question about squealing

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Mamawuly

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My infant son wears a hearing aid. He just got a new mold today and I forgot to do a listening check at the audiologist office before I left. Now that I'm home, when I hold the earmold up to my ear, all I hear is squealing but if I connect it to the sound check tube, it sounds fine. I never noticed this kind of squealing with his previous mold. Is it normal for a hearing aid to squeal when it's not in the wearer's ear? He has moderate to moderately severe loss and wears a Phonak Bolero Q BTE. Hoping to get some answers before I call the audiologist in the morning.

Thanks!

mamawuly
 
It's called feedback and it will feedback if the ear mold is not in the ear or connected to the listening tube. It's because the sound is coming out the earmold and back into the mics.

As soon as you put your finger over the end of the ear mold it will stop. That's the reason for needing good fitting ear molds. :)
 
Is that the case even if the room is quiet and there is no sound going into the mic?
 
yes. anytime the hearing aid is turned on but the earmold isn't in the ear or being used with the listening tube, it'll feedback/squeal, no matter what.

I used to play a game with my parents when I was a kid, called "find my squealing hearing aids!" I would take my hearing aids off and hide them, and drive my parents crazy while they looked for them. :)
 
Haha thanks for giving me something to look forward to when my son is old enough to mess with me.
 
It's basically the same effect of a microphone turned up too loudly or placed next to something that causes feedback. It's probably the most annoying thing about wearing hearing aids!
 
If you did not get squealing before, I would wonder whether the old aid worked.

What you shouldn't get is squealing when the aid in the ear. If you do, the mold is not correctly.
 
yes - all hearing aids "squeal". This is how I explain things to people - When you boil water in a teapot, you know its ready when it "squeals". All that high pressure is going thru a small hole "whistles". Same for hearing aid. Lots of air moving OUT of the hearing aid thru a small hole and it only "whistles" or squeals when air is moving. When you put it in a enclosed airtight space like the ear canal - air doesnt move and the air stops moving but its pressurized inside the ear. It whistles, squeals when the mold is old/too small/improper fit from ear canal.
You really shouldnt be letting the hearing aid be "on" before installing in the ear. Its not comfortable and I hate doing it that way. I like it off, then insert then turn it on.
 
radioman said:
yes - all hearing aids "squeal". This is how I explain things to people - When you boil water in a teapot, you know its ready when it "squeals". All that high pressure is going thru a small hole "whistles". Same for hearing aid. Lots of air moving OUT of the hearing aid thru a small hole and it only "whistles" or squeals when air is moving. When you put it in a enclosed airtight space like the ear canal - air doesnt move and the air stops moving but its pressurized inside the ear. It whistles, squeals when the mold is old/too small/improper fit from ear canal.
You really shouldnt be letting the hearing aid be "on" before installing in the ear. Its not comfortable and I hate doing it that way. I like it off, then insert then turn it on.
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I agree , I keep my hearing aid off or turned way down when I am putting it on . The OP should turn off the HA or open the battery door when her son it not wearing it to not run down the battery and this will keep it from feed backing . If they have a pet they'll really be happy not having to listen tyo the sound all night.
 
as they say, it's feedback!
my left hearing aid started doing that but I'll get the new earmolds up soon probably for my teacher's bday tomorrow :)
 
Sarfarigirl2011 said:
as they say, it's feedback!
my left hearing aid started doing that but I'll get the new earmolds up soon probably for my teacher's bday tomorrow :)
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If you lose weight your earmolds will not fix as good and feedback . I had clients that had this happen and their family had no idea why the HA was doing this.
 
Definitely "feedback". If you weren't hearing it before, then something was most likely wrong before. Anytime the mold isn't a good fit, or even out of the ear, you will hear this squealing. I think this is commonplace among infants when ears are still growing (and earmolds become an "un-good" fit fast,) or being pulled out by the infants, or really, for almost any reason other than a good fit in the ear.
 
I talked to our audiologist and she turned the volume up this time since she programmed it conservatively the first time to make sure he would tolerate it well. So I probably didnt notice the feedback before when it was quieter. My original post probably made me sound so clueless. I know the squealing is due to feedback. I just didnt know feedback was normal when the HA was on but not in his ear. I hear it whenever he presses his ear against my body when I'm holding him, when he is rolling around on the floor, etc. hopefully it'll get better when he gets older and holds himself up more. It doesn't bother me, I just hope it doesn't bother him too bad. Seems like it'd be horrible to hear that sound all the time. Thanks all!
 
Mamawuly said:
I talked to our audiologist and she turned the volume up this time since she programmed it conservatively the first time to make sure he would tolerate it well. So I probably didnt notice the feedback before when it was quieter. My original post probably made me sound so clueless. I know the squealing is due to feedback. I just didnt know feedback was normal when the HA was on but not in his ear. I hear it whenever he presses his ear against my body when I'm holding him, when he is rolling around on the floor, etc. hopefully it'll get better when he gets older and holds himself up more. It doesn't bother me, I just hope it doesn't bother him too bad. Seems like it'd be horrible to hear that sound all the time. Thanks all!
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Don't worry. :)

But hey, everyone tells me that when I'm hugging them, that my Love Meter is going off. :)
 
when hugging people, if my right ear is close enough to their face/head, SQUEEEEEEEEEEE! so I try to hug people with them on my left side, so there's no feedbacking (cochlear implants don't feedback)
 
the sound goes through the headpiece and to the internal implant, there is no sound leaking from the CI, hence no earmolds. That's the great thing about the CI! Very different from the hearing aid, where the sound goes through the earmold and will feedback if it's not a tight fitting mold.
 
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