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Hearing aid fitting for first time user

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I am a first-time hearing aid userM. I had Meniere’s about 25 years ago and lost a lot of hearing in one ear and have tinnitus. Since then, I have lost a lot of hearing in my “good ear”. I put off hearing aids because I was turned off by the audiologists, I saw not answering questions and seeming too much like a used car salesman.

I am trying the Oticon Intents with an audiologist that was highly recommended. She answers questions and seems to care but I am still struggling after 6 weeks. My biggest problem I think is the domes size. For 3 weeks I kept saying the aid in the left ear didn’t work and on phone calls it was clear the sounds came only from the right ear. The domes have been changed twice (larger but I don’t know size) and I now can tell the Left aid actually works. However, the sound seems different each day I think dependent on how well I get the hearing aid in my ear. I tend to think they are too big but then I can hear something. The right ear seems ok. My trial period is running out next week. The audiologist has ordered Resound for me to try and let me trial them before deciding. Any suggestions on the dome sizes and fitting. Do my issues seem normal for a first-time user?

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As a fairly new user myself, I can say that finding the ideal dome type and size can be a test of patience. Fortunately, I have a knowledgeable and friendly audiologist who works for the healthplan I’m enrolled in, so she is probably salaried rather than on commission. She has been very helpful and very professional about programming adjustments and dome changes, as well as follow-up when we went with a less-open dome type.

I think a trial of another brand is wise, if you’re not immediately struck by the feeling that the first hearing aids are definite keepers. Even if you wind up choosing the first brand, you’ll have something for comparison. If you want reproducible placement of your receivers (the little speakers that go into the ear canals), you might consider custom molds after you’ve chosen a brand and model of hearing aids.

Welcome to the forum! You’ll find a wealth of information and friendly people willing to share their knowledge and experiences with you.

Posting your woulld be helpful. (Top of page, click on your avatar, click on bell, click on my Audiogram. Your issues may have to do with having missed a lot of sounds over the years from being unaided or perhaps from having an asymmetrical loss. Depending on your loss you might benefit from custom molds instead of stock domes. I don’t see any great benefit from trying another hearing aid but if you’re not satisfied before the end of the trial period I’d definitely return them or ask if the trial period can be extended until you can get the issues sorted out. So, no your issues aren’t typical of a first time user but more like those who have been unaided for a long time. Do persist and keep us posted.

Thanks for the responses. Sorry about the missing . I thought I had it included and hopefully I got it right this time

I am testing the resound as much to extend my trial period than anything. I just don’t think I need to commit when the left ear aid isn’t always working for me.

I suspect the left aid isn’t far enough in the canal but I really have no clue how it should feel. However I can hear some days with it and that is much better than the first 3 weeks.

There seems to be a delay for new posters having their show up so I doubt you did anything wrong.

Being a first time hearing aid user can be challenging. It’s a lot of learning and acclimating. It takes time, sometimes longer that your hearing aid seller wants to give you.

If you have a Costco anywhere near you they might be worth a try. In the US they have a 6 month return period that can be very helpful especially for a first time hearing aid user. They use best practices to fit aids too, a very good thing.

Good luck

No Costco near. I would have either a 2 hr or 3 hr drive to the two closest. So far, I have had appts every 10 days to 2 weeks so I thought that I should consider it for my first hearing aids. However, they have 6 week trials. 6 months would be amazing.

Hi Charlotte and welcome. I’m also a fairly newbie to hearing aids. I have similar issues as you. If I don’t get the dome in my right ear exactly in the correct place, then no sound come from that hearing aid. You can always check that the hearing aid is working by just tapping the hearing aid and it will tell you if you have the dome in the correct place. My problem is that I’m a lefty and getting the right hearing aid in the correct place in my ear canal is a pain.

In reply to @Charlotte

My wife has Costco hearing aids. We live 1.5 hours from that Costco. For her it took 4 total trips to buy and get the aid set up right for her. That was very much worth the drive. This was after trialing a couple different aids here locally by people who didn’t know how to set them up, just hustling a sell. She was amazed at the difference with the Costco aids.

Using best practices to fit aids can be very important. It verifies you are getting the correct prescription of gain to your ear drums. This is also a part of figuring out which domes/molds are necessary to get the proper gain for a best fit with your individual hearing loss.

Is your current hearing aid fitter using /best practices to fit those aides?

In reply to @Flyboybob

I also have silent or muffled output if my aim is off-kilter when putting my HA into my right ear. I think the receiver output is facing the wall of my ear canal when that happens.

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