My new Phonak Naida Link Hearing Aid!

In June 2017, I received the Naida Link hearing aid. This hearing aid is compatible with my CI processor and the two can communicate with each other. When I want to listen to music or a telephone call using my Com Pilot, both the Link and my Naida CI processor will connect to it at the same time, so I can hear using both ears. I can touch the program button on either my hearing aid or my CI and it will effect the program change in both ears at the same time! There is 1/2 seconds more time delay on the CI side before I can hear again but it's a small price to pay...

I can choose which side I want to hear on by pressing the program button on the appropriate side – this is so useful in the car when I want to hear the passenger or my child in the back seat!! 

I noticed my speech perception improve within the first few days after I started using the Link, walking along corridors and listening to a child at the same time was no longer such an effort! And with the zoom control feature in a noisy environment, it feels like the child’s voice is right by my ear! 

In August 2017 I had the automatic settings on the Naida Link hearing aid switched off because it affects my perception of the environment and my concentration on speech sounds. I noticed this mostly when I was walking with people I was trying to listen to, especially when I wasn’t lip-reading them. If I turned my head away from the person, I could no longer hear their voice and in addition to this, I couldn’t really hear any environmental information. With each turn of the head, I found myself incredibly disorientated and I really didn’t like it. Once it was turned off, I was much happier with the hearing aid and my ability to hear with both ears.

#lifeison

Upgrade from Harmony to Naida Q90

I was upgraded from the Harmony to the Naida Q90 in November 2016. I’d been waiting patiently since the 5 year mark, so 3 years of waiting felt like a long time. I didn’t expect a lot, because I didn’t want to be disappointed, but I felt excited to finally benefit from Advanced Bionics’ (AB) newest technology.

Upgrade day came and went without too much of a hitch. There was a processor mix up over the colour (I have the beautiful Caribbean Pirate colour – thank you, AB) and there was, admittedly a few moments of panic when they first turned the Q90 on; all I could hear was a horrid buzzing sound. “Am I not compatible with this system?!” was my first thought. It transpired that they needed to switch a few settings off that were used with the Harmony processor between the internal and external implant, to allow the Q90 to send its information through. 

“Phew! But it sounds the same… Nothing is different.” Part of me was incredibly relieved. I didn’t want the same emotional upheaval that I experienced when I first got my implant in 2008 but at the same time, I wasn’t gobsmacked by this amazing new technology! I loved the smaller size though, it just ‘disappeared’ when I was wearing it and it was so light! 

Just two days later and the following *amazing* benefits started to emerge:

• Better pitch perception without the assistance of my Phonak Hearing Aid – the sound with my CI alone no longer sounded 'flat'
• Improved listening in noisy conditions 
•  I HAD A FIVE MINUTE PHONE CONVERSATION WITH A STRANGER – I never achieved this with my previous processor. I have also made a phone call to my doctors and spoke with the receptionist for a few minutes about making an appointment and discussing the possibility of needing an x-ray at the hospital.
• Speech sounded clearer when listening to music
• When listening to music, I could also hear my own voice. It use to ‘disappear’ with my Harmony processor