Rebecca A Withey: what to expect from a new hearing aid, by a hearing aid wearer!

This morning I received an email from a ‘hearing aid expert’ which went into detail about what to expect from a new hearing aid. After conducting a little research (aka google!) I soon realised that this expert was, in fact, a hearing audiologist who didn’t personally wear hearing aids.

At first I laughed at the irony but then I then sat and thought for a while. I’ve always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with hearing aids, but in all honesty I do really appreciate the hearing aids I currently wear.

Glancing through the list that this hearing aid ‘expert’ sent me, I didn’t find anything particularly useful, with tips such as ‘reading out loud to yourself to correct your voice volume’ and so on going right over my head…

I thought back to when I was seven years old and resisted wearing uncomfortable hearing aids with a passion. What do I wish I could have told my non-hearing aid self back then, which would have made things easier?

I also reflected on the time I found myself at 18 years old suddenly dependent on my hearing aids after experiencing a massive drop in my hearing. Overnight, it seemed, I went from getting by without hearing aids to suddenly not being able to manage day to day activities without them.

So, I decided to compile a list of my own. I am not a hearing aid expert for sure, but I am a hearing aid wearer. Perhaps this list will be of use to anyone struggling to get comfortable with hearing aids, and it may offer a chuckle to other hearing aid wearers who have experienced similar.

My version of ‘what to expect from a new hearing aid’ goes as follows:

It’s going to be loud, real loud.
When I first started wearing hearing aids, I had no idea how NOISY the world was. From the beeping of car indicators, the harsh clunking of mugs and the clip clopping of heels on the pavement, it’s enough to give anyone a headache.

When I started to wear hearing aids at the age of seven my teacher noticed I would blink whenever there was a loud sound, as the jarring noise startled me. I also started blinking rapidly if someone raised their voice close to me. My parents got the hearing aids turned down slightly and I would also remember to take them out if the environment was too noisy for my brain to deal with.

As hearing aids amplify everything, it can feel uncomfortably loud at first so feel free to go back to the audiologist and ask for volume adjustment or the ability to turn down your hearing aid yourself when you need to. You don’t need to wear them 24/7 if they’re too uncomfortable to begin with – baby steps are always best!

Sometimes, a hearing aid mould needs ‘breaking in’
Just like when you wear a new pair of shoes, there’s a period of adjustment needed as your ear gets used to having something inside it all of the time. It can feel strange or itchy.

One time I had a new hearing aid mould that was slightly larger than it should have been and a section of it would rub on my ear each time I wore it. It formed a small scab which got eye wateringly ripped off every time I took my hearing aid out (ooooow!) and I was in agony with it.

I used Vaseline on the sore skin and filed the mould down slightly whilst I waited to get a new impression taken. Thankfully I was eventually given a much better fitting mould. You can’t always get seen at audiology straight away so if you do need a new mould, be sure to get an appointment pronto.

Stock up on batteries like it’s the apocalypse!
There is nothing worse than hearing the dreaded BEEP-BEEP-BEEP which signals your hearing aid is about to die and realising you don’t have a spare pack on you. I’ve learnt to keep a pack in the car, one in my bag and to take extra whenever I am travelling.

The NHS are brilliant at supplying free hearing aid batteries but you do need to make sure you ask for them when you attend a hearing aid clinic. You can also recycle your old batteries which is great too!

If you do ever get stuck and you’re desperate for a battery, places such as Boots and Specsavers do actually sell them!

Be prepared for the wax.
At the deaf boarding school I attended, so many jokes were made about hearing aids and wax; the joys of having earwax removed or your ears cleaned, and the horrifying stories of getting a cotton bud stuck in the ear after attempting to clean them.

Simply put, by wearing hearing aids daily – your ears are gonna get waxy. That lovely mould of yours is likely to go a yellowy, browny colour which will only indicate that a trip down to the audiologist for a new mould impression is in order.

Some people I know have an extreme build up of ear wax and have to remove their hearing aid at regular intervals throughout the day – especially when its hot – because of all the moisture that builds up in the ear canal.

So be sure to keep on top of your mould impression appointments – nobody wants a manky, old hearing aid mould – it’s not just unsightly but also unhygienic and not good for your ears.

Remember where you put them.
Hearing aids are fiddly little things, and much like spectacles, can get put down somewhere mindlessly only to be forgotten about. My daughter has lost her hearing aid 3 times (!!!) yet as she is a child there is no charge for their replacement.

It’s a different story for adults. Depending on where you live, the NHS do charge a fee for having to replace lost hearing aids. So, keep them close by or put them somewhere safe. Losing hearing aids isn’t just an inconvenience, it can also be pricey!

Listening really is a journey.
Just the other day I was outside in my garden in the early hours when I heard a strange OOO OOO! sound. What the heck, I thought, glancing around.

It started again. OOO OOO! OOO OOO! My head shot up, side to side, but nothing. My hearing son appeared at the back door so I asked him what the sound was. “It’s just the birds,” he shrugged.

Wow. Bird song.

It was probably just an unexciting pigeon, but in 30 years I had never picked up the sound of a bird with my hearing aid before. In fact I had never heard bird song before, full stop! It was perhaps just an ideal environment with a nearby bird, but it was a lovely experience all the same.

Contrastingly, there have been many times I have yanked my hearing aids out in tired exasperation, craving silence from the constant onslaught of incessant noise. I have sat in a concert unable to make sense of the music playing. I have been in children’s soft play centres, battling headaches from the inundation of screaming and yelling around me

There have also been other times where I have been moved by sounds I manage to pick up; a piece of music from childhood or a familiar accent. I have picked up real sweetness in my children’s voices and laughed at the squeaky barks my dog sometimes makes.

When you wear hearing aids, sometimes your brain gets tired of working so hard to listen and process. Sometimes the sounds just don’t make sense. And other times, sounds come through to you with crystal clear accuracy.

Hearing aids don’t make you hearing but they do enable you to access some sound, depending on your level of deafness. Occasionally these sounds are useful, other times they really aren’t.

So, hearing aid wearers, I’m curious. What advice would you give to those getting a new hearing aid? I’d love to see your suggestions!

Rebecca Anne Withey is a freelance writer with a background in Performing Arts & Holistic health. She is also profoundly deaf, a sign language user and pretty great lipreader. She writes on varied topics close to her heart in the hope that they may serve to inspire others.