Sandra,
Be sure you have the newest TruLink upgrade. If you click the gear, it brings up settings - they expanded the options there. Originally you could auto mute the mic when streaming. Which was great to completely cut ambient sound, however when on a call I couldn't hear myself very well. Now you have the option of muting or low mic. The low mic setting cuts most of the background noise, but allows my voice to sound more natural while quieting background noise which inproves clarity for me.
As far as the different settings and what you should use where. You can create settings in soundspace, with or without geo tagging. For example, I have several settings that I made when in different noise level locations, I named them accordingly. You can manually switch to the user settings anytime. They show up under the 4 presets on the remote tab. I have one I use if there are a lot of low humming sounds, like from fans or motors running. I have I use if there is loud background music etc. I have one that is geo tagged for the Walmart I go to all the time, it is geo tagged, switches automatically when I go there. But I use the Walmart setting in other large stores, I just switch to it manually. When I go into a place where the normal setting is not comfortable, I simply switch between the various setting until I find the one that is most comfortable. Sometimes the trick for me is adjusting the volume differently for my left and right ear. I have better speech recognition in my right ear, so these aids were programmed to address that. The audi set adjustments made the decibels for speech stronger in my right ear then in my left, which really helped enhance speech quality, with old aids, the sound my left ear heard, was basically masking what the right ear could distinguish. That is a benefit of dealing with an expert audi that totally understands the capabilities of the programming for these aids. Starkey developed new technology the past year that allows more precise adjustment then ever before. My hearing actually changes from day to day due to barometric changes, I have days where I lose 30-40% of the little bit I have on a "good" day, on those days I have to turn the volume way up, the intial normal setting was done so I have room to turn the volume up on bad days. Make sure the audi programmed settings don't have the user volume adjustment maxed out. so you have room to increase volume if needed. As in anything new, it takes some time getting used to. For someone that once had normal hearing, I would think your brain would adjust more rapidly to the re-introduction of sounds that you are now missing without aids. For someone, like myself, that never had normal hearing the brain will take longer to recognize what or where a sound is. I am hearing things with these aids I have never heard. I Frequently have to ask what some noises are, or where they are coming from. Going into really noisy enviroments is still a bit overwhelming a times, sensory overload. When that I happens I turn my aids down to a more comfortable level, and might use the microphone streaming feature to hear the person I talking to.
A coupld tips I was given might help others, in a noisy restaurant, sit in corner with your back to the wall if possible, or sit in a booth it will help cut down on the nosie your aids pick up.
