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ENT referral for hypoallergenic ear moulds

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Hi my doctor is trying to do a nhs referral to ent to see if i can get hypoallergenic ear moulds on the nhs for my current bicros hearing aids that i have but I don’t know if it will go through or not what are my chances of this being approved by my doctors surgery I currently can not wear my hearing aids as much as i want because my ears get so irritated by them and this then leads to ear infections which i don’t know if they are caused by the current domes i have or not and I don’t know what to do if i don’t get approved because i have the option of going with the Oticon bicros I’ve been investigating getting or if there are other options just to get the moulds if anyone can help i would be grateful

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Common sense would say that if you need hearing aids but can’t use them because of this problem then you should be able to get moulds that are suitable that will allow you to wear your aids.

Then again we are talking about the NHS.

I borrow two spare aids to take with me when I go on holiday abroad. I pay a refundable deposit and my local NHS audiology department are happy to loan me the spare set.

What they won’t do is make me a spare set of ear moulds and to me that’s illogical.

I finished up by going to Specsavers and paying £50 to have a set of moulds made.

I hope that you don’t have to, but the solution maybe to see a High Street hearing aid dispenser and pay for hypoallergenic moulds if your local NHS says no.

the again why would they? I’m guessing you are going to the same NHS audiology clinic that fitted your aids?

Yes I have asked them to do the referral to where i get my current hearing aids from but the referral has to be run through my doctors surgery senior doctor who is not there this week so it won’t get done till next week and if it’s not approved by her then i will get a phone call to let me know what my options are next week.

I really hope it goes through as i feel like hypoallergenic moulds are my last option as I keep getting boughts of Otis externa due to the irritation that the domes are causing me. I’ve tried different sizes of dome and using a ear spray to reduce the amount of irritation the hearing aids cause on a daily basis before i put them in and after I take them out and I’m just not able to take full benefit of the hearing aids on a daily basis as I always have to take them out after just a few hours if i can wear them on that because of the discomfort of itching that then leads to actually pain.

I would simply request hard acrylic moulds from your existing supplier (NHS?).

No need to specify hypo-allergenic. That word is basically meaningless. You will either react to something or you won’t. The only way is to try it.

The irritation may simply be poor fit/abrasion and not a true allergic reaction. If you get a decent mould plus the right sized vent to reduce sweating and moisture, I’m sure this would improve matters.

You could always just pay for one mould if necessary to trial the material rather than two to reduce the cost.

Thank you for this my audiologist has tried different size domes as i kept saying the dome was causing my ear to itch and I’m very prone to ear infections and they came to the decision that the size they have me with now seems to be the right size for my ear as my ear canals are both different sizes and one is smaller than the other and when i mentioned moulds the last time i went to the hearing aid centre they didn’t seem to think they where necessary which is why I’m going back through my doctors to there ent to see if they can help get it sorted out as I’m on benefits for disability and can’t really afford to pay for moulds unless it is a complete last resort in which case it would have to be both at the same time but i want to have exhausted every possibility with the nhs first

I didn’t have to be referred for hypoallergenic moulds. I just had them done. I no longer have hypoallergenic moulds as I found soaking my moulds in antiseptic liquid over night to be enough to stop infections. Shame it took 10 years to realise that!

Hi thanks zebras I tried to ask for moulds with the audiologist the last time i went there but they didn’t seem to think they were necessary so I’m going back to ent At the same place to see if the ent department can help as at the minute I’m doing everything the hearing aid centre advised like using a drying container overnight and using a spray before putting the hearing aids in and after taking them out but thats just not helping enough so I’m trying to give them a push along in the right direction by going back to the ent office

Just received my ent appointment but it’s not until February of next year which is nearly 5 months away which means five months of not being able to make the most of my hearing aids so annoying but don’t really have much choice but to wait as my current hearing aid provider are moving building

Hi

That’s not good. Typical post code lottery?

Have you tried Zebra’s suggestion as maybe a short term fix?

Or is it worth trying a “High Street” hearing aid dispenser?

You mean soaking them in antiseptic liquid I am now using the cleansing wipes from phonak as well as my dryer over night I really can’t afford to get moulds privately unless it is an a last resort as I’m on benefits for disability at the minute and so if i was to have to pay i would be borrowing the money off my mum and i really don’t want to do that without exhausting all possibilities with the nhs first as if it comes to it and i have to go private I’ll go the full hog and do the oticon bicros trial at the same time

Has there been any improvement through using the wipes? I still think that it’s very poor service from your local NHS to have to wait until February just to get a set of moulds made.

Best wishes

A small amount of difference but not much and i to think it is a bit poor service for me to have to wait that long but at the minute it’s my only really choice for now

Edited

Finally got my ent appointment to see if i can get moulds for my hearing aids today taking in everything i have that i can use to show what I’ve been using to help with the problems I’ve been having with my current domes

Update very pleased they are going to send me an appointment to have hypoallergenic mould impressions done and a hearing test they tried to get me in for the impressions today but where to busy so have asked for an urgent appointment anyone know what colour moulds they offer

When I had hypoallergenic ear moulds, they couldn’t come in colour as they say that some people are allergic to the colour as well so they only came in clear.

Edited

Ok thank you very the ent was much more helpful than the people at the hearing aid centre had been as she looked in my ears and said that my ear canals are very narrow and that is part of the reason why they are so irritated as being allergic to the ordinary domes and the rubbing of the domes is making my ears more vulnerable

Update my appointment came through today it’s for the audiology adult rehabilitation centre and they will run a new hearing test because i asked for one as well and the moulds impressions to be done the appointment is for the 19th of march which is only 5 weeks as they did a urgent referral

In reply to @Zebras

Second update had my appointment today they did the impressions and said they are going to do a hypoallergenic canal ear mould so as it’s a bit more discreet for my hearing aids and they gave me the hooks to keep hold of for now and they will write to me when the moulds are ready for me to collect

Hopefully you don’t have to wait too long. My friend got ear impressions done and was told it’ll be 8 weeks until he can get them. They also said it might be longer due to the Coronavirus.

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