Ear swelling, tenderness from wearing hearing aids - Hearing Disorders Message Board

DonnaS · 05-21-2005, 05:16 PM

Hi....I've been hearing-impaired for many years and am really frustrated at not being able to hear (and it is getting worse). I do have hearing aids but they only amplify everything that I don't want to hear and what I do want to hear sounds the same way, just louder. For those of you who wear hearing aids, I have a question.....have you ever gotten outer ear infections, where your ear swells and really hurts and there's no way you can get the aid in?? What causes this? It happens to me quite often. I'm thinking it is bacteria from having these aids in all the time, but I don't know. Is there somthing I need to get to clean the aids with each day?? I also suffer from tinnitus in both ears, and it never stops. Sometimes I can hear 2 or 3 different sounds at one time in my right ear, but I've learned to live with it. One hearing specialist told me that I should consider the cochlear implant, but I don't think so. (1....seems to me it wouldn't be normal hearing at all, and 2), there's no way I could afford it as it is very expensive and I'm not sure that there is any insurance company that would pay for this surgery, and 3), would I want go through all of this just to be very disappointed that it wasn't what I hoped for? Hope you can give me some advice here. Not on the cochlear implant, as I've already decided that I'm not having it done. Thanks for listening.

Kat1966 · 05-21-2005, 06:26 PM

hi! Bless your heart I know this must be frusterating. On May 5 this year I started 2 days before my birthday having a ear infrection and it went away a week later then I started having a e/f again but this time with sinis. Do you have any symtoms of sinis or could be ear wax. They say try a nasal degongetion it worked for me and got rid of my e/f in 1 day.
You may have a problem with the hearing aid bothering your ear and causing problems a infection.
I hope you get it taken care of soon. I know from my ears it was the left then the right one started stopping up then started ringing how aggervating this is just for 1 week and again.
I hope you get the problem solved.
please let us know I care.
thank you.
Kat1966.

lelu · 06-01-2005, 11:36 AM

First do you use an audiologist?
An audiologist has a master's degree in speech and hearing and can detect medical diseases of the ear, and the hearing aid specialist is a technician who understands the technical aspects of hearing aids.

I've always gone to audiologist for my insurance doesn't accept any other.
Several years ago I had some that didn't fit correctly at first and made my ears sore.
Last few years I use the ones that fit completely inside the canal and never have a problem. They cost $5600 a pair but do an excellent job. They have been the best I've ever had.

Alkaline · 06-07-2005, 07:27 PM

I've worn a hearing aid since I was 5 years old and I'm 26 now. I get those infections at least once a year. I guess it's inevitable since I wear this thing for most of my waking hours. I absolutely despise them cos they really drill me into the ground from pain, but I've gotten used to them by now.

I have tinnitus every now and then, but it's no biggie. It came from the sounds that the audiologist pumps in my ears to test me. beep. beep. BEEP. lasts maybe 5 seconds and I get it once every 2 weeks maybe.

I am also deaf in my right ear and I have considered a coclear, but I think I'm going to hold out till something better comes along. They already regrew inner ear hairs in mice with stem cell research, so who knows? I lost my hearing from meningitis and I'd rather wait for a possible cure than have a box mounted to my skull.

dd annie · 06-08-2005, 02:54 PM

Hi there. I've been wearing hearing aids since I was 4 years old and I am 22 now. I wear the behind the ear kind and every once in a while my ears get raw from wearing the hearing aids. Usually I just try wearing one hearing aid at a time, until it feels better.

I completely understand how you feel about the hearing aids amplifying EVERY THING and it can be very annoying. My hearing aids did that at first but I was assured that I would get used to it, and my ears and brain would block out the annoying sounds after awhile. What I did to help myself get used to it was turn my hearing aids down to wear I can bare it. Then gradually turn them up after a few days when I've gotten used to it.

The reason I like hearing aids, is the freedom to take them off as I please. About your ears swelling up, I would contact your doctor.

Annie