Well this sucks

Moon-child

Moon-child

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Hi, I am looking for any advice or shared experiences please. I just got a digital aid for the first time a funky red one that sits behind my ear (previous to this I have been wearing analog aid for many years). I realize it it new and it sounds weird and I will have to go back to my audiologist many times to program it, that is not the issue.

The issue I am having is that the space between my ear and my head is very small so my aid actually pushes my ear out abit, and is even worse when I am wearing glasses or sunglasses. I am thinking I just don't have enough space back there. It is quite irritated and I am not wearing the new aid to get used to it because of this. Help!
 
That's pretty much the one thing that we have to deal with when wearing BTE hearing aids.

Are you wearing thin or thick glasses? I'm referring to the sides that go over your ears.

If they're thick, they may be more uncomfortable.

If they're thin, they should be easy to get used to.
 
My glasses when I wear them are very thin, thick glasses tend to bother me too, for the same reason. My ear lays pretty flat against my head, maybe I just don't have enough room there to fit this type of aid comfortably. Well, I am gonna try it for awhile, get it programmed and take it from there. If I don't like it, I have time to get a refund (sans the ear piece). I was just really hoping this new aid would help as my hearing after being stable and in the severely hearing impaired range for years has recently dropped significantly. Thankyou very much for your replies, it is nice to bound off my thoughts on people in the know, ya know!
 
You might want to try placing some moleskin behind your ear to prevent further irritation.
 
S.O.B. said:
Have you thought about using an in-the-canal HA?
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We would need to see her audiogram but she mentioned her hearing got worse so ITC HA might be worse than her old analog HA. If she can get a digital HA same size/shape as her old analog HA thatll work.
 
deafdude1 said:
We would need to see her audiogram but she mentioned her hearing got worse so ITC HA might be worse than her old analog HA. If she can get a digital HA same size/shape as her old analog HA thatll work.
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She might also want to try a completely new analog hearing aid.
 
Yes, thank you guys for all your ideas and responses, I have alot to talk to my audiologist about on Friday. Again, I really appreciate the info and ideas.
 
Moon-child said:
Yes, thank you guys for all your ideas and responses, I have alot to talk to my audiologist about on Friday. Again, I really appreciate the info and ideas.
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I am going to assume that you never had BTE's - your ears aren't used to it. After a while, your ears will start to "mold" itself around the aid. I was used to smaller HA's, and now I got the big fat Freedom..that took a while for me to get used to because it's so thick.
 
I have only ever had a analog aid that fits in my ear. I am embarrassed to say that I don't even know what BTE stands for. This is the first time I have had a behind the ear aid and digital. I will give it my best shot for a few weeks and go back to my audiologist weekly for programming....time will tell!
 
I have very little space behind my left ear due to having mastoidectomy surgery as a child, I've had some of my mastoid bone removed, and have a hole behind my ear, so my ear is very close to my head, I also wear glasses. I wear super power BTE hearing aids in both ears, which are quite big compared with some of the smaller BTE aids which are available these days.

Don't worry, although it can be irritating at first, wearing a BTE aid is something that you just get used to, after a while you will get used to it and eventually you will probably forget that it's there. I find mine a bit irritating at times because I have a lot of scar tissue behind my ear but most of the time I don't notice it too much and I would much rather wear my HA than not be able to hear.
 
Thankyou for explaining teh BTE thing, I am like "duh, of course that is what it stands for". Yup, red in the face over that one, haha.

And djchur, thankyou for your post too, it gives me hope. Onward I go.
 
Is it possible to have ear molds made with a bit longer tubing? That would allow the HA to sit a bit further back and a bit lower. Might not push out on the ear as much that way, especially when you are wearing your glasses.
 
jillio said:
Is it possible to have ear molds made with a bit longer tubing? That would allow the HA to sit a bit further back and a bit lower. Might not push out on the ear as much that way, especially when you are wearing your glasses.
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Speaking of that, it is really simple to change the tubing by yourself. It is very cheap to do and you get it exactly the right length.

You can buy tubing in mass quantities on Ebay. (for pennies per tube)
 
Great idea, I watched my audiologist cut the long tubing, and I am sure on friday I can ask her to cut a longer piece to try and see if that makes a difference. You guys are wonderful, I am very grateful for the support and replies!
 
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