Atlanta State Representative Doug Holt was featured on News 11 Alive and Well in Atlanta Georgia this week for wearing Lyric hearing aids. Dr. Helena Solodar, of Audiological Consultants of Atlanta, fit Representative Holt with Lyric this past year. Representative Holt mentions that until he wore hearing aids, his hearing loss “kept him on the political sidelines.” He bought his first hearing aids because he said he could not participate effectively without being able to hear. Wearing a hearing aid “helped him get back into the game.” Lyric is called “the next generation of hearing aids” because it is invisible to the eye and provides natural sound quality with no daily hassles. Representative Holt went on to say that many people associated hearing loss with aging, but in many cases, like his own, age has nothing to do with it.

To watch the full segment on the Lyric hearing aid, please click here.
 

I started working for InSound Medical several years ago, and I immediately grasped the concepts of the benefit of a hearing aid such as Lyric that could be placed deep in the canal providing invisibility, natural sound quality, and hassle-free hearing. However, I struggled with the thought of a wearer getting used to wearing something essentially in their head, 24 hours a day for months at a time. Would you constantly feel the hearing aid? How comfortable could it be? Would a form of claustrophobia set in or some other phobia with having a hearing aid residing in your body in this way?

Lucky for me, I got to answer all of these questions for myself when a trial was run to test out the comfort of the Lyric’s seals. Although I don’t have a hearing loss, I was selected for the trial because I have ear canals of the size and shape appropriate for the Lyric device and had no previous Lyric or hearing aid experience so I could provide a first-time user answer in regards to comfort.

In April, 2008, my right ear was fit with the Lyric hearing aid and since I do not have a hearing loss, the amplification on the device was set at the lowest settings so that when turned on it would feel like I was hearing at my normal levels. My initial impressions were that it was similar to wearing a new watch for the first time. You know and are aware that you are wearing it, but it was not uncomfortable in the least. Leaving the clinic, I was instructed that it can take up to a week for your body to adjust to having a hearing aid in your ear and that if it became uncomfortable at all that I could take standard over-the-counter pain reliever medicine the first few days as I adjusted to it.

I am a very active person and decided that slowly getting used to wearing Lyric was not an option. So the first thing I did after leaving the clinic was to head with some friends to a San Francisco Giants game. No one noticed that I was wearing a hearing aid, and it wasn’t until I started playing with my SoundLync magnet, turning the device on and off that my friends even asked what I was doing with my ear. Also, for those of you that know San Francisco, the Giants baseball stadium can be one of the windier places in the world on any given night and I experimented with turning the device up to maximum volume levels to see if the wind noise would cause any problems. It wasn’t until the highest volume that I could even notice any difference in the hearing aid from the wind noise I heard in my good ear, and even then it was not bothersome.

As for my comfort getting used to the hearing aid, when I was distracted by events, I didn’t think about Lyric nor was even aware of it. When I was trying to think about the hearing aid, I could still feel it and realize it was there during that first day. In fact when I woke up the first morning after wearing Lyric, though I slept fine through the night, I woke up with my finger resting on my right ear indicating to me that my body was still aware of something different and still trying to get used to the concept.

Day two, I took the Lyric hearing aid through a ringer of new events. I took a long 20-minute shower and when I got out it felt like the Lyric had gotten a little wet, but it was still working. About hour later, the moisture initially felt on the hearing aid after the shower was gone, and as I thought about it, my awareness of even wearing the Lyric had gone down considerably from the previous day. I went through my days activities including talking on the phone, socializing with friends, and playing a full basketball game (Im a heavy sweater too!!) with no need to change my routine and without anyone noticing that I was wearing a hearing aid. I also began to realize the amplification abilities of the hearing aid and the clarity of its sound. Since I do not have a hearing loss, I could turn up the device and get a heightened hearing ability. I could watch the TV at volume one while my girlfriend slept soundly next to me. I could even hear the couple’s secret conversations two tables away at a restaurant if I listened carefully.

However, my biggest amazement came on day three, when I woke up and at first couldn’t remember which ear I was wearing the Lyric in. I still realized there was something different between my ears, but couldn’t without thinking about it carefully determine which ear housed the hearing aid. My body had accepted wearing the new hearing aid, and like a new watch, forgotten after time that you are even wearing it. As my trial ended after a week, I was very enthusiastic that the Lyric hearing aid is a product that when fit correctly can not only provide sound benefit to the patient, but can be worn very comfortably for extended periods of time. It was great to see how quickly my body had gotten used to wearing the device, and I feel that if I had worn devices in both ears that this adjustment may have been even quicker and easier. Although I don’t need a hearing aid yet, Im glad to know that a solution such as Lyric is available for me in the future.

