Disappointment is something we all go through, whether it’s a friend that lets us down or a job that doesn’t turn out to be as great as we’d hoped. When it comes to hearing aids, those first few weeks can be filled with disappointment. It turns out your hearing aid is uncomfortable, random sounds are distractingly loud and you’re still struggling to hear things.
Don’t lose hope.
Wearing hearing aids for the first time is an adjustment. If you know what problems to expect and what you can do about them, you can skip over all that disappointment. So let’s get started…
The fit
Unless you’re a secret service agent, you’re probably not used to the feel of something sat inside your ear. Give yourself a good week to adjust to the feel. And go easy on yourself: take it out a couple of times a day to give yourself a break. If it still doesn’t feel right, go back to your hearing care specialist to have your hearing aids adjusted for a better fit.
Who’s that whistling?
Your hearing aid. Well, it isn’t actually whistling, just making its usual operating sounds, which can get amplified when something rubs against it. This is called feedback. You can get rid of it. Only turn on your hearing aid once it is already correctly fitted in your ear. Still getting feedback? Try a hearing aid with a feedback eraser.
What a headache!
You might experience mild headaches when you start wearing your hearing aids. If this doesn’t disappear after you’ve had time to adjust, go back to your hearing care specialist so they can change the settings on your hearing aids.
What was that you said?
You’re out on the town with your friends and your new hearing aids and all you can hear is distracting background noises. Odds are you’ll learn to tune these out. But if it continues to be a problem you can explore different hearing aid technologies with your hearing care specialist, from digital signal processing to directional microphones.
