Hearing aids are the preferred treatment for most of the 48 million Americans who have hearing loss. Today’s devices are amazing in their ability to provide amplification only of sounds you want to hear, connect to Bluetooth devices and automatically adjust their settings based on your environment. But even the most top-of-the-line devices require some getting used to. Below is a guide to help you adjust to your new hearing aids.
Learn the Basics of Your Hearing Aid
Before leaving your audiologist’s office, they’ll walk you through how to put in and take out the hearing aid, clean it, turn it on and change the batteries.
In addition, they’ll instruct you how long you should be wearing your hearing aids each day. Unlike buying a pair of pants at Northwoods Mall, you can’t simply put on your new hearing aids and wear them all day right away. Instead, you’ll start by wearing them just a few hours a day, then gradually work up to wearing them during all waking hours.
Know What Is Normal and What Isn’t
The first few days of wearing hearing aids can be frustrating since you’re not yet used to hearing all the sounds around you or having a piece of technology sitting in your ear. It’s important to know what is and isn’t normal about wearing hearing aids so that you know what discomforts will pass and what needs to be addressed by an audiologist.
- Your hearing aids may feel uncomfortable, but they should not be painful. You’ll probably be constantly aware of the devices in your ears at first, but after a few weeks, you won’t even notice they’re there. If you’re experiencing pain, that’s a sign that the fit is not correct.
- Your own voice may sound too loud at first, which is known as the occlusion effect. Again, you should get used to it over time.
- You’ll pick up a lot of background noise that you haven’t heard in a long time, like the chirping of birds and the hum of the refrigerator. Your brain will have to re-learn how to filter out these sounds, but if they continue to be uncomfortable, your devices may need to be reprogrammed.
- If you hear a whistling sound, this is known as feedback. Feedback is usually the result of an improper fit or earwax buildup in the ears.
If you have any of these issues, call your audiologist right away. They want you to have a successful hearing aid experience and will do whatever you need to hear well with your new devices.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call The Hearing & Balance Center today.