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Domes getting stuck in ear canals!

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Hi everyone: I’ve been using Bernafon Brites for a couple of months now. I am having a major problem in that periodically when I take my hearing aids out, the speaker/wire component will slip out of the dome, leaving the the dome stuck in my ear canal. I’ve been told I have very small ear canals and docs have to use pediatric-sized tips on their otoscopes for viewing the inside of my ear canal/TMs. Thankfully I my signifcant other is a nurse and he can retrieve the domes from my canals using his otoscope and forceps. Needless to say, though, it’s a real hassle because there are times I need to take my hearing aids out when he’s not around and I run the chance of getting a dome stuck in the canal and not being able to wear my hearing aid. I mentioned it to my audiologist–she told me to make sure the dome is on the rigid speaker tube all the way (it is), and to gently pull on my lobe while taking the hearing aid out (which I do). She asked me if I put them in and take them out a lot throughout the day (I don’t). So far, her suggestions/ideas are not solving the problem.

Has anyone else had this problem and have you found a solution?

Thank you for your time, Donna K.

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If your canals are that small why do you even need the dome in place? I know of at least one poster on another forum who’s wearing receiver-in-canal aids without any domes at all, to no ill effect.

@jay_man2 said:

If your canals are that small why go you even need the dome in place? I know of at least one poster on another forum who’s wearing receiver-in-canal aids without any domes at all, to no ill effect.

Off the cuff I would think that without the protection of the dome I might run into scratching/irritation of the plastic edge against my canal. On a lark I put the hearing aid on w/o the dome once and the receiver/wire felt to be floating loosely in my canal. It didn’t feel secure and snug, and the possibility of it just falling out of and off my ear made me feel very uneasy.

Okay, I arranged an emergency visited with my audiologist yesterday. She noticed that the dome insertion holes were sort of stretched out and loose, maybe from the combination of oils and wax from canals. She put new domes on the microphones and they stuck on like glue. Her recommendation is that I change my domes once a week.

Have your fitter glue the domes on. We’ve had a few people that had to go the emergency room to get them out. But most people I fit i don’t even use the dome if not necessary. But gluing them have helped.

In reply to @Lunarsola

@Lunarsola said:

Off the cuff I would think that without the protection of the dome I might run into scratching/irritation of the plastic edge against my canal. On a lark I put the hearing aid on w/o the dome once and the receiver/wire felt to be floating loosely in my canal. It didn’t feel secure and snug, and the possibility of it just falling out of and off my ear made me feel very uneasy.

The Starkey Zon can be used with a tiny sleeve instead of a dome - it’s not part of the standard fitting kit, but you can ask for them.

As for other manufacturers, I find that the can be too tight for narrow canals - even with the small dome fitted.

I would NOT allow a client to keep an aid if the domes pulled off.

I would also NOT use a RITE without some sort of dome.

Some devices have an option for a custom mold ( aids have that ability too - most likely). That way you won’t have to worry about buds falling out.

I use them a lot if it takes some of the frustration away from inserting an open fit device into the ear from the patient’s point of view.

Just make sure the venting is large enough… else you can take away from the “open” feel.

Ask about those.

Edited

That is certainly an option … however I tend not to fit custom moulded speaker-in-the-ear aids.

If you want custom moulds then perhaps you should be looking at or traditional . It just seems silly to me to have a BTE with a sized mould hanging from it on a wire.

Also, a lot of people have retention problems with custom mould tips. CICs are bad enough … but tie a wire onto them and the tendency to ‘walk out’ can become a real nuisance.

I have read the discussion about the dome coming off in your ear canal. I note that this was originally written in 2008. I am experiencing the exact same problem. It started with the right one and my audiologist made up a molded ear piece. It
alleviates the “lost” dome problem but I don’t like the feel of it and it has the habit of walking out of my ear. Now just the other day I had the problem come up with my left ear. I was wondering that after all this time if you have found a good solution?

In reply to @EnglishDispenser

@EnglishDispenser said:

That is certainly an option … however I tend not to fit custom moulded speaker-in-the-ear aids.

If you want custom moulds then perhaps you should be looking at ITEs or traditional BTEs. It just seems silly to me to have a BTE with a CIC sized mould hanging from it on a wire.

