HH/Beck: Hi Mr. Ditzler. Thanks for spending a little time with me and sharing your hearing aid experiences. I want to mention that you are employed at ESCO. ESCO (Ear Service Corporation) is a hearing aid loss & damage insurance provider to the hearing aid industry and to private patients, and ESCO provides extended warrantees and financing for hearing instruments to consumers. However, I actually heard about your story from a mutual friend and you have agreed to tell us about your experience with hearing aid amplification.
Ditzler: Thats right Dr. Beck. For people interested in learning about ESCO and our services, they can visit our website at www.earserv.com. Im happy to tell my story if its helpful for other people.
HH/Beck: Very good. How long have you been wearing hearing aids?
Ditzler: Ive been wearing hearing aids for a long some time. I am 61 years old and Ive been wearing hearing aids for about 46 years.
HH/Beck: What can you recall about the hearing aids from the mid-1950s?
Ditzler: I remember hearing aids were great big things that looked to be about the size of a banana! Ive always worn Behind-The-Ear (BTE) units, but the ones we have today are MUCH smaller than the ones 46 years ago! I also remember being highly embarrassed by my hearing aid. Back then, I only wore one and nobody realized how important it was to wear two. As you can guess, very few kids wore hearing aids back then and it was a constant source of embarrassment and frustration for me. The stigma associated with hearing aids was horrible. Anyway, 15 years later, when I was about 30 years of age I went to an audiologist at the University of Minnesota. That was the first time anyone explained anything to me about my hearing loss, the hearing aids themselves, or anything else related to my situation. It was amazing to me to find someone so knowledgeable about hearing loss. After that, everything started to make sense. When I finally understood what was going on with my hearing, it was easier to understand my associated behaviors. When I started to wear two hearing aids, things got much easier all around.
HH/Beck: What was it like wearing only one hearing aid?
Ditzler: It was very hard. Its so obvious now that you need to hear out of both ears, but back then, nobody ever mentioned it to me and so I just wore one. It was very hard getting through college, but I did eventually get through it -- although it took me a little longer than most people. I had to position myself just so, so the hearing aid was facing the person speaking and I had to stay away from noisy areas like auditoriums because I knew I wouldnt be able to hear in that situation.
HH/Beck: Have you ever seen a physician regarding your hearing loss?
Ditzler: Yes, I did. I got my first hearing aid prescription from a physician when I was a young teenager. He also did a fenestration operation on me years later and frankly, that didnt help me at all. That procedure subsequently left me with an enlarged ear canal. Had I known then what I know now, I would not have had the surgery. But hindsight is 20/20, and the world has changed.
HH/Beck: The fenestration operation was common in the 1950s and 1960s, but it is no longer done. By and large, it was done for patients with otosclerosis, and its been replaced by stapedectomy and stapedotomy.
Ditzler: Yes, well, Im sure some people mustve received some benefit, but it didnt work for me at all. Ive also had stapedectomy and stapes mobilization on both of my ears, but nothing really worked very well. So now I just wear two hearing aids and I get by very well.
HH/Beck: Yes, you do. In fact, I should point out to the readers that you and I are speaking on the phone, this is not a face-to-face interview.
Ditzler: Yes absolutely. I can use the phone most of the time without any difficulty.
HH/Beck: Can you tell me anything about your observations regarding digital hearing aids?
Ditzler: Currently I am wearing a pair of GNResound Canta 7s. These are 100 percent digital hearing aids and they work very well. The previous pair which I wore for 7 years were also ReSound, but they were not 100 percent digital. The Canta 7 is much sharper and much more crisp than anything Ive worn before. I tried a few different digital hearing aids before I purchased the Canta 7 and I found these were really the best Ive heard.
HH/Beck: What about your ability to hear in noise with the Canta 7s?
Ditzler: I can do pretty well in noise, but I dont like to be in noisy situations because I cannot hear as clearly. The best thing Ive found for listening in noise is the Phonak FM system, I think its called the Microlink. I also really like the Watch Pilot by Phonak, thats very clever. Recently, I was going into a hot tub and I wore my old hearing aids because I didnt want to get the Canta 7s wet. When I put on the old hearing aids, they were not as clear and crisp. Once you try the new digitals and you wear them for a few months, its hard to go back to the earlier models, theres a big difference in the sound quality. The directional microphones and the second program in the digital hearing aids work very well. Its one of those things you have to try to truly understand just how well they work, and how much difference they do make.
HH/Beck: Yes, its very easy to get used to excellent sound quality, and then as you point out, its very hard to go back to a lesser sound.
Ditzler: Well, if I had to listen in noise all day long, the Microlink FM is probably the best thing for me. So I guess if I had to summarize, Id say the best hearing aids Ive worn for day-to-day and business use is the Canta 7, but the best in noise is the Phonak FM system.
HH/Beck: Have you noticed any changes with your ability to tell where sounds are coming from when youre using the Canta 7s?
Ditzler: Oh yeah, I am a lot better able to tell sound direction now. Before this, I didnt have a clue. Im not perfect with telling where the sound is coming from, but I am certainly better with the Canta 7 than I was before.
HH/Beck: Mr. Ditzler, if patients want to get in touch with you, can they write to you through email to learn more about your experiences?
Ditzler: Sure, certainly. Again, they can contact me through our website, and its the same one they can use to learn about extended hearing aid warrantees and our hearing aid insurance plans too. Our website is at www.earserv.com
and my email address is jmditzler@earserv.com and my toll free number is 800-992-3726.
HH/Beck: Thanks Mr. Ditzler. I appreciate your comments and your willingness to share your experiences with us.
Ditzler: Youre welcome Dr. Beck.
(Editors note - This interview was updated in April 2002. It was originally published in January 2002)
