Re: Totally clueless mom....

[Guest guest]

I know a lot of people use Lloyds online, but I have found better prices at

www.justbekuz.com

RT in NC

>

> As I read all the posts, or at least the ones that I have time to read

> (this is a HUGE group with lots to say), I learn mostly that I have a lot to

> learn about hearing loss and the equipment necessary to help my little one

> hear. Sam is 10 months old, and his audiologist gave us a pair of BTEs and

> sent us home. I read on here about cleaning them, drying them, storing them,

> testing them, etc. And after looking online, the options are overwhelming.

> For those who have dealt with hearing aids for a while, could you give me a

> list of your " must-haves " for caring for them? So far, I have the little

> boxes that they came in from Phonak, and a battery tester that I got at

> Radio Shack. Also, it would be helpful to know the best places to find these

> supplies, especially online. I'm in OKC if there's anyone here with local

> resources for me.

>

> Mandy

>

>

--

Robin Tomlinson

thetomlinsons@...

[Guest guest]

I'm sorry, that's www.lloydhearingaid.com, not just lloyds or that would

give you Lloyd's of London. = )

WWW.Hearingplanet.com http://www.Hearingplanet.com> is another popular

place. I still maintain that you can find some better prices

on some things at www.justbekuz.com though they don't carry as much stuff.

One good thing you might want

to buy is a small blower that blows debris out of the hearing aid tube. The

box you are talking about is probably

the thing that dries the aids, but it doesn't come with germicide like a Dry

& Store box (justbekuz.com). You

might want to buy some OtoEze so you can get the aids in and out easily. I

just bought some Auro-Dry for swim

season, too, so our daughter won't get any trapped water in her ears.

RT in NC

>

> As I read all the posts, or at least the ones that I have time to read

> (this is a HUGE group with lots to say), I learn mostly that I have a lot to

> learn about hearing loss and the equipment necessary to help my little one

> hear. Sam is 10 months old, and his audiologist gave us a pair of BTEs and

> sent us home. I read on here about cleaning them, drying them, storing them,

> testing them, etc. And after looking online, the options are overwhelming.

> For those who have dealt with hearing aids for a while, could you give me a

> list of your " must-haves " for caring for them? So far, I have the little

> boxes that they came in from Phonak, and a battery tester that I got at

> Radio Shack. Also, it would be helpful to know the best places to find these

> supplies, especially online. I'm in OKC if there's anyone here with local

> resources for me.

>

> Mandy

>

>

--

Robin Tomlinson

thetomlinsons@...

[Guest guest]

I never used a battery tester for my daughter's hearing aids... hmm was that

bad? I always turned it on and held it in my hand to listen for feedback. If

I got it, I knew they were working if not, I changed them... hmmm.

I do use a battery tester for her cochlear implant, but she is a good

reporter now about when the batteries are dead.

Angie

Allie 4yrs

Bilateral n24 12mo, 30 mo

>

> I'm sorry, that's www.lloydhearingaid.com, not just lloyds or that would

> give you Lloyd's of London. = )

>

> WWW.Hearingplanet.com http://www.Hearingplanet.com> is another popular

> place. I still maintain that you can find some better prices

> on some things at www.justbekuz.com though they don't carry as much stuff.

> One good thing you might want

> to buy is a small blower that blows debris out of the hearing aid tube.

> The

> box you are talking about is probably

> the thing that dries the aids, but it doesn't come with germicide like a

> Dry

> & Store box (justbekuz.com). You

> might want to buy some OtoEze so you can get the aids in and out easily. I

> just bought some Auro-Dry for swim

> season, too, so our daughter won't get any trapped water in her ears.

>

>

> RT in NC

>

> On 7/2/06, mandy@...

mandy@...>

> wrote:

> >

> > As I read all the posts, or at least the ones that I have time to read

> > (this is a HUGE group with lots to say), I learn mostly that I have a

> lot to

> > learn about hearing loss and the equipment necessary to help my little

> one

> > hear. Sam is 10 months old, and his audiologist gave us a pair of BTEs

> and

> > sent us home. I read on here about cleaning them, drying them, storing

> them,

> > testing them, etc. And after looking online, the options are

> overwhelming.

