i am a relatively new hearing aid wearer and have purchased 2 phonak audeo mini 1X’s after taking advice from my audiologist. both ears feel blocked while wearing as if my fingers are stuck in my ears. i am experiencing difficulty picking up conversations despite several adjustments. my audiologist stated that i am the only person in the world to suffer from this as it is impossible to have occlusion with open fit domes. has anyone else experienced a simalar problem?? i would appreciate feedback as im no longer feel confident wearing the aids and my audiologist refuses to provide a refund.
how long have you had the hearing aids that your provider won’t allow you to return them??
dr. amy
i have had the aids for 3 mnths but have had the problem since the begining. i was told that my ears and brain would adjust. my provider was on annual leave then on return he took back the aids to send to manufacturer they were returned to me and i contacted him the following week to state that the problem was not resolved. have to wait average of 2 weeks for an appointment
Maybe you need to try smaller open domes. Also try closed domes to see how it feels to be REALLY plugged up.
My HA’s came with an assortment of 3 different size open domes and a universal sized closed dome. When I used the large open dome(10mm), I felt a little plugged up. The medium (7mm) dome was perfect. Actually,for the first month, I didn’t even use a dome on the tube.
Don
I had open dome fitting with a bte air for three years and it was all good.
Then I decided to upgrade and trailed the widex with the receiver in the ear, and had the same problem as you. I were used to the normal open dome(without receiver in the ear), and with the widex it felt like my ears were somewhat blocked up. It felt like I could hear with the aid, but couldnt hear what I perceived to be my “normal” hearing. Hated using it with the phone etc. It really confused me and I think my brain just didnt want to deal with this.
After some thought I figured that it must be because my ear canals (especially the right one) is too small to deal with the receiver in the ear, and that even though its an open dome its the receiver that is blocking my hearing. In the end I got something else that works for me. Unfortunately I dont have an answer for you - I dont even know it it is possible to test to what % the receiver could be blocking out to adjust for that in the hearing aid itself.
As to your other post re speech… if you search this forum you will find that the hearing of speech is the ultimate goal of every hearing impaired person, it is also the most difficult one to realise.
“Almost like looking for the holy grail, you are not even sure it exist but you just keep on looking.”
Maybe you should keep a notebook with you, and write down specific things or situations that you have trouble with as they occur. Take that with you when you go to your Audi, it will help them understand what your problems are. Sometimes when sitting there you cant remember everything you want changed, a notebook will help with that.
thanx for you answers everyone. i have very small ear canals and the domes are thin and pointed closed domes which are slightly uncomfortable and my ears feel moist after taking them out. my audi refuses to believe that open fit domes can cause any type of ecclusion. would appreciate further replies and similar dilemas
Did you try it without the domes? If you still feel plugged up without domes,I dont think there’s a solution other than “just get used to it”, as long as they make you hear well.
BTW, you just mentioned that you had “thin and pointed closed domes”. Was that a typo?
Don
i have tried wearing the aids without the domes but they work their way out my ears. unfortunately the blocked feeling in my ears prevents me from hearing properly and speach is more muffled sounding than without wearing the aids at all
Do your ears still feel blocked with the domes removed? Perhaps the tube needs to be bent a little more so they stay in your ears. I wore mine for a month without domes and they never came out. I’m active too. I do a lot of mountain biking, tent camping,hiking and I work construction.
Don
I would like to say that i have wearing my hearing aids for two years , and this thing never happend to me , i guess there is something wrong with the quality of your hearing aids , or this kinds of hearing aids didn’t fit for you , i suggest you go to another hospital for a check at your ears , then choose the best hearing aid .
he’s a new wearer of hearing aids, maybe he should try the cic model, you know the one they make the mold and the whole HA is inserted into the ear canal, then he’ll know the difference. Other than that could he be talking about oclussion? where you can hear your teeth when eating?
i have been wearing nios v’s bte open dome for 6 mo.right ear size 10 long,left ear 7 long.left ear had been 10 long,but kept working its way out of canal,audi changed from 10 to 7for left.then i found that when making periodic adjustment to left ha(pushing tube back into ear to make sure it was seated right)it would bottom out in canal&cause pain,told audi&she gave me new type of open dome by phonak.it is pointed&sits in ear much better,maybe this new style mold will help you.dome she gave me was medium size.