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Are some ears/people just difficult to fit?

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I wear one / and started in 2023.

Went through about 6 different ones with different manufacturers (oticon, widex) before one, phonak, could fit my ear - stay in (a few fell out of my ear when I leaned over) and not cause significant pain from being too large.

Stuck with number 6-ish for about a year because I was gaslit that there was no way I could be allergic. After a year of doctors visits and trying this and that medication, they finally relented and agreed. Now it’s obviously after the trial period so I must stay with Phonak

Last year I had about 15 remakes… for a majority, the pull line hit my ear and attempts to bend it never helped; most never even made it home with me. For some reason, taking pictures of aid in my ear, calling them on the phone and walking through with pictures, and telling them to put the pull line in the original location never worked; they’d just send the same ish back with different lengths. I even suggested just cutting the line with scissors but my audiologist said no. Then there was one that randomly restarted and maybe some with other random issue.

Just got another aid and it’s physically PAINFUL; my ear is throbbing. I’ll keep trying but feel like it’ll have to go back again. So 3yr+ and we haven’t even gotten to making sure the setting are right and works well for my loss. My audiologist keeps saying it’s ok because there’s a 5yr warranty. Allergy I understand may not be that common but shouldn’t physical fit not be this hard when they have molds? Phonak has two molds, my first one. which was great, and another that included my outer ear so they can figure out where the pull should go. My ear is small but my audiologist says it’s not that abnormal; I’ve never had any problems with OTS earbuds or musicians earplugs.

Is this a me problem (I seriously feel bad at this point… am I jacking up the prices for everyone else)? Is the manufacturing process just not tight enough? Do they charge so much overhead for an aid that it’s ok to be making 20+ aids for the price of one?

6 people in this conversation5 min readJump to latest

Yes.

(That’s basically it, but 20 characters.)

Not all ears inherently suit fitting, especially with /.

Maybe you need a new audio. The audio that provided my hearing aids says he does a much deeper mould than most. A double bend or something he called it. So, while the manufacturer makes the actual mould - they are dependent on the impression provided by the audiologist. I have Oticon hearing aids and so does my mother. However her moulds keep falling out, but mine are a very tight fit. She is going to visit the audio that did my hearing aid impressions and get them done properly.

I am not qualified to say, but perhaps you need to change the audiologist?

@Roberto @PianoJoy @Um_bongo

Yes!! It sounds like it is well past time to see someone new, regardless of whether you stay with the new person or not.

I would highly suggest getting referrals from someone who knows who is good in your area. Or someone who knows someone who knows! It’s worth it to spend some time sleuthing out who is good. Just start asking . . here, or anywhere you can think of. They say that there is a Facebook group for hearing aisds, that’s probably a good place to look.

And possibly calling some offices to find out what their approach is and how much, etc. And specific questions that you want to know about how they work.

On another note: Sadly, I have to admit that it seems like I am one of those who are difficult to fit. Which is not that I am difficult to work with as a patient/customer. I imagine that it’s the same for you.

We can’t change our physiology for one thing!

I was relutant at first to try to find someone new, as our fitter was good, and wanted to learn, but just wasn’t given much training. So I had to switch Costco’s and fitters. Even at the new office, I switched yet again to the fitter who trained the woman I was referred to. She just had so much more experience.

And, although now the original problem of bad phone streaming is now ok, I now, yet again, have a problem with the molds constantly moving out, and sometimes falling out—due to the shape of my canals.

I’m not going into all of this to highjack your thread, but to say, hey, I’m one of those, also, and it’s not our faults!! And not the fault of our fitters either (excepting when they are not experienced enough, which is no fault of theirs either).

Sorry this turned into a thesis!!

I have to go through my hospital system but there are other audiologists at the hospital I can use. However, I fail to see how another audiologist could do better in most of the situations except for taking my allergy situation more seriously.

My aids from Phonak all came from the same impression and went roughly like this:

1 Allergic to material

2-10 - Pull line touching my ear causing buzzing

11-12 - Pull line plus various interference issues (e.g. feedback standing “too close” to certain machines)

13 - Vent hole plugged

14 - Electrical problem where it randomly restarted or behaved as if the magnetic wand was used

15 - too large

OR does the manufacturer see the aid coming from a certain hospital/audiologist and then give them to the interns to make with absolutely not quality control whereas others go to veteran techs?

Ok that is very different from the usual issue where the mould is too loose in the ear. I am not sure what to suggest. You could try asking Chatgpt what it suggests - however Chatgpt does get a lot wrong, But sometimes - it can get you on the right line of thinking or tell what questions you need to be asking.

Your problems however seem to be a lot more than the mould. Electrical issues for example have nothing to do with the mould because the mould is plastic I believe. So, that has to be the hearing aid.

The lowest model P30 (lol, such poor manufacturing that it’s even printed as 3C). I don’t need extra features so mine is button-less with no wireless capabilities.

In reply to @Roberto

, actually, I did ask for the last issue in regards to it randomly changing programs. It told me it was a known problem the manufacturers know about and to return it (while I kept thinking, nah, it can’t be yet another problem, maybe it’s weather related). Phonak told us it was the battery door and would send a replacement, which obviously did not fix the problem, after which it was returned.

Sounds like your next hearing aid should not be a .

To echo UmBongo, yes some ears are just inherently difficult to fit, particularly with a CIC.

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