> > For those who have dealt with hearing aids for a while, could you give

> me a

> > list of your " must-haves " for caring for them? So far, I have the little

> > boxes that they came in from Phonak, and a battery tester that I got at

> > Radio Shack. Also, it would be helpful to know the best places to find

> these

> > supplies, especially online. I'm in OKC if there's anyone here with

> local

> > resources for me.

> >

> > Mandy

> >

> >

>

> --

> Robin Tomlinson

> thetomlinsons@...

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Mandy - I " m guessing all of us have " been there, done that " - I know

I sure was! I have two boys (they now are nearly 14 **gulp** and 11),

both are deaf. They both wore two hearing aids for about 10 years; they

both now have cochlear implants in their right ear and still wear a

hearing aid in their left.

I remember when my younger son was diagnosed (his name is also Sam!)

about 4 months after my older son and thinking " how am I ever going to

manage to little sets of hearing aids " . But somehow we did - thank

heavens for a wonderful husband!

I would say " must-haves " for hearing aids would include:

a cleaning kit - that would include a bulb syringe that's similar to the

one you have for cleaning out your child's nose, only the tip is thinner

so it can clean out the earmold.

listening stethoscope - before your put your child's hearing aids on in

the morning, you want to listen to his aids each morning. It won't

sound " normal " but can you see if there's static, that sort of thing.

Batteries - keep batteries everywhere - your house, your car, diaper

bag, daycare if he goes there, babysitter, friends as he gets older...

My boys moms know they're " best friends " when they get batteries for

their house! :-)

A Dry and Store unit - not only does it do a great job drying out and

sterilizing the hearing aids, we like them because they're the place

that aids are stored at the end of the day - it's safe from the kittens,

the dog and you know right where they are.

A Dry Aid jar or two - for times that you don't have electricity. I

like to store the boys' aids and implant processors there when we're at

the pool, etc.

I really like heartoday.net -

https://www.hearingfulfillment.com/ecommerce/heartoday.aspx

also Communications - http://www.harriscomm.com

microbattery.com is good for batteries.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something - or Jill or the others I'm

sure will have great ideas too.

You'll be a pro before you know it!

Take care

Barbara

mandy@... wrote:

> As I read all the posts, or at least the ones that I have time to read (this

is a HUGE group with lots to say), I learn mostly that I have a lot to learn

about hearing loss and the equipment necessary to help my little one hear. Sam

is 10 months old, and his audiologist gave us a pair of BTEs and sent us home.

I read on here about cleaning them, drying them, storing them, testing them,

etc. And after looking online, the options are overwhelming. For those who

have dealt with hearing aids for a while, could you give me a list of your

" must-haves " for caring for them? So far, I have the little boxes that they

came in from Phonak, and a battery tester that I got at Radio Shack. Also, it

would be helpful to know the best places to find these supplies, especially

online. I'm in OKC if there's anyone here with local resources for me.

>

> Mandy

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is

the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

>

[Guest guest]

My list is:

Cleaning kit

(with some antibiotic cream in there for when he gets little zits behind the

molds -- a puberty thing, it seems)

Stethoscope

(which is still at school -- senile old woman that I am)

Dry-n-store (still the canister for us)

Batteries everywhere

(glove compartments, my purse, his backpacks, school, friends' houses,

kitchen dish cabinet ... and I'm sure I've forgotten a few ) I buy them at Sams

and BJs in a three pack for about $12. I've also gotten them at Radio Shack

when they have a battery sale. I never buy them at Rite Aid or a pharmacy

unless

it's an emergency -- there they cost $6+ for one card that usually has fewer

batteries on it..

We have yet to buy the electric dry-n-store, but I am considering it now

that Ian's aids are digital and not analog. There's more circuitry and they're

more delicate. (Plus, I like the idea of putting the IPod into it, LOL)

Also, during the school year, Ian change his batteries automatically every

Sunday night. The FM boots draw their power from his aid batteries and that

cuts the battery life in half. During the summer, he gets 2 weeks or more out

of

a battery. I think this is because 1) no FM boots all the time and 2) they

get turned off more often because he doesn't wear them in the pool or when

canoeing or kayaking. He and his dad have a habit of taking out on the kayaks

almost every morning (on the Hudson and the little rivers/creeks leading into

it). So his aids are not in his ears from 6 am to 11 pm every day. They get a

lighter daily workout in the summer.

