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In denial about my hearing loss 20 years on... sorry a rant coming on!

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I had some Costco molds a few years ago that gave me pain. They took another set of impressions and used a different vendor. Those molds worked for me for many years.

What material was it, do you know? I will stress this to the audiologist on Monday. I honestly do not understand why my ears are causing this much problem when I have never had any form of eczema or skin complaint elsewhere.

I had an apparent reaction to Phonak’s domes after switching from Oticon , and for that reason I had acrylic custom earmolds made. Theoretically the domes are supposed to be hypoallergenic, but who knows that caused the problem.

HI crafty, I am sorry you’re feeling bad. Remember to be gentle with yourself.

I know I had to get in the ear molds fitted at least three or four times - I had pain and irritation and wax buildup. The impression material just did not work in my case. Finally, I got to the point where I was able to function without pain, although I did have a behind the ear microphone in all cases (including my pair with silicone domes which I love immensely.)

I benefit from living in Florida, being either the youngest or second youngest in the room and having a ton of people around me wearing the exact same aids I am wearing. My unsolicited suggestion - maybe get your hair cut or styled in such a way where the hearing aids may be better hidden? Again, I don’t feel self conscious about my aids now, but my first pair (at 30) I had my hair cut to hide them.

Whatever makes you feel good about yourself, but also…be gentle with yourself.

In reply to @hass5744

This is me right now. Nearly a month in and I cannot understand my kids clearly for the first hour after I take them out. So I need to be selective as to when that suits best! :wink:

Actually the phenomenon is quite strange, because I would have sworn the overall volume difference was marginal, but it’s clearly not!!

The more you wear your aids the more your brain adjusts to the additional input it is now dealing with. Consequently when you take the aids out everything seems much quieter than you remember it to be. It’s a normal phenomena that you will get used to. This is why after wearing aids for a couple of weeks people go back to the audiologist for fine tuning because their aids don’t seem as loud as they remember. It’s a normal occurrence. But remember that as your brain gets used to the aids when you take them out the world will seem quieter then you remember.

In reply to @craftycrocheter

If your ear canal is being rubbed by the dome, it can cause a sore area which can lead to eczema. If it’s all of the ear canal it’s probably the material of the mould/dome causing a reaction so consider alternatives. If it’s in a specific patch, it’s a fit issue. Until this is addressed your hearing aids won’t be comfortable so go easy on yourself as you shouldn’t make your ear feel worse. In my situation I learnt that oil like olive oil or miracell can be okay short term-but long term use is not recommended as oil can weaken skin with continued use & ear canals are very delicate. I was told not to get ear canals wet, leave them alone and only use a little bit of Vaseline on the patch as required. I would try resting them until you can discuss at your appointment. There will be other options for you.

I came back from my appointment. She had a look in my ear and said it just looks like dried skin, otherwise all healthy. I said I would like to have ear moulds and immediately she said thank goodness, that means I can let in more sound and you will notice speech clarity which I guess is right because I will not lie, it is really crap but mainly due to the tubes and domes I think? I did explain I had problems previously with getting irritated ear canals with earmoulds and she said this will be hypoallergenic and made of silicone. A problem I encountered before but hopefully I will not this time… them domes are horrible and uncomfortable.

I wonder if it would be considered safe to carefully apply a bit of Neutrogena hand cream with a Q-tip to that portion of the ear canal? It would be important to not get the Q-tip farther into the canal than the itself will go, of course. Or perhaps there is a way for the audi to rig up a little applicator device that can’t go in too far? I’m just thinking that moisturizing the dry skin might alleviate the problem. Maybe others will comment on this thought.

In reply to @craftycrocheter

I’ve tried both domes and earmolds. To me, earmolds are far more comfortable and less itchy (I have silicone ones). And as needed I use a small amount of an oil based moisturizer to help my ears tolerate the molds. As time goes on my ears tolerate the molds much better. The oil I used more often when starting out is called ProEar by MiraCell. It is very soothing. A little goes a long way. Good luck with the way you are advancing your care and making choices you want about hearing and . One other thing–I’ve found when I am comfortable with and up front about my hearing loss, it helps the folks I am around to be comfortable as well. When I’m cranky or uptight, it isn’t as comfortable for them or for me. Funny how that works.

HEAR & BEYOND
Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss

SHARI EBERTS
GAEL HANNAN

was recommended on this forum.

It’s changed my Hard of Hearing life for the better. I recommend it highly.

I realize now that in my life I felt a victim of hearing loss. I realize now that with new skills I learned in the book I communicate better.

I’m grateful I bought and read the book.

DaveL
Toronto

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