaning it was just too loud.
The Lyrics do a much better job quieting the noise of the bike to a much better level, even without making any volume adjustments or putting them to sleep. I rode for a little while at normal volume, but ended up bumping down the volume a few notches which worked out perfect.
It was really hot out so I had plenty of sweat going on, but again had no problems with the Lyrics.
Motocross test: PASS
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Day 7 - Wake Boarding?
I had the chance to go to the lake this evening with some friends. There were about 12 or 13 of us, so we rotated turns on the boat while the rest of us hung at at the beach. My audiologist warned me specifically against doing any sort of water sports such as waterskiing as they would definetly force water past the device. In the end, I chickened out and decided not to push my luck.
The Lyrics have allowed me to do many of the things I used to enjoy while hearing, so this is the the first time the Lyrics have been a restriction.
I've sent a question off to my audiologist to see if I could possibly put some swimmers ear putty in my ear to keep the water from being forced in. I wouldn't mind being deaf during the 2 or 3 times I wakeboard each year. I'll let you know what I find out.
The Lyrics have allowed me to do many of the things I used to enjoy while hearing, so this is the the first time the Lyrics have been a restriction.
I've sent a question off to my audiologist to see if I could possibly put some swimmers ear putty in my ear to keep the water from being forced in. I wouldn't mind being deaf during the 2 or 3 times I wakeboard each year. I'll let you know what I find out.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Day 6 - Sweat-Fest
I put the Lyrics to the test last night with a heavy duty Plyometrics workout. Sweat was pouring out of me, but the Lyrics kept on ticking. My old BTE's would have been muted after a few minutes after getting drenched in sweat, so I would have ended up exercising without them. This would of course mean that the workout DVD would have been turned up full blast driving my family crazy.
Sweat-Fest: PASS
I decided to hit the Jacuzzi after the workout. That thing has always driven me crazy because the blower motor is so loud it makes it hard to relax, even without my hearing aids in. I ended up putting my Lyrics to sleep and enjoyed some nice silence while relaxing in the tub. Very nice!
Sweat-Fest: PASS
I decided to hit the Jacuzzi after the workout. That thing has always driven me crazy because the blower motor is so loud it makes it hard to relax, even without my hearing aids in. I ended up putting my Lyrics to sleep and enjoyed some nice silence while relaxing in the tub. Very nice!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Day 5 - First day at the office
Quiet day at the office as people are still wrapping up their long weekends. I was curious if the keyboard might be loud, but I didn't notice any difference at all compared to my old hearing aids. I think I'm just very used to the sound after hearing it amplified for 8 years. The AC and computer fans didn't bother me either.
It was really great talking on the phone held normally to my ear. I was so used to placing it above my ear for my BTE's that it will take a few days to get the hang of that again.
Conversations around the office worked well. I think I'm hearing at least as well as with my Savia's, if not a little better.
On a side note, I started the P90X workout program tonight. Tomorrow will be the first aerobic session, so I'll be working up the first major sweat since I got these. I'll let you know how it turns out.
It was really great talking on the phone held normally to my ear. I was so used to placing it above my ear for my BTE's that it will take a few days to get the hang of that again.
Conversations around the office worked well. I think I'm hearing at least as well as with my Savia's, if not a little better.
On a side note, I started the P90X workout program tonight. Tomorrow will be the first aerobic session, so I'll be working up the first major sweat since I got these. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Day 4 - Sunday Services
One of the most challenging environments I deal with weekly is hearing at church. My old BTE's amplified the organ pretty loud and almost made my ears ring a little bit. Then I would struggle when people would say a prayer as they bowed their heads and mumbled into their arms. Other times classroom settings were tough when the microphone wasn't in use.
I'm happy to say that the Lyrics worked really well in each of those environments. The organ sounded great, but the sound of my voice was a little different. I couldn't hear myself quite as well as before, but I doubt it hurt my awful singing anyway. Speakers and prayers also seemed to be more audible than usual. A few more weeks will help in really testing that environment out.
We did a 90 minute round trip drive to see some family this evening. I ended up putting the left Lyric on volume level 2, (driver’s side) and the right side on 3. This really reduced the background noise and made the ride much more tolerable. I couldn't hear the passengers quite as well during conversation, but it was still pretty workable. I think the problem with the Lyrics in this environment really boils down to them being analog instead of digital. It seems like the overall volume must go either up or down and that it isn't able to really adjust specific frequencies for noise. Despite being analog, it does a pretty amazing job in most situations.