Best -- Jill

[Guest guest]

Angie Mucci angie.mucci@...> wrote: I never used a battery tester for

my daughter's hearing aids... hmm was that

bad?

Well if that's bad, then I'm bad too. I started out using the tester, but

found it's results not always trustworthy. When I pulled them out of her ears at

night, if they squealed, I figured they still worked. Eventually I figured out

how long the batteries would last, and just change them. When she was in

preschool, they would last 2 - 2 1/2 weeks. Now, during school we get about 1

1/2 weeks out of them and while on vacation 2 - 2 1/2 weeks.

Of course now she is old enough to tell me when they die, so we just wait

until they die to change them.

Debbie, mom to , 7, moderate SNHL and , 3, hearing

Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were

and ask why not. G.B Shaw

---------------------------------

Yahoo! Music Unlimited - Access over 1 million songs.Try it free.

[Guest guest]

We tested the batteries for my sons Free Ears. The audi told us that

if the battery was not at or above a certain volt they did not work

properly..They still worked but the sound may not be as good.

Elaine

[Guest guest]

Ditto here - I never found it reliable so we ended up not using it after

awhile.

Barbara

Deb DiAnni wrote:

> Angie Mucci angie.mucci@...> wrote: I never used a battery tester

for my daughter's hearing aids... hmm was that

> bad?

>

>

>

>

> Well if that's bad, then I'm bad too. I started out using the tester, but

found it's results not always trustworthy. When I pulled them out of her ears at

night, if they squealed, I figured they still worked. Eventually I figured out

how long the batteries would last, and just change them. When she was in

preschool, they would last 2 - 2 1/2 weeks. Now, during school we get about 1

1/2 weeks out of them and while on vacation 2 - 2 1/2 weeks.

>

> Of course now she is old enough to tell me when they die, so we just wait

until they die to change them.

>

> Debbie, mom to , 7, moderate SNHL and , 3, hearing

>

>

>

> Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never

were and ask why not. G.B Shaw

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Yahoo! Music Unlimited - Access over 1 million songs.Try it free.

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/5/2006 6:16:33 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

Barbara.T.Mellert@... writes:

Ditto here - I never found it reliable so we ended up not using it after

awhile.

Barbara

Ditto here on the battery tester. I hadn't heard about the morning versus

night thing -- them recharging a bit overnight, but that would explain why we

thought the tester was a waste of time. He just changes his batteries on Sunday

nights whether they seem to need it or not.

The aid batteries are much less expensive than they CI ones so we don't try

to get as much life out of them as possible. If he forgets, then they will of

course die during a class where he really needs them to be working, so he's

changing aids and missing part of a lecture.

At this point, I don't even know where the charger is, maybe Ian does, but

we haven't used it in years.

Jill

[Guest guest]

We were told to use the battery tester right after removing the battery at the

end of the day. Supposedly because the battery could build some charge back up

by morning and look like it would work but then it would give out.

Re: Totally clueless mom....

>

>Ditto here - I never found it reliable so we ended up not using it after

>awhile.

>

>Barbara

>

>Deb DiAnni wrote:

>> Angie Mucci angie.mucci@...> wrote: I never used a battery tester

for my daughter's hearing aids... hmm was that

>> bad?

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> Well if that's bad, then I'm bad too. I started out using the tester, but

found it's results not always trustworthy. When I pulled them out of her ears at

night, if they squealed, I figured they still worked. Eventually I figured out

how long the batteries would last, and just change them. When she was in

preschool, they would last 2 - 2 1/2 weeks. Now, during school we get about 1

1/2 weeks out of them and while on vacation 2 - 2 1/2 weeks.

>>

>> Of course now she is old enough to tell me when they die, so we just wait

until they die to change them.

>>

>> Debbie, mom to , 7, moderate SNHL and , 3, hearing

>>

>>

>>

>> Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never

were and ask why not. G.B Shaw

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> ---------------------------------

>> Yahoo! Music Unlimited - Access over 1 million songs.Try it free.

>>

>>