Data & Stuff // Neil Houston

For those following the story, last autumn I was fitted with a set of hearing aids, the Oticon Spirit Zest P BTEs.  In May I ‘upgraded’ and went to some Oticon Vigo Pro Connect ITE hearing aids.

The difference? Behind The Ear and In The Ear.  The name says it all the BTEs had all the technology sat behind the ear, and a little tube taking the amplified sound into the earmould.  With the new ones, all the technology is contained ITE.

Take a look at the difference (Top – BTE, Bottom – ITE)

It’s quite odd to get used to them as you may be able to see from the picture they go further into the ear canal than the BTE moulds.  Plus the little challenge that your ear canal isn’t straight so it taken me a while to get the right technique!

With these Vigo Pro Connect ITEs they have this little BLUETOOTH functionality which means once I purchase the Oticon Streamer, that I’ll be able to listen to calls without lifting up the phone! As well as streaming music into them from the iPod etc.

It also means that if I change one of the aids to a different programme (I have them setup for: Normal, Telecoil/Phone, Meetings, Clubbing) the other one automically detects it and changes as well!

This is me with them in:

Many thanks to the NHS!

As I mentioned in my first, and second pieces on hearing. I’ve finally got around to ‘getting fixed’. Which was the general theme of 2010.

It may have involved some tears, some nasal surgery, and a couple of oticon hearing aids; though now I am fixed. To some degree of normality.

Hearing things is still odd. The fact that I can’t bear my favourite coffee shop, as it now seems too loud. The fact that I can hear 8 different conversations going on around me, when I just want to read the paper. Luckily there’s a volume control, but with time I’ll get used to that.

Overall with hearing, it’s all been great. The only things I don’t like are
- The fact that I have hearing aids (yes I know you lot don’t care, but I do).
- I can’t easily listen to my iPod with them in.
- The way it makes my tinnitus seem much more profound when I don’t have them in. So waking up in bed, and getting to sleep can drive me mad!

The good things though:
- I can hear.
- I don’t need to blag conversations.
- I’m more aware of my surroundings.
- I don’t feel broken.

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