I used the hairdryer method and for about 3 days I thought I had solved the problem; but by the third day the bend had returned in all its blazing glory.
What is really aggravating is that this bend at the receiver end of the wire is in direct contradiction to the image displayed in almost all advertisements for hearing aids. There is always a photo accompanied by words to the effect of “Look, our hearing aids are nearly invisible!” and the reason is that, in the photo there is no such bend! Instead, the receiver wire in the photos does NOT project out at a 90 degree angle but instead lies FLAT against the ear as it slips stealthily along the short path up to the point where it slides BEHIND the ear.
Now show me any hearing aid in real life whose receiver wire lies flat against the ear as it leaves the canal! I’ve never encountered a single one! No, instead they all seem to project out at a 90 degree angle from the canal! And that 90% seems to be permanently embedded into the memory of the receiver wire!