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Question about feedback whistle

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Edited

I have custom molds. Lately, when I’m in my Musician program which allows me to hear a fuller spectrum of sound than does a typical speech program, I’ve been having issues with feedback whistle. when I press the mold into my ear, the feedback disappears but then typically comes back as the mold works loose. Anyway, when I go into my everyday speech program, the feedback seems to disappear.

And so my question is, is the feedback whistle still there in my speech program, but I’m not hearing it’s high pitch? My hearing loss in my right ear is pretty bad for the higher pitched sounds. OR, does switching to a speech program actually eliminate the feedback whistle?

p.s. I know there’s some sort of lotion that helps molds to adhere to the skin but I can’t recall the name. any help?

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Your Music program may turn off feedback control, because lots of high pitched musical sounds would might register as feedback.

yes it does! thanks for reminding me. Oh, and I also just recalled that wax build up in my ear canal always sets off feedback in my hearing aids. I have to see a specialist to have this removed–the story is too long to tell–and got an appt. in the last 20 minutes. But not for several weeks.

my main worry is that my would be whistling when I’m around folks, and I’d be unaware because the feedback whistle was beyond my hearing range.

The two most common causes of whistling feedback in aids are one, a loose fit between the mold/tip and the ear canal (so that sound amplified by the aids leaks out of the ear canal and gets picked up by the hearing aid microphone again), and two, covering up a microphone. The first of these is the one you say is occurring in your aids. In your case it’s fixed but only temporarily by pushing the mold back in. That tells me your mold is too loose in your ear. I’d start by trying to remedy the tightness of the fit between mold and ear canal. Obviously the tolerance for error here is low, because a little too tight won’t lead to feedback but will lead to discomfort or occlusion. I’m not familiar with a substance that can be applied to a hearing aid mold to improve the tightness of the fit in the ear canal, but maybe someone else here is and can share it.

You may need one or both hearing aid molds to be redone just a little bigger. Check in with your audiologist, who would also know if there was something you could apply to the mold to make it fit a little better. The audi may also be able to adjust aid settings to reduce feedback.

thanks for your reply. Again, over the years I’ve found that wax build up in my ear canals reliably causes feedback issues. I’m guessing this is the case now, but I forgot about this until after I posted above. My molds have been fine over the last four years. But it’s true that our ears change shape, and moreover, it’s been cold lately! that may be having an effect on the fit of the mold.

p.s. it’s just my right mold that is having the issue.

Edited

The feedback happens because your earmold sat in a slightly different place when your was configured- or your earcanal somewhat changed shape, with the same result.
In the Target software for Phonak you can see a purple “maximum amplification graph” whose shape is dictated by observed feedback; your HA’s amplification curves (three, for different ambient noise levels) must sit below this one.
To solve this problem for you, you (or your fitter) must re-run the automated fitting process with your earpiece in its usual (“new”) position. Alternatively (which is what I would do) you/someone can just tweak the amplification curve for quiet situations, only reducing the amplification for the few highest frequencies, such that the upper red amplification curve no longer hugs the purple one so closely.
This description is for Phonaks, but other brands use analogous procedures.

IMG_6173

Edited

In reply to @Neville

thanks!! Umm, I have had multiple surgeries done in the past that have reconfigured the shape of my outer and middle ear access. Using oil is counter indicated for me. My canals open directly into my middle ear. I don’t want to oil my hammer, anvil and stirrup, nor my semi circular canal, nor my mastoid. Years ago a specialist went ballistic when I told him that a gp had tried to clear wax by flushing with high pressure. Never again!

@jeffrey said:

p.s. I know there’s some sort of lotion that helps molds to adhere to the skin but I can’t recall the name. any help?

I use Oto-Ease, works great. I have issues with my right mold as well. It has always been tough to get a comfortable, effective fit, but even with that taken care of I find the Oto-Ease helps.

Jim

In reply to @hamjor1

@hamjor1 said:

The two most common causes of whistling feedback in aids are one, a loose fit between the mold/tip and the ear canal (so that sound amplified by the aids leaks out of the ear canal and gets picked up by the hearing aid microphone again), and two, covering up a microphone.

Not just those.

The main cause in most fittings would be changes to the canal impedance and volume: namely the presence of wax or an overly taut eardrum. Loose fits don’t tend to develop in the short term. Creating a feedback path with a physical object like you hand is fairly obvious when you do it.

In reply to @Um_bongo

Thanks for the correction from a hearing pro. And your addition is consistent with what he’s reporting with his earwax history. I’ve had wax issues but never bad enough to trigger feedback, but what you say makes sense.

You need new moulds. I had the same problem. An audiologist said the ear canal changes over time. Got new nones made - problem solved. Keith (NZ)

Check these:

1 - An earwax buildup can cause feedback; visit your audiologist for a microsuction.

2 - you may need a new earmould to make a better seal in the ear canal. The music programs often remove the feedback control or relax it for optimum frequency range.

Yes I go in for a debridement three times a year. Stupidly I put it off recently because I wasn’t having any issues. I’ve rescheduled for early March.

And yes I’m sure it’s true that the shape of the outer ear changes over time and may require new molds. I’ll see after the ear wax cleaning.

Answering one point:: because ’s are often boosted towards the high end, they are prone to whistle - and at a pitch we may not hear, no matter how intense! It can annoy other people, cause headache or dizziness, and disrupt volume-levelling.

Glad to say I was sorted out by an exploratory audiologist who understood - and rolled off the higher pitches (above 3.5 k) that I did not need, while retaining the lesser highs that supported speech and music.

Made a very big difference all round.

Exactly, I believe someone pointed this out above…Before getting new molds, change , sell your house or emigrate, just try to get someone to slightly adjust your (top) amplification curve near the highest frequencies…

In reply to @jeffrey

Oh indeed! My grandfather went to his doctor because of moderate difficulty in hearing. Doctor flushed both ears, burst both eardrums. Poor old grandad, sociable and a piano player, spent his remaining 40 years stone deaf.

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