Mystery of the inconsistent hearing aid

     

It’s been a tough day for Prisha today. Out of the blue she messaged from school that her right hearing aid is giving trouble !! It switches off if she speaks, hears high frequency and come alive if she presses the mold into her ear canal. Over the years she has learnt to play around her aids to help herself. We discuss constantly. Since yday it switched off a couple of times but today was TOUGH!! Her right HA is our life line! Entire hearing is through that and we treat it like our new born baby or a precious diamond. As a family three of us were stressed. Between the regular jobs we three kept working out on strategies to help her. She kept messaging her issues, plans, strategies and we worked around her strategies and working on trying to get appointment with Geers, her hearing aid store and Mrs. Z who is the best!! They immediately promised to dispatch a hearing aid programmed to her needs on loan which reaches in 2 days!! Grateful and overwhelmed!! It’s so hard to see my girl stressed and trying to cope! As parents we need to not panic but give her assurance and calm her. It’s been exhausting for her!! Once she returned home she started to play around!! For the next 4 hours...we changed filters, hook, batteries from all packets from all countries and hearing aids! All combinations were tried! Yet the aid switched off and worked when she pressed the mold! Confusion and stress besides wonder ruled us all!! Her head hurt but she kept going. Her homework too had to be completed. In all this she kept working trying to get her hearing back ! The mold mystery didn’t seem to find an end. Eventually she pulled out everything and realized perhaps her mold is faulty. It presses the tube inside in intervals. And hence HA stops working. So she changed back to her old ones. Suddenly she was hearing louder and better! But why was it pressing at high frequency and not when she was talking softly...was another mystery. We thought that the loud speech worked on disconnecting the high frequency perhaps!! Can you imagine the stress? Last 14 hours have been full of drama, worry, stress, worry, concern. She changed her mold and we were relived. I took a picture and started to write the post for awareness for other parents who may face this. As I started to write it all down, my brain was trying to figure out the mystery of the mold! Why was it getting pressed? My logical mind wouldn’t give up and as I wrote....it dawned on ME!! As Prisha spoke louder, her jaw opened wider and that pushed her jaw bone such that it pressed the mold with the tube in her ear canal! The tube couldn’t open up unless Prisha adjusted it by pressing the mold!!!! THE DAMN MOLD IS FAULTY FOR THE LAST ONE MONTH!! We had told the assistant last month that the canal of the mold seemed small but he convinced us that it was fine! Prisha was hearing softer and we kept thinking perhaps her hearing is deteriorating( biggest nightmare and fear) or hearing aids are old! What a relief to see her face lit up!! She just came in smiling...mum...I can heater louder and clearer! The HA is working fine and I hear sooo well!! What a relief! Poor kid has coped with so much exhaustion last 1 month thanks to the carelessness of a hearingaid assistant!! She is exhausted but extremely relieved to have sorted it out and getting her hearing back!!  She is doing the happy dance! Relieved parents! We plan to call the company and give standing instructions....only Mrs. Z helps Prisha and no one else!! For now we all can sleep well tonight! Am also so glad I documented this all...as it helped me analyze and solve the mystery of the pressing mold!