New hearing aid for tinnitus - hate it? Should I persevere?

[MrsRossPoldark]

I've just been issued a hearing aid, primarily for tinnitus, rather than for hearing loss [although I do have mild loss in left ear].

I am finding it really hard to get used to - I can hear my hair brushing against it, it makes weird whooshing noises [not unlike my tinnitus noises, oddly!] and the damn thing keeps coming out of my ear so I am constantly pushing it back in.

Should I just persevere with the thing and hope I get used to it?

Sorry to hear you are struggling. My dp is a private audiologist, I will ask him in the morning for advice but I'm fairly sure he will suggest that you go back to your hearing aid supplier. Is it an NHS or private hearing aid?

mrsRoss that sounds awful . It shouldn't keep falling out ,defintely go back .
I have heard ,tho don't know if true ,that you do need to persevere with hearing aids while your brain re tunes itself to them .

Hope MrButterchunks can advise .

Hello again MrsRoss, this is the advice from Mr Butterchunks.

Firstly the issue of the hearing aid coming out constantly- this is quite common for first time users. Quite often this is just a case of getting the hang of inserting and removing the hearing aid. Apparently there can be quite a knack to getting a secure fit, and this can vary between patient depending on the design of the HA and the shape of their ears etc. This is something that you should ask you audiologist to help you with, they can show you again how best to wear your HA, maybe it will take some practice. It is quite rare that there is an actual problem with the HA itself (but obviously if you are still struggling after an extended period of time this could be looked into).

The issue of finding it hard to get used to, again is very common. Your brain just needs a bit of time to get used to what it is hearing. It can be overwhelming for new hearing aid users, suddenly hearing everything around them but the trick is to keep using your HA. Even if you are sat alone in a quiet room, wear your HA, this will educate you brain to filter out superfluous noises.

Mr B's final word of advice for anyone struggling with hearing aids is to speak to your audiologist

Think I'll keep going with it, but I take it out whenever I don't need it?

As a long time wearer of HA's (god that makes me feel so sexy and cool) I have to say stick with it for a while. They are weird and annoying and awkward, for the first year I had one I could tolerate it for a few hours before clawing it out of my ear because I reached a point and after that it was intolerable. My tinnitus no longer bothers me (although if I concentrate it is there, sometimes surprises me with an extra noise) and I hear well (never perfectly but I am now severely deaf) but I put them in as I wake up and take them out when I go to sleep. Your brain needs time to re-process the sounds and this does take some time but with time it will seem a lot more natural. After a month or so of wearing it a good amount if you still have problems then go back but you have to give yourself a chance to re-wire to make the most of it.

Sorry you are dealing with this though because it's a PITA. Also check pockets religiously before using the washing machine because I washed a few of them before getting the hang of keeping them in and they don't like getting wet!