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BikerBarbie

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do your hearing aids make you feel like you have plugged ears?:shock:
 
Do you mean the molds? The first few days maybe but now I can't tell if they're in or not. If I have one turned on and one off, the off ear feels funny cause it's so quiet but that obviously doesn't happen real often. I notice it mostly in the morning when I turn on the right aid first and the left ear feels blocked until I turn it on.
 
I think people feel plugged when there 250htz frequency is good. If its bad, then you wouldn't feel plugged. That's from my understanding but I maybe wrong. Sounds like you need a bigger vent if you have ear molds.
 
You may be on to something, I use a much bigger vent in my left ear which is 30 db better at 250 than my right ear.
 
BikerBarbie said:
do your hearing aids make you feel like you have plugged ears?:shock:
Click to expand...

Are there vents in your molds? Maybe you need bigger vents??

Oops, I thought I read all the posts in this thread...aparently not lol.
 
I know that they only recommend vents upto roughly 55db to 60db in low freqeuncy but some people with worse hearing losses, have vents themselves.
 
My low freq loss is vented maybe a pencil lead wide and it's at 70, so near the threshold. My better ear is vented maybe twice that. I do get some feedback on the right so maybe need to try a smaller vent; it's hard to balance feedback with ear infections, especially in the winter.
 
70db is start of a severe loss.


Venting Advantages:

Reduce unnecessary low frequency gain and output
Allow unamplified sound to enter the ear canal
Reduce occlusion effect
Relieve the feeling of pressure in the ear
Reduce moisture build-up in the ear canal.

Venting Disadvantages:

Too much venting can combine with the ear canal cavity to produce a Helmholtz resonator effect (increased gain in the 250-1000 Hz region), resulting in an echo or barrel effect when the patient speaks.
Feedback. As vent size increases, acoustic leakage increases, and therefore the probability of feedback increases.

In general, if the hearing loss below 1000 Hz is 25 dB or less, an open mold (large vent (3.0 mm) or acoustic modifier) is recommended. If the hearing loss is 30-45 dB in the low frequencies, an acoustic modifier or medium vent (2.0mm) is recommended. If the hearing loss is 50-60 dB in the low frequencies, a small vent (1.0 mm) or pressure vent (.06-.88 mm) is recommended. When the loss exceeds 60 dB, we usually do not put in a pressure vent, unless the patient is occluded or their voice bothers them. When in doubt, put in a pressure vent, and plug it if it causes problems with feedback. The “Rule of Thumb” is that it is easier to plug a vent than it is to drill a vent. We use cushion grip, a denture adhesive, to plug vents. However, before plugging the vent with cushion grip, which is hard to get out of a vent, plug the vent with Fun Tak or clay to make sure the patient is not bothered by a plugged vent. If plugging the vent does not bother the patient (occlusion, resonance in his voice, etc.), then plug the vent with cushion grip. Note, we generally plug the lateral portion of the vent, since patients feel less occluded than when we plug the medial portion of the vent. However, if feedback is still an issue after plugging the lateral portion of the vent, try plugging the medial portion of the vent at the tip of the canal. Generally, feedback is less when the medial portion of the vent is plugged. If you need to remove cushion grip from the vent, just heat it with a hair dryer. Cushion grip can be obtained at most drug stores.
 
I have little rubber plugs with different size holes to put into my vent. Makes it easy to futz around and see what sounds best. I'll try a smaller one and see how it is :)

Ok, I can hear my own voice much better and it's weird. Not echoing really but much louder.
 
sometimes when I'm full of wax ROFL!!! but cleaning the earmold and tube is worth a try
 
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