Do HAs hurt?

AshJagla

AshJagla

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This might be an odd question, I don't know.. but my daughter (16 months old) just recently got her first pair of loner aids (as you might have seen ^_^) and it is a fight every time I try to put them in. I know part (and maybe most?) of the struggle is because she HATES being held still. But I wonder if HAs often hurt, give headaches, make ears sore, etc.

1) This is really new to me and though I try to be gentle, I don't know if I'm tugging, pushing, and pulling too much. She does not generally stay still long enough for me to get that squealing feedback to go completely away... =s
2) She stays upset after they're in for just a couple of mins. Is it hard to get used to going from no sound to full amp? The volume on her HAs have been disabled by the audiologist, so she's going from severe-profound deaf to 30-40db in the low frequencies instantly - sounds like quite a jump in volume to me.
3) Do they make your ears sore to wear them all day long? I was told to keep them on from morning till night aside from nap and bath time and I keep a little cotton pilot cap on her to keep her from poking them off.

In general she seems to like them, but man putting them on is a struggle and it breaks my heart. I'm just wondering if they actually HURT her or if she is just angry at me. Is there anything I can do to make the process easier on her?
 
So long as you have a good pediatric audiologist, her hearing aids should be set to the appropriate volume for her degree of loss.

It is common for young babies and toddlers to pull the hearing aids off their ears, especially if they are still getting used to wearing them. It's an indication that she recognizes the hearing aids are there and it's something to grab.

Both of you will get used to putting the hearing aids on, and she will adjust to them in time. You just need to be consistent with putting them on.
 
Thank you for replying! They are Phonak Naidas on the loudest volume for her 75-100db hearing loss for her first pair of HAs ever which seems like a lot, but I suppose you're right. She doesn't mind them when they're in at all and doesn't really try to pull them out, she just likes to poke at the tubing which is a no-no - that's why we put the caps on her. I just didn't know if the volume adjustment so suddenly first thing in the morning would hurt her or give her headaches =S
 
this is new for her and she is only 16 months old... it takes time.
when my hearing aids did anything for me, especially the first month or so of having the new set after refusing to wear them for about 4 years, when they first got turned on, it was a bit of a jolt... but then things settle down. it can still be hard going from total silence to sound. the ear molds can start to hurt, but only if they aren't fitted right, or if you have an ear infection. i did get headaches with them, and still do with my CI's...
the important thing to remember is your daughter is young, and she still isn't sure what these things are or why she is wearing them, but if they bennefit her, she will eventually learn and most likely become ok with them.
 
Before putting the ear molds in her ears, put a little vasaline on them to help them slide in - but not on the end where the hole is.
 
like everyone gives you the tips. just keep checking her ears to make sure if there are none red skin, like the skin looks like it's sore or something before you put the mold into her ears.
 
LoveBlue said:
Before putting the ear molds in her ears, put a little vasaline on them to help them slide in - but not on the end where the hole is.
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I don't think that putting Vaseline in her ears is a good idea. There is a product called, "Oto-ease" specifically designed for the purpose. If the earmolds are new and it's difficult to put them in, I'd get that product.
 
CSign said:
I don't think that putting Vaseline in her ears is a good idea. There is a product called, "Oto-ease" specifically designed for the purpose. If the earmolds are new and it's difficult to put them in, I'd get that product.
Click to expand...

That was recalled a little while ago. Did they start marketing it again?
 
Bottesini said:
That was recalled a little while ago. Did they start marketing it again?
Click to expand...

I remember that. It was a while ago as you said, so I figured they had rectified whatever was going on. I could be wrong. :dunno: Either way, I would check with the Audi before putting Vaseline in a child's ears. I know LoveBlue's suggestion was good in theory, I would just be concerned about Vaseline in the ears having other unintentional side effects.
 
AshJagla said:
This might be an odd question, I don't know.. but my daughter (16 months old) just recently got her first pair of loner aids (as you might have seen ^_^) and it is a fight every time I try to put them in. I know part (and maybe most?) of the struggle is because she HATES being held still. But I wonder if HAs often hurt, give headaches, make ears sore, etc.

