I’ve had the hearing aids for almost a month. It is definitely a challenge getting used to them, and if you or someone you know is going to be getting hearing aids, please be sure you or they understand it’s NOT easy! I am so grateful I had a lot of fair warning about this process…
First of all, for me, behind my ears ached a lot in the beginning. Kind of like the feeling I get if I wear a plastic headband too long. I took the hearing aids out every 4-5 hours for a rest (and sometimes had to psyche myself up to put them back in) for the first couple of weeks.
Second of all, the itching was intense and terrible. Thankfully, it was just because an irritant had been introduced to my ear, and it wasn’t from any kind of allergy. I used Miracell drops for a few days to help soothe the itching, but there were days I wanted to dig my ear canal raw with a Q-Tip for relief.
My third problem has been the fit. The left one, especially, has not wanted to stay IN my ear. I tried a larger dome (the silicone piece that goes inside my ear and hold the receiver in place) and it was still coming out. Then we tried these little plastic tabs called “Sport Lock” that curled inside my outer ear to hold the receiver in place. At first, I thought it was working. But then the length of the tab was bothering me, so I trimmed it. Then it felt like they were holding the receivers in place just a tad too far OUT of my ear canal, so I removed them. Yesterday, I moved up to a larger, closed dome of the left side since that’s what I have on the right and it stays put better. Now my ear is achey because of the larger object jammed in there. Hopefully, though, this will be the last adjustment.
I also had the bass turned up on the hearing aids yesterday at my check up because it was a little on the low side. That meant the kids seemed extra loud last night. Ugh!
As of about two weeks ago, I’ve been able to wear them from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed. It was odd… one Saturday, I had to take them out ever 4-5 hours for a break. Then Sunday, I didn’t wear them at all (we don’t usually do anything Sunday, so it’s my lazy day). Monday, I put them in when I got up, wore them all day at work and just kept going until bedtime, and I’ve been able to wear them all day since.
Interestingly, however, I have had a headache every day since about two days after I started wearing them all day. I don’t know if that is coincidence or not. I hope whatever the cause of the never-ending headache may be that it ends soon.
I’ve also been really tired for the past week or so, which at first I thought was from perhaps not being entirely over mono, but now I wonder if it’s fatigue from the hearing aids. Again, whatever the cause, I hope that ends soon, too!
