Now Hear This - Part 2

By Jim Lemonds

Part One

Teacher disguised childhood hearing loss

R. A. Long history teacher Mike Polis, 56, has lived with hearing loss since childhood.

"It probably started when I was 4 or 5," Polis said. "The doctors think it was caused by mumps or measles."

To compensate, Polis did what most people with hearing loss do. He made sure he faced speakers directly; he relied on situational context to determine meaning; and he became an accomplished lip reader.

"I got through school by reading lips," he said.

Things got complicated when Polis was a teenager. "I was trying to talk to girls on the phone, and it didn't work very well. My parents bought me a hearing aid. It was big and fit over the ear. I wore it around the house a little bit, but I never wore it to school."

Polis, who has been teaching since 1975, did not wear a hearing aid during the first ten years of his career. He finally purchased a single hearing aid during the mid-1980s. He has gone through five in 20 years. Some were lost. Others went through the washing machine.

"The new ones are 10 times better than the old ones," Polis said. "They have a lot less feedback," the whistling sound heard by microphones with feedback.

The hearing aid made a difference in the classroom. "I still have to ask kids to repeat things, but I get most of it." In fact, Polis said he catches more conversation than his students realize.

Solutions abound, but not perfection

Hearing aids come in many types. The most common are behind-the-ear (BTE); in-the-ear (ITE), which may completely fill the canal; in-the-canal (ITC), most often in the shape of a split conch shell; and completely-in-the-canal (CIC), which are smaller and less noticeable.

Some older patients or those with physical disabilities cannot be fitted with smaller devices that require a good deal of dexterity. Simply changing the battery --- which is half the size of an aspirin in the smaller devices --- can be a struggle.

When hearing loss is extremely severe, a larger receiver and battery pack, such as those found in behind-the-ear devices, must be used.

The advent of digital technology in the '90s was a leap forward. Digital hearing aids rely on a computer chip to translate sound into algorithms, interpret that sound according to programmed specifications, and then release the sound into the ear canal.

"It's pretty amazing when you think that all of this is being done in real time," said Dr. Bradly Edgerton, an audiologist at Longview's Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic of the Northwest.

Digital hearing aids can be fine-tuned to a greater degree than the earlier analog devices. Volume, bass, and treble can be increased or decreased. Sound filters can be adjusted. But no device solves all problems.

"They've come a long way," said Moor, "but no hearing aid can eliminate all background noise."

Occlusion, a feeling akin to having your ears plugged with water, is a major complaint among hearing-aid wearers. A new device, dubbed "open-fit," has provided some relief. Open-fit hearing aids feature a small receiver that tucks behind the ear and thin, nearly invisible tubing that runs to the ear canal.

Dan Smith, a consultant at Miracle Ear in Kelso, said the open-fit devices, which have been on the market for a few months, are proving popular with customers. "Not only is the sound quality good," Smith said, "but they're a great solution for people who have problems with occlusion."

One drawback, Smith said, is that open-fit aids are not effective for people with significant hearing loss that affects lower tones.

Hearing aids: a help and a nuisance

Chris Moor cites inconsistent use as the most frequent obstacle to success with hearing aids. "It takes six months or more for the brain to adapt to the hearing aids," he said. "When you get them, you start 'alerting' to things you didn't hear before. It can be very fatiguing. The brain needs time to relearn what sounds to ignore. It can't do that unless you wear the hearing aids regularly."

Moor said that some patients choose to wear their hearing aids only for specific occasions -- attending church or meeting with clients, for example. As a result, they never give their brains a chance to fully adapt.

Although Seifert and Polis wear their hearing aids on a regular basis, both say they are much happier without the devices.

"I'm a lot more comfortable with my hearing aids out," Seifert said. "It's like having cotton in your ears. You can't ignore them."