If you’ve been diagnosed with hearing loss, often the best way to treat it is with the help of a hearing aid. Depending on the severity of your hearing loss and your specific needs, your audiologist will recommend a suitable hearing device that best fits you. Once you have the right hearing aid, the next step is to get it properly fitted by an audiologist.
Besides making sure that the device fits your ears properly, the audiologist will tune it and teach you how to use it.
Why Does Your Hearing Aid Hurt?
If you experience ear pain from hearing aids, it could be due to any of the following three reasons:
- The hearing aid is not the right size for your ears
- The hearing aid was inserted incorrectly
- There is an injury or infection of the ear
Getting adjusted to hearing aids can take a couple of weeks as you need to gradually increase your hearing aid use to get properly accustomed to them. However, if you experience discomfort after the first few days, it is time to contact your audiologist. In many cases, discomfort occurs when the hearing aid is not inserted correctly.
Signs That You Are Wearing an Ill-Fitting Hearing Aid
If your hearing aid is ill-fitting, you may experience warning signs indicating that you should consult your audiologist. Here are a few signs to watch out for:
- Pain or tenderness at the spot where your hearing aid is placed - It is normal to experience slight discomfort for the first few days of use with new hearing aids. However, anything more than slight discomfort – or any discomfort that lasts for more than a few days – may indicate a problem that should be addressed by the audiologist.
- Problems with the volume - It takes a few days for patients to get accustomed to the increased volume from hearing aids. However, if you still experience discomfort with the volume while using your hearing aids after a few days, the device may need to be reprogrammed.
- Hearing a constant whistling sound - A hearing aid that does not fit properly may “feedback”. This is a condition where the hearing aid essentially hears its own amplified sound and re-amplifies it in an endless loop. This results in whistling, chirping, or another unwanted sound from the hearing aid.
How Can You Make Your Hearing Aid More Comfortable?
Although a hearing aid may feel uncomfortable initially, adapting to it is a gradual process that includes getting accustomed to the enhanced sound quality and the feel of the device in the ear. To speed up this process, here are a few helpful techniques:
- Make sure you’ ve got the right fit. Consider follow-ups with your audiologist to make sure the device fits perfectly and is working correctly.
- Ensure that your hearing aid usage is gradual so that you properly adapt. Start by wearing it for a few hours every day, gradually increasing use over time.
- As you begin adapting to new hearing aids it is a good idea to limit your exposure to loud or distracting noise. Watching television at home, having one-on-one conversations, and even reading out loud are great ways to start. Once you have become accustomed to quieter situations it will be easier for you to adapt to more demanding environments, such as conversation in the presence of background noise.
Getting the right-sized hearing aid is a meticulous process that requires the involvement of a trained audiologist. For further assistance with hearing aids, call us at 949-536-5180 or schedule a telehealth appointment with Hoffmann Audiology today!