1) This is really new to me and though I try to be gentle, I don't know if I'm tugging, pushing, and pulling too much. She does not generally stay still long enough for me to get that squealing feedback to go completely away... =s
2) She stays upset after they're in for just a couple of mins. Is it hard to get used to going from no sound to full amp? The volume on her HAs have been disabled by the audiologist, so she's going from severe-profound deaf to 30-40db in the low frequencies instantly - sounds like quite a jump in volume to me.
3) Do they make your ears sore to wear them all day long? I was told to keep them on from morning till night aside from nap and bath time and I keep a little cotton pilot cap on her to keep her from poking them off.

In general she seems to like them, but man putting them on is a struggle and it breaks my heart. I'm just wondering if they actually HURT her or if she is just angry at me. Is there anything I can do to make the process easier on her?
Click to expand...

When I was six, I got my first hearing aid - just one, I needed two, but my parents were not financially able to afford two so I got just one of the cheapest models they could find. I barely wore it more than an hour a day and only at school. I took it off when I got home and turned the TV up loud enough for the neighborhood to hear it too. It drove my teachers nuts because at school I reverted "into a world of monsters in back," whatever that means.....

My parents couldn't get me to keep it in, so they would reward me, like my teachers, for wearing it all day. What she's doing is very normal and typical for all children. She doesn't get why she has them yet. It feels different, sounds odd and she thinks they're optional, as I did. Don't try logic, just encouragement and reward her and be patient. She's not in pain and you're not hurting her.

Laura
 
I have ottoferm for her given to me by the audiologist, it's a thick white cream and it doesn't seem to help the "gliding" process much, I think it feels more sticky than it does slick. This morning was a little better though, I put a bit more of the cream on it than I had been - she still thrashed around and screamed because she didn't want to be made to do anything, especially sit still, but it took less time to get them in and with less whistling coming from them after.

Really looking forward to the day when she doesn't cry while I put them in ;(
 
True of all people wearing hearing aids for the first time, the more she wears it, the sooner she'll forget she has them in. Be patient, it'll happen.

Laura
 
Lau2046 said:
True of all people wearing hearing aids for the first time, the more she wears it, the sooner she'll forget she has them in. Be patient, it'll happen.

Laura
Click to expand...

That's true. I got my first HA when i was 6 and growing up with them, there was times i got in the shower with my HA still on cuz I forgot they were on my ear. There were many times I forgot I had them on cuz they became a part of me till i recently lost all of my hearing.
 
This sounds really young to me, 16 months, but I guess that is not uncommon these days. It would be very hard to know whether she is uncomfortable with the sounds level, molds or feedback. Here is what I suggest:

1. Get a set of aids that can have volume adjusted remotely. Then turn off the volume and see if there is discomfort. You can do this by taking out the batter as well. This should tell you if it is the sound level.

2. Remotely adjust the volume of the aid to see she experiences discomfort.

3. Try a different mold. A bad fitting mold is so uncomfortable it doesn't matter how good the hearing aid as there is a lot of physical pain.

4. Check to see if the tube is flush with the end of the mold. With small ears you might be pulling the tube lose.

It could be a bunch of things, including that the kid doesn't like them.
 
first of all -- put your self in her shoes. She knows that whenever her HA is being put on, she is going back into the sound cultural shock. it should be on low sound for awhile. When having HA on for first time or after a year or more of no sound - it can be very very disconcerting. It can give you headaches for awhile and feel lethergic from it.

only time to built up resistance to the sounds will help. Having constant pressure in your ears takes time getting used to too. Think about it - when the earmolds are loose or you turn on HA's before inserting in ears - what do you hear? squeling. same concept as water boiling out of teapot. If you cap it off to stop the whistle - what happens? it builds up pressure to a point where it becomes constant and no more whistle. same with HA's When you cap that air movement - you have pressure buildup on the HA side in ear. after awhile you gotta "pop" your ear to equalize that pressure. same as traveling up the mountain or down. Does a baby do this automatically? kids and adults do this automatically without thinking.
 
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