Getting New Aids Should Not Be This Hard!!!!!!!

So I wanted to take a minute to write what's going on right now.

After a recent visit to my old audiologist, I mentioned I should look into getting new aids b/c my "back up" pair no longer works. She recommended the Naida V, and I set forth to try it out with my current audiologist. Thus has begun a month-long journey to get new aids that actually work for me...so far, nothing. As a lovely sidenote, I apparently cannot just purchase a new pair of my current aids, nope, don't make them anymore. And the new and improved technology is not working well for me and my type of loss. So basically--what started as a quest to be proactive and progressive (buying new aids before my current ones crapped out) has led to about 10 appointments, several appointments with a screaming toddler, 2 hearing aids tried and failed, massive flare-up of the sores in my ears from all the taking in and putting out of hearing aids, a lot of frustration, depression, and hopelessness. Here is the rundown:

1. Tried the Naida. Didn't like it but gave it a shot
2. Several adjustments with Naida. Horrible. Cannot understand jackshit. Can't hear the person sitting in front of me, but picking up sounds 2 rooms over, which is only complicating matters.
3. Tried the Unitron 360. Initial success.
4. Several adjustments with Unitron. Problems: too loud, blocks out sounds I need to hear, voices and especially music are way distorted.
5. Try the Naida again, this time with the rep on the phone. No improvement. Constant sound of cotton-in-the-ear, or like I have a horrible cold.
6. Discuss desire to stop trying the "new" technology and just replace what I have. Am told by 2 audiologists and the rep that they no longer even MAKE what I have (Phonak Perseo dAz) because everything is going with the "new and improved" technology, which apparently is so wonderful it works for everyone. Except for you know, the few people like me who will just have to deal with it.
7. Serious meltdown. WTF.
8. Research and finding a hearing aid forum give me several bits of insight, namely the names of a few other hearing aids that my audiologist didn't mention, and the fact that on Phonak's website they very evidently DO still manufacter the Perseo.
9. Appointment today to try a pair of Widex aids.
10. Appointment tomorrow with the Unitron rep.

So there you have it. I started out very positive and hopeful and am now at a point where I feel just awful. Normally I get along just fine with dealing with my loss, but when I'm forced to think about it like this, I notice WAY FREAKING TOO MUCH how much of a disadvantage I'm at. And it truly sucks. I just want to get past the point of trying to find something and actually BE at the point that I have something that works. I am so sick of appointments, and I'm so sick of bringing my son to appointments. I try to arrange for him to go to my husband's work for a bit (my mother-in-law runs the business and can watch him) but it doesn't always work.

I did find a forum that is somewhat helpful www.hearingaidforums.com.