advice for in-the-ear hearing aid

lazysundays

Hi, I'm new to posting threads on Boards, new to the whole 'hearing aid' world and would love some inpartial advice. I have a hearing loss and I finally decided to do something about it this year. So I decided on a hearing aid that sits in the ear canal (you know, it has the little plastic stick attached that you use to insert it into/out of the canel). The mould or fit of the aid is perfect, however my outer ear is feeling sensitive/sore; the aid feels 'heavy' in my ear; my GP has checked the ear and said that the canal is in perfect condition and there is redness around the outer rim. I have discussed with this my audiologist who has said that there will be an adjustment period, the soreness is normal at this stage, and that some clients who have in the ear canal aids 'sometimes' revert to the over-the-ear aids.

I appreciate that is an adjustment period required, but just how long does it generally take for these feelings to become 'normal'.

This is the third week of my 30 day trial and I am wondering whether or not to exchange this style of hearing aid for an over-the-ear aid?

Do you have any advice for me?

Thanking you.

Lardy

The adjustment period can be anything from 6 months to a year. In the first 6 months of having my OTE hearing aids, I think I had to make about 7 or 8 trips to my audiologist to make adjustments, as well as 4 different sets of ear moulds. You need to ware them for as long and often as you can to get used to them. Saying that though, you shouldn't be sore. The moulds should be comfortable. Maybe you are like me, and not suited to ITE aids. I would speak to your audiologist again, and ask about OTE aids. Tell them what you want from your aid, don't let them tell you what you "need" outside of the actual programming. Hearing aids cost a lot of money, and you need them to be right for you.

looksee

Yes, I was the same, a lot of visits for nearly 12 months with all sorts of issues which have all completely vanished - well some of them were sorted, but its surprising how the problems reduce as you get used to them.

One of the problems was that I had a grommet in my ear that would not come out. Also initially I had a small ear-piece that just pushed into my ear (OTE), but it was uncomfortable from the start and scratched my ear canal, so I got a mould made and it is fine, no more problems.

If your aid is causing actual soreness though you need to go back and get it looked at.

lazysundays

Hi Lardy and looksee, thank you for your advice and experiences, it is really appreciated.

I have contacted the audiologist and we discussed the issues again. He is going to take another mould sample and have the company compare the shape to see if it can be improved. I had to tell him a few times that I needed his advice. I can't help but wonder if this current shape is the best fit (and Lardy, it'll take longer to adjust too) and that tinkering with the shape and size might not make any difference.