The earmold hurts

@cvkemp said:

It isn’t an option for my aids and receivers. My only option is acrylic custom ear molds.

I know you have Oticon More and Real aids. What kind of receivers do you have?

The embedded 105db receivers, and remember i get my aids from the VA.

Curious why you have 105’s? At my loss, i just went to 100’s.and that is only in my worse ear. Maybe im missing something? Tnx

It is so I can have my aids adjusted to the very peak of my audiogram without have any issues with feedback. I get no wobble or artifacts when sounds come at the pecks that give most users less than the maximum they need to hear. I get no feedback at all. For some with less issues with understanding speech what my aids are set to would be over kill. My fittings is a result of a dedicated doctor and professor of audiology and the help of 3 Oticon audiologists, and 15 appointments over 18 months, and three changes in aids and receivers and ear molds to find what really works for my hearing loss. I have said over and over that audiograms don’t tell the whole story. And that REM is only a starting point. This is by the way an advantage of the VA and its dedication to find what makes my life at enjoyable as possible.

@1Bluejay said:

Her hard acrylic mold presses against the tragus

Thank you for all the tips and encouragement!

Thanks, you taught me a new word as well. Now, I know what a tragus is. Also, I know that the part that hurts me is called concha cymba!! I hope I will not need an antibiotic! :((

@mr.smithster said:

Or try soft molds.

I had a bte with a soft earmold in the left ear a few years ago but it never settled well. It always popped out and I had to keep pushing it inside now and then which was really irritating. Now, the same ear is giving me a hard time with the hard earmold as well!!

Thats why i went to soft skeleton type, they cant back out.

I spent about 4 months exploring custom molds for my Phonak Lumitys, and in the end I decided to stick with closed dome tips. I could never get the comfort part correct with Phonak custom molds. This was surprising, as I’ve always heard that Phonak custom molds are some of the best and they are good at this. YMMV

I started with hard acrylic molds, not much different than picture from OP. They hurt when I put them in, and didn’t improve over couple of days trial. Phonak re-made them with adjustments for fit, but no joy. So, we next tried cShell molds. cShell were initially much better … but in the end not really good enough. I was looking for a mold that I could pop in and wear all day without thinking about it. I could do that pretty well with right ear, but could only go for 6-7hrs with left. Audiologist was able to carefully grind (polish?) further and that helped a bit more, but I could never get to the “put in and forget” stage as desired.

If you’re not happy with fit when you first put them on, you’ll need to pursue adjustments. I’ve found that we won’t really get used it … this isn’t the same as breaking in new shoes. Your provider should be able to modify your molds a bit, to see if pressure can be reduced and the fit improves. Or have them remade. Since these are new, I’d certainly let your provider take on adjustments, vs. trying to modify yourself, as the molds can be damaged if too aggressive with modification.

Next step for me would be to go to softer (silicone) material, but Phonak for me only offered the hard materials. Closed dome tips are comfortable for me, only downside is that I have to re-seat occasionally after chewing. My perception is that I can hear just as well with them, so I’m not yet motivated to pursue independent sources for additional custom mold options (custom molds from Phonak were included in my purchase price).

I’m happy with Lumity performance at this point with regular closed dome tips. But if you need custom molds to hear most effectively, then best to keep after it. Good luck!