Tomorrow will be my first day in the office since being fitted. I'm anxious to try them out on the phone, conference calls, meetings, etc.
I'm happy to say that the Lyrics worked really well in each of those environments. The organ sounded great, but the sound of my voice was a little different. I couldn't hear myself quite as well as before, but I doubt it hurt my awful singing anyway. Speakers and prayers also seemed to be more audible than usual. A few more weeks will help in really testing that environment out.
We did a 90 minute round trip drive to see some family this evening. I ended up putting the left Lyric on volume level 2, (driver’s side) and the right side on 3. This really reduced the background noise and made the ride much more tolerable. I couldn't hear the passengers quite as well during conversation, but it was still pretty workable. I think the problem with the Lyrics in this environment really boils down to them being analog instead of digital. It seems like the overall volume must go either up or down and that it isn't able to really adjust specific frequencies for noise. Despite being analog, it does a pretty amazing job in most situations.
Tomorrow will be my first day in the office since being fitted. I'm anxious to try them out on the phone, conference calls, meetings, etc.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Day 3
I slept much better last night on my side. No soreness of any kind when I woke up either.
Today was a long day filled with family reunion activities at a park. I spent lots of time getting wet with squirt guns and water slides, all while hearing! I also sweat a lot doing activities with the kids and cousins. Again, all while hearing! This is exactly the type of stuff I've had to take my hearing aids out for in the past, causing me to miss out on the social aspect of the event. I was very pleased and didn't have any problems during the day with the hearing aids.
I finally found a sound that was loud and irritating with the Lyrics though... my son blowing a party favor whistle while we were under the metal pavilion. Really, freakin, irritating! Looking around though, it didn't seem like I was the only going nuts.
Today we took my truck to the event which is usually quite a bit quieter for me with my BTE's. I still found the road noise and noise from the fan in the engine and the air conditioner to just seem really loud and annoying. To be clear, when I say loud in this case I mean louder than it should be, not as in painful loud.
I think I'm starting to figure out what is causing the problem though. It seems to me like the Lyrics are detecting when someone is speaking, (or singing in other cases). When no one in the car was talking, the Lyrics really amplified the ambient noise for me to listen to. But as soon as someone said even a single word, they Lyrics clamped back down on the ambient noise and allowed me to hear their voice. At that point I tried turning on some music and found that that was a much better replacement for the ambient noise. The Lyrics seem to think that the music is something to amplify and it really cut down on the ambient noise. It's really sensitive though. During a quiet or slow spot in the song I could hear the Lyric alternating back and forth between ambient noise and the music which was really distracting. It's almost like the best way to deal with the road noise was to play the music and to play it loud. That may work fine for me as I usually have plenty of AC/DC and Megadeth on hand, but I'm not sure about my passengers. Time will continue to tell on this issue.
Today was a long day filled with family reunion activities at a park. I spent lots of time getting wet with squirt guns and water slides, all while hearing! I also sweat a lot doing activities with the kids and cousins. Again, all while hearing! This is exactly the type of stuff I've had to take my hearing aids out for in the past, causing me to miss out on the social aspect of the event. I was very pleased and didn't have any problems during the day with the hearing aids.
I finally found a sound that was loud and irritating with the Lyrics though... my son blowing a party favor whistle while we were under the metal pavilion. Really, freakin, irritating! Looking around though, it didn't seem like I was the only going nuts.
Today we took my truck to the event which is usually quite a bit quieter for me with my BTE's. I still found the road noise and noise from the fan in the engine and the air conditioner to just seem really loud and annoying. To be clear, when I say loud in this case I mean louder than it should be, not as in painful loud.
I think I'm starting to figure out what is causing the problem though. It seems to me like the Lyrics are detecting when someone is speaking, (or singing in other cases). When no one in the car was talking, the Lyrics really amplified the ambient noise for me to listen to. But as soon as someone said even a single word, they Lyrics clamped back down on the ambient noise and allowed me to hear their voice. At that point I tried turning on some music and found that that was a much better replacement for the ambient noise. The Lyrics seem to think that the music is something to amplify and it really cut down on the ambient noise. It's really sensitive though. During a quiet or slow spot in the song I could hear the Lyric alternating back and forth between ambient noise and the music which was really distracting. It's almost like the best way to deal with the road noise was to play the music and to play it loud. That may work fine for me as I usually have plenty of AC/DC and Megadeth on hand, but I'm not sure about my passengers. Time will continue to tell on this issue.
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