need help with hearing
 

I have been to an ENT doctor (two years ago) who sent me to an audiologist. After many, many visits to the audiologist, over the past two years, ( and $6500 hearing aids) nothing is clear to me. I cannot understand what is being said.

I want to go to an otolaryngologist (one step above and ENT doctor) to see if there is something blocking my hearing in my head. Has anyone been to such a doctor in Florida . I am willing to travel. Maybe a cochlear implant. I just don't know.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

ENT Doctors are otolaryngologist and otolaryngologists are ENT Doctors. One & the same.

I cannot help you with a doctor but I can help correct a misconception you have. An ENT is an otolaryngologist. One is a common use term the other is more formal.

I have been wearing hearing aids for years and just got new ones that are far better than any I have had before.

Phonak Audeo Lumity hearing aids

IMHO, it sounds like (no pun intended) you need a new audiologist. As noted above the new hearing aids are much better with great improvements over the last few years. In any case, I would talk to the audiologist and make sure that any hearing aids recommended would a full moneyback trial period, then go to places where you know you are having trouble hearing. i have friends that can adjust the hearing aids for different settings with their phone using an APP.
I have moderate hearing loss in one (1) ear, and will actually looking at the new OTC hearing aids in the next few months after there are some real world reviews.

ENT = Ear, Nose, and Throat.
Otolaryngologist oto (latin combining form for ear) laryn...(larynx, the medical term for your voice box, part of the throat) - ologist (specialist)

Two terms for the same doctor.

You say you've had these hearing aids for two years, and still have word differentiation problems. This should have been reported to the ENT doctor within your first year. It can take between 2-6 months to get used to wearing hearing aids for the first time, especially if you have word differentiation trouble and the hearing aids are higher end with a lot of nuances and different settings. I'm assuming you've been using higher end aids, since you paid $6500 for them.

Cochlear implants are usually best only for people with profound or total deafness. They're not very useful for people who can already hear at least moderately well - and can completely wreck your enjoyment of music, if you have any currently.

It sounds to me like you need a different audiologist. But before you go to one, you need to check with your ENT person to see if there's something other than your hearing that's the problem (such as something blocking the signal in your brain that interprets the sound coming from the other side of the cochlea).

My husband just received his 2nd pair of hearing aids and is very happy with what was recommended for him. He highly recommends Renaissance Hearing Center in Wildwood / 352-461-0219. He was very impressed with owner & facility.

The hearing aid business like many others has its share of charlatans and the semi-competent pushing the most profitable products to line their own pockets.
$6500 hearing aids should be close to top of the range if adjusted correctly to your hearing loss, and give you a lot more clarity than at present.
Even a cheaper pair fitted properly should give clarity.
You either have an underlying condition which needs investigating, or your aids are not correctly tuned. It must be one or the other.
I would first try another audiologist to fine tune your existing aids.
Then, if no improvement, back to ENT.
I too am profoundly deaf, and without my properly tuned aids, hear next to nothing.
MTC.

Thank you. My mistake.

I have high frequency hearing loss and have had hearing aids for nearly 15 years that are provide to me by the Veteran's Administration. They help immensely but they do not give you the hearing ability that healthy ears provide. In crowds or in a place where there is loud noise, I have a lot of difficulty understanding what people are saying, especially women who usually have lower softer voices. As far as I know the VA provides decent quality aids so I don't believe they are the problem. I've had the hearing aids adjusted a few times but have had little effect on hearing quality. If you are expecting to hear like you did when your ears were healthy, you will be disappointed. Even with hearing aids I can't hear crickets or chirping birds. Sometimes when driving with the wife she will comment on a sound the vehicle is making and ask what it is. I don't hear the sound as it is usually a high pitched sound.

I hear better than before I needed them. Born with nerve damage, my hearing was almost "normal" until I hit my 30s. I had some word differentiation trouble, but sounds in general were clear and audible. The progression began in my 30s until I finally needed devices in my 40s. I rarely wore them because they created distortion in sound, and had to change the battery almost every day, and they kept getting clogged with ear wax (they were custom-made in-ear tiny things).

Fast forward to 2 years ago I got over-the-ear aids with streaming bluetooth app all kinds of doodads, and my hearing is better than it was when I was a kid. So much so that I usually have to turn the volume DOWN when we're eating dinner, because hubby insists on keeping the TV on in the other room, and the rush of applause during sitcoms every 18-24 seconds irritates me to no end.

My Phonak hearing aids were pretty high end when purchased 4 years ago.
I hear the birds and even the wall clock ticking, and a lot of background noise is filtered out.
Every year the aids get better. My first ones were dire compared to the advancements made, and my next pair will definitely be better than my present ones.
You definitely do get what you pay for with hearing aids.
But.
However costly, and even with all the latest bells and whistles, loud conversation, background music, machinery, even the bloody electric kettle will overpower and negate the sound quality.
You cannot phase it out completely, as then you would hear nothing at all.
I am just grateful to have any sound I have, as without my aids, I enter a world of silence.

PS. Like OBB the noise from shrieking audiences on the television is probably the most annoying sound on earth!!:(

starflyte1, I agree with several others here. I think you need to see a different audiologist.

Hearing aids are just like any other prosthetic device. If they are well fitted they offer great results. If not, it's like that artificial leg that's a quarter-inch too short. EVERYTHING depends on the quality of the fitting, or tuning if you please.

I am on the third generation of hearing aids in my 15 years of using them, and have seen several audiologists. The technical advances are amazing, but the real value is in the audiologist and how well they fit the devices to your particular needs.

Dr. Cliff Olson in Phoenix AZ is an audiologist who, through hundreds of YouTube videos has become an industry influencer. He advocates a series of "Best Practices" for audiologists, and those who follow his best practices produce excellent results for their customers.

One of the best ways you can spend 10 minutes is to watch Dr. Cliff's video about Best Practices. After that you might want to watch more, and to visit his web page about the importance of best practices.

We are fortunate to have one of those Best Practices audiologists right here in The Villages. Dr. Al Turri delivers excellence. He really pays attention to patient needs and knows how to squeeze the best performance out of the devices. The brand and quality level of the device is not nearly as important as how the device is fitted, and Dr. Turri knows how to do that well. I've been seeing him for 2 years and am very pleased with the results. He is located in the Brownwood Center for Advanced Healthcare. Give him a try. (By the way, I get the sense he was following Dr. Cliff Olson's best practices before Dr. Cliff codified them for others.)

As a suggestion talk to your ENT about a Stapedectomy. My right ear was just about useless. I could hear muffled sounds and that was it. I went to my ENT in Pennsylvania about 8 years ago he suggested hearing aids or surgery. After some thought I had the surgery and it was the best decision I could have made. After about a week I could hear sounds that I did not hear in years. It took several weeks until I was all but normal. My high range is not 100% but I am very satisfied.

Hearing aids
 

I got mine from Costco for $1,399 for both. Happy with them and have been wearing hearing aids for about 15-20 years. They’re rechargeable and you can adjust them either manually or through their app. Consumer reports ranked Kirkland the no. 1 hearing aids.