News Flash!  Lyric was featured on the hottest new medical show on TV, The Dr. Oz Show!   The segment aired all around the country on Friday, October 30th. Dr. Oz spoke with a woman in her mid-twenties who has suffered from hearing loss since she was in her teens.  She had been reluctant to try a hearing aid because she didn’t want the stigma associated with it.  Doctor Oz then showed the audience how hearing loss occurs, and introduced Dr. Shelley Borgia from Park Avenue Acoustics. 

Dr. Borgia introduced Dr. Oz and the woman with hearing loss to the Lyric Hearing Aid.  She showed them how it works, and then placed the devices in the woman’s ears.   Doctor Oz then showed the audience that once placed, the Lyric Hearing Device was 100% invisible and would not fall out.  To watch the video, please click below:

I work at InSound Medical and am an avid runner.  A few months ago I had an opportunity to speak with a fellow fitness enthusiasts whom I often see at my gym.  During the course of our conversation he explained that he loved to run and used to be a marathoner.  He went on to say that in recent years he had given up running because he found it difficult to run with his hearing aids and dangerous to run without them because of traffic concerns. Knowing that Lyric is often a great solution for those who like to exercise, I encouraged him to seek out a Lyric certified provider to determine if he was a Lyric candidate.  I recently saw him at the gym where he enthusiastically sought me out to thank me for telling him about Lyric.  He said that he was running (outside) again, something that he assumed he would no longer be able to do as a result of his traditional hearing aids.  He went on to say that the freedom he has experienced with Lyric has surpassed his expectations.  He can run, snow ski and even ride his bike again while wearing Lyric.  He is thrilled with his Lyric devices and can't imagine going back to his traditional hearing aids.  

We are pleased to announce Jonathan Lai as the grand prize winner of the “Tell Us Your Story” Sweepstakes. Lai, an associate at investments firm Crosslink Capital, San Francisco resident and Lyric wearer for the past year, was selected as the grand prize winner for sharing his story about experiencing hearing loss at a young age, the obstacles he faced and had to overcome and how Lyric has made a positive impact on his life today.

Last September, Lyric wearers were asked to answer the question “What do you love about Lyric Hearing?" for a chance to win a free year of Lyric.  “Hearing loss can profoundly affect an individual and those around them,” said Susan Whichard, vice president of marketing at InSound Medical. “Jonathan’s story eloquently illustrates the struggle that many people with hearing loss face.”

“Today, with my Lyric hearing devices, I can do what I had never dared dream was possible. I play basketball every weekend, I chat with friends and family in noisy restaurants, I stand in board-rooms and field questions about company strategy,” said Lai. “Perhaps most importantly of all, I no longer think about my hearing loss on a daily basis. Lyric works well in [so many] situations.”

Lai was first diagnosed with severe hearing loss at the age of 10, experiencing a parabolic loss that made middle sound frequencies, like human speech, a challenge to hear. His first hearing aids consisted of a set of bulky headphones connected by wires to a heavy belt-worn battery pack.

“It was awkward, ugly, and ungainly,” he said.

Even in high school when he began wearing behind-the-ear hearing aids he was faced with daily issues presented by the smaller, more portable devices. Limitations included a short battery life, microphone feedback and difficulty hearing speech in noisy environments or wide-open spaces.

“With previous hearing aids, I always needed to think ahead to compensate for my limitations—avoiding noisy restaurants or sitting closer to a speaker, for example,” he explained. “With the 24/7 amplification that Lyric provides, my hearing is always there for me when I need it.”

 

Whether it’s a crackling fire, jingling sleigh bells, counting down to a New Year or laughing family members, no one should have to miss out on the joyous sounds of the holidays. Lyric, the first 100% invisible extended wear hearing aid, allows people with hearing loss to experience every moment of the season with exceptional sound quality and low hearing aid maintenance. 

Many people with hearing loss do not get to enjoy seasonal festivities as much because they experience feedback with their hearing aids or sounds are muffled because they don’t wear hearing aids. The placement of Lyric, deep in the ear canal close to the ear drum, uses the outer ear to direct sound into the ear canal, resulting in exceptional sound quality. With reduced distortion, wind noise, occlusion and feedback, as well as natural sound directionality, Lyric wearers can enjoy the sounds of the holidays.

