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Signia Click Sleeves - Between Sizes

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Mediums hurt my ears & smalls have way too much feedback. Any suggestions? Thanks.

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Edited

if you decide on ear molds… look into what material you want used to make them… when I first had mine made I told the audi I wanted the soft silicone molds… when the order went in someone “mistakenly” ordered the acrylic molds… I hated them they are like having a rock stuffed in your ear… I wore them for about 5 min to try them and then told my audi now get me what I ordered

I also tried wearing the signia click sleeves and didn’t care for them…it was very difficult getting them deep into my ear …

I wear hearing aids that are hard shell and if they are made correctly they are wonderful. They will not work loose, they just stay in place.

Assuming they are the closed click sleeves (if not, try closed smalls), you could try double domes. If not, as others have said, custom molds would be the way to go. Considering your low frequency loss is 50dB, custom molds really is the preferred way to go.

I would second what @MDB said. If you are using open sleeves, try the closed. Signia also have and double domes. They may be worth a try too. With off the shelf fittings you need to find the one that fits your ears, or molds. They provide the best feedback protection, if you can get some that are comfortable.

Thanks everyone, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to go to custom molds. My previous experiences with aids with custom molds were less than satisfactory; some days they were loose other days they would be tight?? Even now on the days when my medium sleeves hurt my ears, the smalls will work fine for a couple days & then start getting feedback?? Can my ear canals be changing?

Are you using open or closed sleeves?

Oh, and another thought. The sleeves are not symmetrical. I was told you put the side of the sleeve that has the little tab on the side to match up with the side of the receiver that has the power and wire length designation; like 3M.

The current version of Connexx tries to predict feedback potential. Here is what I see for your loss with closed click sleeves. The red and blue shaded areas are those of potential feedback. You have about a 5 margin below the zone for your right ear. However based on my experience with the KS8’s I think the software overestimates the effectiveness of the sleeves. I could run the double domes but it will be about the same or very slightly worse. The hope in trying double domes would be to get a better fit. The computer assumes an average fit and has no idea what your particular fit would be.

image

Here is what they show if custom molds are selected. As you can see you get about a 10 dB margin from the feedback zones with 1.6 mm vents in the molds. They most likely would be feedback free. But whether they are comfortable or not, is again a personal thing. I tried molds and gave up on them. I’m back to closed sleeves. I am about as marginal as you for feedback. I had the fitter cut back on gain in my left ear until the feedback stopped. That is the other solution, but has an obvious drawback in reducing the assistance the aid is giving you.

image

Thanks for that analysis. I just started programming with Connexx; I find that after performing the Critical Gain adjustment, the feedback disappears, but as you say the assistance is then marginal. Have been trying to find a happy medium.

I would recommend looking at just plain domes (not sleeves) or custom molds (as many others have advised), because the sleeves may just be too dang big along the whole body of the sleeve whereas domes have a much shorter body.

I haven’t seen your , but I have been known to take tulip domes and cut down the flaps until they fit comfortably and still provided the semi-occlusion necessary to provide a good fitting. Let’s just say that I am completely willing to “redneck-fabulous” some features of hearing aids in order to provide the best fitting for my patients.

Other questions I would ask: Where is the pain occurring? Is it deep in the canal or around the aperture (opening) of the canal? Is the pain an ache, or is it more as though the sleeve is rubbing and irritating the skin in the canal?

Without knowing anything else, I would look at domes instead of sleeves. The dome can go down into the ear without pushing against the aperture. If you think the discomfort is more like a feeling of having a finger stuck in your ear or like having a cold, then I would look at trying to vent the sleeve a bit. Talk to your provider.

If a semi-open gives too much feedback, I have been known to use a dental pick to punch some very small holes in the dome to give a small amount of venting without overdoing it. (Again, this is just some more of that “redneck-fabulous” engineering.)

Again, though, ask your provider. Maybe a semi-open dome would be better for you, or a modified . Or, still a mold with adjustable venting could be a better fit. Just tell your provider everything, and describe it the best you can.

Please let us know what solution you find and the results.

Your “redneck engineering” on tulip domes got me thinking. I had tried tulip domes years ago on different aids & they were very comfortable. So, I took my medium sleeves & made 2 slits on each sleeve so they resemble a tulip dome (sort of). Much more comfortable so far, with no apparent increase in feedback. Thanks.

By the way; in case anyone is wondering why I didn’t go to my provider. I purchased these from Buyhear.com4 a couple years ago, shortly before they closed up shop. :angry:
Live & learn, I guess.

Looking at your I agree with cvkemp, time to look into earmolds.
You may get by with some form of domes but they will be marginal at best in my humble opinion.
When my losses got into the 40’s I tried every dome possible. The double/power domes almost did the trick but would not sit still.
Anyway, good luck.

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