Also, a lot of people have retention problems with custom mould tips. CICs are bad enough … but tie a wire onto them and the tendency to ‘walk out’ can become a real nuisance.

I have custom moulds that resemble my old ’s on the ends of my YES IX’s. My audi used them as she could not stop feedback with the domes. They have a decent sized vent in them, and they are comfortable and solved the whistling. Actually, the problem was with the Siemens Pures that I trialed first, so she just carried them over to the YES. I have no problem with the moulds at all. I would have to say they are a valid option as they allow me to partake of the benefits of the /.

In reply to @EnglishDispenser

@EnglishDispenser said:

That is certainly an option … however I tend not to fit custom moulded speaker-in-the-ear aids.

If you want custom moulds then perhaps you should be looking at ITEs or traditional BTEs. It just seems silly to me to have a BTE with a CIC sized mould hanging from it on a wire.

Also, a lot of people have retention problems with custom mould tips. CICs are bad enough … but tie a wire onto them and the tendency to ‘walk out’ can become a real nuisance.

I came across this old thread whilst searching the forum.

I agree that a with a sized mould attached is cumbersome. If the hearing loss suggests a custom mould then open domes would probably not work. Would you recommend trying power moulds or tulips?

Thanks,
Gilbert

In reply to @Neilk

@Neilk said:

I have custom molds that resemble my old CIC’s on the ends of my YES IX’s. My audi used them as she could not stop feedback with the domes. They have a decent sized vent in them, and they are comfortable and solved the whistling. Actually, the problem was with the Siemens Pures that I trialed first, so she just carried them over to the YES. I have no problem with the moulds at all. I would have to say they are a valid option as they allow me to partake of the benefits of the BTE/RIC.

Got back from the Medcheck where they found the source of pain in my ear. I knew I had lost a dome but didn’t think it WAS IN MY EAR!!! They gave me a script for a very expensive type of ear drops that are antibiotic plus steroid. I’ve had these Bernafon Acriva 9 from Costco now for 5 weeks. Don’t think I want to go through this again!!

It does seem that once the dome gets a bit messy from wax (7 days) there might be a greater tendency to lose the dome. Just my hunch at this point. Going without domes won’t work as I get much feedback squeal.

Perhaps the domes were a better idea that the “tulip type dome” that have the 3 or 4 silicone sheaths? I have no experience with these and don’t know if they would be a more safe alternative for me… . . .

input please?

Bill

Bill, you should get a Micro Mold or Lite Tip. These are customized for your particular ear canal and they won’t slip off like domes can.

I had the same problem years ago and had to have an office visit to remove the dome. My Audi switched the size of dome (from 8 mm to 6 mm’) and adjusted how far in the dome was placed - problem solved!

I have double-vented on my Philips 9030 hearing aids. They are 8mm and fit fairly well (6mm are too small) and don’t cause feedback or occlusion problems. But twice in the last week (once in each ear) a dome came off and lodged in the ear canal as I was extracting the aids. The first time I had to go to urgent care as neither I nor my wife could extract the dome, but the second time I did manage to very gently grip it with tweezers and pull it out. Needless to say, I don’t want this to keep happening. Short of switching to a custom mold (expensive, and I don’t even know if I’m keeping these aids past the Costco trial return period) I am seeking suggestions about how to proceed. Has anyone lubricated domes a bit to keep them from sticking in the canal? Are other types of domes/tips less likely to lodge in the canal? Does it seem to matter how frequently the domes are changed? At this point I remove the receivers super-carefully, gripping the wires as close to the ear as possible and pulling gently straight out. I am also trying to resist the urge to maneuver the receivers too far into the canals when I insert them in the morning, even though the sound seems better when the wires are flush against my temples.

I lost a dome in my canal recently: first time ever! I was shown how to

–turn the dome inside out so that the attachment hole is completely exposed; that is, the insertion hole is now at the tip of the inverted dome.
-insert the speaker from the aid
-without turning the dome back right side up–important!–tug on the sleeve of the attachment hole until it covers ALL of the serrations on the speaker’s metal post–all of them!
–invert the dome to its proper position and then you’re ready to go.

I used to just put the dome onto the speaker post and tamp down. With my old aids, this always worked. Not so with my new ones! I’ve lost two now in my canal over the last month. Bummer!
In my own defense, my canals are hecka weird shaped, due to numerous surgeries.

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