“I heard sounds I hadn’t heard in years,” said Lyric wearer Lawrence. “I was able to hear my kids speaking. I was able to understand what they said, and before I had problems hearing and understanding what my family said to me.”

Not only does Lyric offer natural sound quality, but people with hearing loss can travel for the holidays, visiting family and friends, without having to worry about the daily hassles of their hearing aids. Lyric was designed to remain in the ear 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for up to 4 months at a time*. This means there is no need for unforeseen battery changes or daily insertion and removal. And since Lyric is invisible, family and friends won’t notice them.

The holidays are a time for loved ones to come together and share the memories of years gone by and years to come. With Lyric, everyone can join in the conversation and experience the sounds of the season.
 

Lyric® Hearing has been featured in the December issue of Popular Science as one of the “Best of What’s New” innovations for 2009.  Every year Popular Science finds the best 100 innovations and highlights them in this issue, only 12 “innovations” were chosen in the “Health” category, and hundreds of entries were reviewed. Lyric was the only hearing aid that won this award.   It is a privilege to have been included in this publication.  The Lyric hearing aid is considered “innovative” because the first hearing aid that can be worn 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for up to 4 months at a time.  
 
Here is an excerpt from the article:  “The Lyric hearing aid is the first you can wear for months straight without surgical implantation. Sitting just a sixth of an inch from the eardrum, closer than any other hearing aid, it maximizes use of the entire outer ear to capture sound naturally. On the speaker end, the short distance to the eardrum reduces distortion. The user adjusts volume levels or turns it on or off by holding a small magnetic wand up to it. Patients replace the used Lyric every three to four months during a quick visit to the audiologist.”
 
Popular Science reaches over 7.2 million readers!  For a link to the full story please click here:  http://www.popsci.com/bown/2009/product/insound-medical-lyric-hearing-aid. The magazine is also available on newsstands.

A very involved mother brought in her 15 year-old daughter with hearing loss.  Her daughter plays the piano and the cello and is in the school band.   She is very active in her school and in extra-curricular activities, and is on the girls soccer team.  She had a hard time wearing hearing aids while playing sports.  After three or four months of wearing Lyric, her confidence really soared, and she was promoted to the lead cellist in the band.  Lyric has allowed her to be physically active while wearing her hearing aids and wear them while playing soccer.  Seeing her being fit with Lyric was a wonderful experience.
 
Bunny, Lyric Trainer

Just this week alone, the positive feedback I received about Lyric is proof that it is changing lives all over the country.  I am an audiologist and one of the trainers at InSound Medical.  I train other audiologists how to fit patients with the Lyric Hearing Device.  Lyric is not only changing lives for the patient that has the hearing loss but for the significant others as well. 

The wife of a new Lyric patient stopped her husband’s audiologist in the gym to express her joy about how GREAT her husband has been hearing since fit with Lyric a few days prior.  She thanked the audiologist and said that her husband has been hearing better than ever.

Another wife was beaming at a Lyric follow-up office visit with her husband.  He had suffered from hearing loss for many years but had always resisted wearing hearing aids due to the social stigma associated with hearing loss.  Lyric was the invisible solution that he had always hoped for.  His wife couldn’t stop smiling as she described how Lyric had changed both of their lives.

A husband placed a follow-up phone call to his wife’s audiologist several days after she was fit with Lyric.  His wife had a longstanding history of hearing loss, and seamless communication had been a struggle in the past.  One sentence summed up his gratitude to the audiologist for choosing Lyric.  He said, “Thank you for giving me back my wife.”
      
- Jill, Au.D., InSound Medical Trainer

I’m one of the trainers at InSound Medical.  I wanted to share some of my experiences fitting patients with Lyric.  I’ve been training offices to fit patients with Lyric for a couple of years now and the “Wow” effect of Lyric never ceases to amaze me.  The patient experiences at a recent Lyric day at an office in Maryland proved to be no exception.  The first three patients of the morning were all wearing other hearing aids before being fit with Lyric.  After Lyric was placed in their ears, when asked how the devices felt, all three patients had the exact same reaction.  They all said, “I can hardly feel the devices in my ears, and they feel great.”  It made me smile to hear that exact same reaction to Lyric three times in a row! 

- Jill, Au.D., InSound Medical Trainer