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RIC *wires* vs. BTE *tubes*....comfort comparison?

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After 2 years of wire use, I am beginning to have permanent divots in the top of my ears where the wires cross. It really hurts each day, worse as the day goes on. I try pushing the hearing aids and wires forwards into “proper” position but they won’t stay there. It seems I have small ears that lay close to my round head. The hearing aids push my ears outwards. My ears pull in to return themselves to their natural position, which pushes the hearing aids further backwards, which in turn makes the wires tug on the tops of my ears.

I have tried both longer and shorter wires. Doesn’t help. I bought glasses with thinner ear pieces. Didn’t help enough. I tried toupee/wig tape. That works for a little while but is not sustainable because the tape gets pulled off the first time I reposition my glasses or fix my hair, and it doesn’t stick back again, and my skin doesn’t like the adhesive. I tried attaching the hearing aids to my glasses instead of resting on my ears but the extra tugging broke a receiver. I tried adhesive “blister” padding on the top of my ears. It looked stupid, wouldn’t stay, and got stuck in my hair. I tried padding around the wire but have not found any padding that would stay put on the tiny wires.

On top of the pain, the receiver wires keep breaking leaving me suddenly unable to hear well enough at inopportune times.

I am thinking of giving up on RIC aids and their evil wires of torture and trying aids with thick tubes. I have a theory that thick tubes will distribute pressure better than thin wires and thus cause less pain. I also have a theory that the stiffer hooks/tubes might be better able to be shaped for the curvature of my head and might be better at staying where I (and my fitting audiologist) decide to put them. Also, I’m guessing that tubes are less liable to breaking than wires.

(If its relevant, I currently use silicon skeleton molds and I love them.)

So questions for people who have used both wires and tubes…

Do my theories sound plausible based on your experiences?

What am I missing from a comfort and durability point of view?

(Lets stay away from the disposable battery vs. rechargeable debate for the moment, even though the wire vs tube choice may lead toward more availability of one or the other. Disposable vs. rechargable has been well covered elsewhere. I want to know about COMFORT and DURABILITY!)

Thank you in advance for sharing your wisdom and expertise!

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I wore with tubes for over 50 years. During this time I had occasional ear pain that was always easily taken care of by my audiologist by changing the tube length. The tubes needed regular maintenance as they would dry out after a few months and need to be replaced. They would also get clogged with moisture regularly and need to be blown clear.

I’ve worn a Jabra aid with a wire for the last 3 years, and have not had any ear pain with it. The only problem I’ve had is that one wire broke and had to be replaced. I hope this helps.

Edited

“Stay Dry Tubing” lasting longer as standard silicon tubes, and the Stay Dry Tubes does not collect moisture as the normal tubes. So mostly don’t need to blow out.

The hearing aids with tubes resting on Ear Hooks and this hooks provide way bigger diameter as a wire. Thus may bring more comfort

images

But you need to buy new BTE hearing aids with ability to connect to ear hooks. And you may need new silicon skeleton molds that can be connected to tube.

@SlowNSteady said:

I am thinking of giving up on RIC aids and their evil wires of torture and trying BTE aids with thick tubes. I have a theory that thick tubes will distribute pressure better than thin wires and thus cause less pain

Just a thought but if you were handy with some Uv set acrylic and a piece of tubing or even something like a short length of heatshrink material, you could fairly easily increase the surface area/cross-section of the wire where it passes over your Pinna.

I too was thinking about some sort of automotive wire loom or cable sleeve could easily go the receiver wire.

Amazon has them in the 1/8" or 1/4" sizes.

Edited

Which aids do you have? Have you tried others?

Is the problem for you that the wire shifts to be on the ear top somewhere at which point it can dent the tissue instead of staying more flush to the head? Does this post from another forum show there issue Problems With Oticon Real Behind the Ear Fitting | Hearing Aid Talk16 ? Here’s another more extreme photo https://www.reddit.com/r/HearingAids/comments/17qa5xx/ric_wire_not_sitting_flush/19 and some discussion that the result varies with brand and ear shape (and wire length which you probably tried). Some claim you can bend the wire I suppose to be closer to the head.

I experience this problem too and wondered about another brand having a better shape or switching to . Building up the wire thickness might help some but it will not keep the wire in the intended position. I also couldn’t find medical grade shrink tube in a small quantity.

I wonder if taking an ear hook and tube, and splitting it on the outside of the curve as it goes over your ear, and then tuck the wire into the slit. Might not need the whole thing, maybe just ear hook?

WH

At any hardware store there is a section with all sorts of plastic tubing. A thin walled clear tubing could be cut lengthwise and slipped over the receiver wire.
Easy thing to try. Cheap too.

Yes, those other links posted by @user490 do describe my issue. I will attempt to post some of my own photos I took. I have tried every size wire bigger and smaller. Smaller hurts more. Too big and it still hurts a lot and also the microphones don’t point correctly. I have tried reshaping the wires with wrapping and with hair dryer heat and it did not help. I return the hearing aids into their correct position as often as I remember but they just won’t stay. The hearing aids are wedge shaped and they push my ears away from my head, and my ears naturally spring back in on the wedge shape, which means the hearing aids are forced backwards continuously.

I have not tried other hearing aids, but in addition to the different wire lengths and the different remediation strategies described in my original post, I did try several different types of domes and molds. The current silicon skeleton molds were the only ones that stayed in. It is time for me to try different hearing aids for many different reasons besides just the wire cutting into my ears. But I still hope to hear from more folks who have tried both wires and tubes about the comfortability comparison.

In reply to @Raudrive

Tried it with clear tube and silicon tube. Silicon tube wouldn’t stay on–the wire popped out again. Clear tube wouldn’t bend enough to let my hearing aid stay behind my ear. It just popped out to the side and dangled.

I have: Audeo P90 (wires & Slimtips); Naida M70 SP & Naida L90 SP (thick tubes and moulds); Bolero M70 (thin tubes and domes); Bolero M70 (thin tubes and Slimtips).

I wear the P90s (with wires) least of all, as they just feel flimsy. If I want to switch programmes with long presses, it’s harder to do as they wobble about. I much prefer thick tubes and moulds

In reply to @SlowNSteady

It sounds like you’ve tried a lot. My sense is the ergonomics are not good enough for some and the aids are too light so they can ride up instead of keeping the wire tucked in place. The wire is too ridged to permit the aid to float up. Having a right and left receiver with a side specific shape at the aid end might also help. Some aids are less wedge shaped and might be better for you. Finding a way to keep the wire flush to the ear might also help.

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