How do you explain to the doc...

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Ridgerunner

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I am on my third set of hearing aids (Digital in-canal) in eight years, and this new set is just like the previous ones: The left works great, no problems, but the right is giving me issues. The problem is I can't get my audie to understand what it is doing. Let me explain and maybe someone can tell me how to put it in doctor terms.:hmm:
I turn on the right aid and put it in, works fine. Within minutes it kind of feels like i have my hand over my ear. Not a muffled sound, just that weird pressure you get when your ear is covered (w/o H.aid) . I don't think the sound input is affected at all. It is more of what I "feel" than what I hear. If I adjust volume up, then I get a short window of normal feel/hearing before that it starts doing that again. After wearing it for hours and then taking it out, it feels like I've just been to a rock concert (in that ear). It's like my ear gets tired of that decible of sound and just shuts down. Does that make sense to anyone?

40-something, moderate loss in both ears 20 yrs. +
Phonak digital hearing aids
I am right ear dominant, left ear has greater loss.
 
Perhaps the speech-in-noise automatic program is kicking in. Does it happen in quiet places or just in noisy places. Can you get it to happen at the audi's office? If so, s/he should be able to hook you up to the computer and see what it's doing (just taking a guess at that). Might also ask if s/he does REM (Real Ear Measurement). They do this with a special machine (and not all audi's have it) where they put a tiny mic into your hear then the HA's and then the machine records/shows exactly what your ear is hearing. I had this done when I got my latest pair of HAs a few years ago and it picked up that I was getting too much bass.
 
I think I know what you're trying to describe. I get that sensation from time to time. Come to think of it, it has been happening just recently..for the past 3 or 4 years or so. It feels as if there's something there but there isn't anything there. It's the damnest feeling. It feels like it's plugged up. It feels 'heavy' for lack of a better word. My hearing gets affected too. Then within hours or minutes the feeling inexplicitly disappears. I have no explanation. Aging? Using q-tips? Idk.

As for the sensation of a rock concert blasting your ear and shutting it down, I don't know what I can say about that other than it's common for many of us here. At the end of the day all I want to do is to remove my aid and crash. It's your brain. It gets soooo exhausted from straining to listen to people.

Having said all that maybe it is in fact just your aid. That's quite possible. Perhaps there's something wrong with a setting. Ask your audiologist to reset it back to the original settings and start all over again, similar to what we do for our cellphones. A hard reset.
 
Thanks for the input. I normally take my HA out of that ear when I eat lunch, (chewing just makes it fall out) I just put it back in and I have the same thing. It is almost like an earplug, but sound is still coming in- with a ringing in my ear too, like when they shut the door of a testing booth. I am thinking some of this is biological.
 
Ridgerunner said:
Thanks for the input. I normally take my HA out of that ear when I eat lunch, (chewing just makes it fall out) I just put it back in and I have the same thing. It is almost like an earplug, but sound is still coming in- with a ringing in my ear too, like when they shut the door of a testing booth. I am thinking some of this is biological.
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If chewing makes it fall out, then you do not have a good fit. Perhaps that is also causing the problem you're having. Go back and get it remade.
 
Ridgerunner said:
Thanks for the input. I normally take my HA out of that ear when I eat lunch, (chewing just makes it fall out) I just put it back in and I have the same thing. It is almost like an earplug, but sound is still coming in- with a ringing in my ear too, like when they shut the door of a testing booth. I am thinking some of this is biological.
Click to expand...

Ahhh…I think you might have a build up of earwax in the mould or tube. Wait…you have an in-canal aid. So in the mould then. I'm not sure how you can remove it as I wear BTE.
 
Do you have custom ear canal molds on the receiver?

My daughter has custom molds on her RIC model. The mold should have a tiny little hole that is drilled through it, to allow for ventilation from inside the canal to outside for pressure equalization. If that little hole gets plugged with ear wax or dirt, the area between the receiver and your ear drum cannot breathe. It is like muffling a speaker cone which prevents it from properly moving in and out. This will affect your sound to some degree, which could make it sound like someone holding a cup over your ear. It's the same reason stereo speakers have a hole in the back to allow for air movement.

Also, it may feel a little painful if you pull it out too quickly, as it will draw a slight suction on your ear drum, without properly equalizing.

From what I know, you should run a tiny pin through that little hole once in a while to clear out any dirt or ear wax. Ask your Audiologist about that to make sure.
 
I had the doc re-adjust my higher frequency input, and tomorrow they are remolding them to fit better. She said they are adding an "arm" to fit inside the outer-ear. Does anyone have experience with these? Do they help them stay in place?
 
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