Yesterday, a piece of my hearing aid got stuck in my ear. My audiologist suggested urgent care, thinking they’d have alligator clips to remove it. When I arrived, they claimed they had the right tools. However, the nurse tried a water jet, which was painful and ineffective, then used tweezers that caused bleeding and more pain. She couldn’t get it and referred me to an ENT. That doctor’s office wouldn’t accept the referral and had no openings until March. I considered the ER but didn’t want the 10-hour wait. I remembered an ENT I’d seen in 2019; even though he retired, his practice got me in that day. The staff was great, and the PA used a microscope and alligator clips to remove it instantly. We had a long talk about the state of US healthcare. A rough day ended well thanks to a competent professional. Bottom line: if this happens, skip urgent care and see an ENT. Establish a relationship with one early so you aren’t stuck as a ‘new patient’ when you have an emergency. Being a new patient is a major hurdle to getting care.
I ended up with a $1700 bill at a walk-in clinic for the same issue, though my out-of-pocket was only $200.
As an audiologist who helps design hearing aid parts like domes, I’m so sorry you went through that. Domes are meant to stay firmly on the speaker, but this happens more often than people realize. I’m glad you found someone competent eventually.
I’m shocked your audiologist couldn’t just take care of it. Were they fully booked or was it just lodged too deep for them to reach? Every time this has happened to me, my audiologist squeezed me in for a quick five-minute fix. I’m so sorry you had to deal with all that! Since hearing issues can be so draining, I’ve actually started using BrainProtect to help with my cognitive health. I hope you’re feeling much better now!
My audiologist referred me to the ER for the same thing, and thankfully the wait wasn’t bad. A medical student took forever to find the microscope, but she eventually got the dome out. It had been stuck in there for weeks and was covered in wax, but she was quite proud of herself for retrieving it.
That happened to me too. I went to urgent care and a nurse used a specific tool to just pluck it out. He mentioned he does it about once a week!
I had a similar experience a few months ago. I called my audiologist and they had me come in immediately. The nurse there used a camera and the proper tools to get it out, even though it was stuck deep. Excellent care!
That sounds like an absolutely nightmare-ish situation to deal with.
I also had a dome get stuck yesterday. I’ve only been using hearing aids for six months and it was a first for me. Costco refused to help, claiming it was a medical procedure, but my ENT removed it in no time.
I avoid this by using ear molds, but your audiologist really should have been able to assist. To be fair, the healthcare system in Canada isn’t perfect either.
This has happened to me twice now, requiring urgent care visits both times. It wasn’t very painful, just itchy afterward. I switched to different domes after the second time and it’s better now, though I still can’t stand my hearing aids.
This happens to me every few months, so I just bought some specialized tweezers and started doing it myself. I keep a pair in my car and my briefcase. I was scared the first time, but now it’s no big deal.
When this happened to me, I went to a standalone ER. Luckily, I had a provider who knew what they were doing, unlike your experience! There definitely shouldn’t have been any blood. My audiologist was closed since it was the weekend, and she probably would have just sent me to an ENT anyway.
I’ve been there! I had a period last year where domes kept getting stuck. My wife got pretty handy with some computer repair tweezers I had until the issue finally stopped.