Can hearing aids be too heavy?

I wear hearing aids with custom ear molds and I don’t even notice them. I have no idea of what they weigh and don’t even think about it I am just enjoying being able to hear.

I remember when i first started wearing aids and could only tolerate for a few hours. It hurt where they sat on my ears. But i quickly got used to them and gradually increased how long i wore them until i was at my current 14-16 hrs a day without even noticing they are there

As a general point here, your levels of ear pinna cartilage and levels of skin tension/turgidity can vary enormously, depending on your genetics, repeated injury, overall health and diet.

So, the question is very much caveated by what kind of loading your ears can take. At the start of Covid, I found that persistent mask wear caused an ache, but now I’m pretty much used to the straps being there all day.

Some people do have paper thin pinna tissue. Other people have played rugby……

@1Bluejay said:

If the wire/tube is too short, your issue would be that the ear molds are being yanked out of your ear canals. If you are constantly pushing them back in, then length could be a factor.

In particular of the various comments, this is quite possibly the issue. Some years ago I was having comfort issues where the aids pressed on the top of my ears. I got the audiologist to change to size 3 receiver wires rather than size 2 and the problem totally went away. Just one size of wire longer was all it took.

My previous aids were phonak RIC with domes and I loved them, but they are now not quite good enough (after 7 years). These ones are free on the NHS and it’s the first time in thirty years I’ve hated my hearing aids!

I think the moulds were made a bit too tight, and my left ear is really better with a dome, but I can’t have one ear with a dome and one without on the NHS allegedly (although I did previously have NHS aids that did just that).

My ears feel stretched by the molds all the time, and the weight on my ears gets to me after a few hours. If I had never worn aids, I’d be giving up right now, but I think my next move is to go to a different provider and see about getting some private aids.

@gina.langridge said:

weigh 10gms each (with the mold

@gina.langridge
Are you really shure about that weight.
My heavy moulds and heavy Spheres are less with 13g a pair.

But the most appropriate possible advices to handle the weight are given above by others already. And furthermore maybe trying to get back to wear them a bit less then you used to do and slowly incline the time of usage per day.

@david.hendon said:

Just one size of wire longer was all it took.

I totally get that! I traded the LONG ear wire for one size smaller. Result is that the wires no longer bend like a coat hanger outside my ear canal, catching on headbands, fingers, combs, etc. BUT now the shorter ear wires kind of pull on the speaker in the canal. So I’m constantly pushing them back in all day.

Balancing act - given that ear wires on these expensive aids are not even custom measured/fit for our heads. We get L, M, S. Now imagine if shoes were only sold in 3 sizes?

But we pay thousands more for BAD FIT. Go figure.

@Um_bongo said:

Some people do have paper thin pinna tissue.

I’m getting there by virtue of age! Those behind-the-ear elastic straps fold my little ear cups in half, and the mask goes flying off - sometimes taking my aid for a short, swift flight.

I’ve resigned myself to wearing the HAIR altering head-strap face mask. HATE 'EM. But with COVID on the surge over here throughout the year (peaks and valleys non-stop, unlike flu that is mostly winter-oriented), I keep the masks on hand.

And then stare bugeyed at my weirded-out hairdo at day’s end.

Most Medium Connexx reciever work for Me,the Long ones i cant use or the short ones.