hearing aid broken again, 3rd time in 12 months! advice appreciated.

whazy

I got a hearing aid in my left ear for the first time about a year ago. i think its fantastic! however its now broken, again, 3rd time in a year. so im bringing it back to the shop to find out why its broken and to be repaired.

the first time it broke after only 6 weeks of wearing it, but that was my own fault as i wasn't aware that i needed to change the filter every week. The condition of my ear really changed after getting the aid, i was told this was very common, my ear gets very 'wet' from producing lots of wax. this is what caused the hearing aid to break the first time.

2nd time i punctured a hole in it, trying to clean it. not sure how i managed to do that really, but that was an expensive fix!
so now its broken again and i've no idea why or how much it will cost me, but i was just wondering is it common for hearing aids to break this frequently?
also does anyone have any suggestions as to what i can do about the condition of my ear?

just for some background info, i was born with a perforated left ear drum, lots of infections as a child, eventually having surgery to 'patch' the hole when i was 12, which wasn't going to fix my hearing but would mean i wouldn't get so many infections. that was it for the next 10 years.a hearing aid was never mentioned to me until about a year and a half ago when i started to complain that my hearing had decreased a lot, so i got another test and got my hearing aid.

mtjm

Hi OP,

Where did you get it? I know where I got mine I had 2 year guarantee on it, (all places are different) so if a reciever had broken or what ever it was under the guarantee,


I've used the digital nearly 10 years have had to replace recivers few times over the years, you'd have to be gental with them as they can break easy.

for reciver to be replaced it cost €90 (you get some back from Social Welfare)
it maybe cheaper all depending on the problem also depending on where you got the hearing aid

MTJM

looksee

The only thing I change in my hearing aid is the battery! The tube needs to be changed occasionally but I have had the same one for about 12months at this stage. I'm not sure what you mean by the filter. It depends on what kind of hearing aid you have, is it an in-ear or over-ear type?

Maybe you need a different ear mould, from what you are saying it is not the electronic bit that is causing issues, its the bit that goes in your ear.

If it is a mould made to fit your ear there should be a vent hole in it which you have to keep clear, and the hole that the tube fits into, which also needs to be cleaned. A tiny corner of a tissue rolled will clear them most of the time though, sometimes you need the little plastic wand that most likely came with your aid. I cannot imagine what you would use that could punch a hole in anything!

There are a lot of different types of ear pieces, maybe you should go back and see if there is something more suitable for you.

whazy

mtjm wrote: »

Hi OP,

Where did you get it? I know where I got mine I had 2 year guarantee on it, (all places are different) so if a reciever had broken or what ever it was under the guarantee,


I've used the digital nearly 10 years have had to replace recivers few times over the years, you'd have to be gental with them as they can break easy.

for reciver to be replaced it cost €90 (you get some back from Social Welfare)
it maybe cheaper all depending on the problem also depending on where you got the hearing aid

MTJM

I got it at Bonavox, im not sure what guarantee i have, i just checked the box where i keep all hearing aid related stuff, and cant find anything on a guarantee. the first time it broke it was the receiver and that was covered so didnt have to pay, but the second time, i needed a new mould and had to pay for that. so maybe if its the receiver again i wont have to pay.

whazy

looksee wrote: »

The only thing I change in my hearing aid is the battery! The tube needs to be changed occasionally but I have had the same one for about 12months at this stage. I'm not sure what you mean by the filter. It depends on what kind of hearing aid you have, is it an in-ear or over-ear type?

Maybe you need a different ear mould, from what you are saying it is not the electronic bit that is causing issues, its the bit that goes in your ear.

If it is a mould made to fit your ear there should be a vent hole in it which you have to keep clear, and the hole that the tube fits into, which also needs to be cleaned. A tiny corner of a tissue rolled will clear them most of the time though, sometimes you need the little plastic wand that most likely came with your aid. I cannot imagine what you would use that could punch a hole in anything!

There are a lot of different types of ear pieces, maybe you should go back and see if there is something more suitable for you.

I have a Widex in the ear hearing aid. every time i change the battery i change the filter too, which is the wax guard where the sound goes in. i have a very 'wet' waxy ear as a result of wearing the aid so there is danger that if i dont change the filter regularly the electronic bit will get damp from the wax and break, which is what happened the first time it broke. I use the plastic wand regularly to clear out the vent. one time i left it too long and there was a build up in the vent and trying to force the wand through broke a hole in the cavity, which was the 2nd repair. (apparently this happens a lot coz they are so delicate) i really dont seem to have much luck with it at all, but i love having the aid, its made such a difference to me.

looksee

whazy wrote: »

I have a Widex in the ear hearing aid. every time i change the battery i change the filter too, which is the wax guard where the sound goes in. i have a very 'wet' waxy ear as a result of wearing the aid so there is danger that if i dont change the filter regularly the electronic bit will get damp from the wax and break, which is what happened the first time it broke. I use the plastic wand regularly to clear out the vent. one time i left it too long and there was a build up in the vent and trying to force the wand through broke a hole in the cavity, which was the 2nd repair. (apparently this happens a lot coz they are so delicate) i really dont seem to have much luck with it at all, but i love having the aid, its made such a difference to me.

I also have a Bonovox supplied Widex. I am interested in your comments because, other than the tube, I cannot see anything resembling a filter - there is a hole in the mould which the tube fits onto, and a hole in the little plastic end on the tube. There doesn't seem to be any moisture in the tube and the ear mould is quite solid, the wand would not puncture it.

Undoubtedly there are numerous variations on hearing aids, and most of us would only be familiar with the one we have, obviously it could lead to some very complicated discussions!

Kenneth Sadora

Base from what Whazy said, i think he is using "in the ear" type of hearing aid, filters are usually replaced every after
4-5 months, if you have infection once every 2 weeks will do. the ears needs to be cleaned before any hearing aid is inserted , to prevent wax clogging, please remember you cannot use hearing aid if you are still in medication or if the ear canal has ointment for infections. all hearing aids has 1 year warranty worry free, some gives 2 years. In my entire career as a hearing aid technician I have never seen a hearing aid without warranty, as long as you bought is new ofcoarse..

please be advised...........All hearing aids are extremely sensitive, and needs tender loving care..

looksee

And Whazy did indeed say 'in the ear' which I missed, sorry.

trixielee

Hi there, I have been wearing these new Starkey aides for about three months. I ordered the wax guards online and must have been the wrong ones as today I changed the wax guards with the new ones and both have gone into my ear. Another words missing from the aids. Now what. I will be sending these back and getting the original Starkey guards. In the mean time will these filters come out on there own or do I need to go in and have them removed.?
Thanks