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These last couple of days have been a real challenge for me again. While I love the warm weather and humidity, it really lessens my ability to hear. For those of you that don't understand the correlation between the two, when you are in a 'humid' environment, your hearing aid sounds like someone put a sock over it.
We all know that the ear canal is full of moisture. For those of us that wear hearing aids, we are fortunate in that most hearing aid manufacturers can make a hearing aid that will handle the moisture inside your ear canal pretty well. But, when you add in the warmer temps plus humidity or lots of rain, it's a losing scenario. There are 'dry kits' out there and these are great to have, but the only problem is that you have to take out your hearing aid and put it in the 'dry kit' overnight to get all of the moisture out of the hearing aid itself. Then, when you put it on in the morning and get back into a humid environment, you're right back where you were the day before. Frustrating! So, what can you do? Well, after having worn these things for the past 25 years, here are some of the things that I do whenever possible. 1. Get out of the humid outside air if possible and go someplace where there's air conditioning. It will take about an hour of being in the A.C. to finally get your 'hearing' back. 2. If it's really humid/rainy outside, take out your hearing aids. I know! This does not solve the hearing problem. But, if you are going to be outside, put them into the 'dry kit' and take them with you so that when you are going to be in a more friendly hearing aid environment, you can put them back in. Kind of like putting your glasses on to read. You have them with you at all times and have developed the habit of putting them on when needed. 3. If you are going to be in or near the water, DON'T wear your hearing aids. I have heard so many stories of people being on a boat, at the beach (sand is awful for your hearing aid!), at a water park, ect. and forgetting to take out their hearing aids. If these expensive little things get full of water, they are done for good. I know that most of us get so used to having them in our ears that we forget that they are there. Decide to take a dip in that pool or lake and whamo, the damage is done. So, just leave them out and in a safe place. Let those that are around you know of the change in your hearing capabilities and have a good time. 4. If you are going outside in the rain, even if it's just from your car to a store, don't forget to take out your hearing aids. Being outside in the rain for just a few minutes can generate enough humidity build-up in them to really affect your hearing abilities for a few hours. It just takes a few seconds to take them out, put them in their safe place and then re-insert them once you are back on dry ground. Do this when you are still in the car! People have dropped them onto the pavement when trying to take them out while walking at the same time. Your luck, you will drop them into a puddle... 5. Be honest with those around you on your current ability to hear. If you don't have your hearing aids in, tell them! If you are experiencing diminished hearing capabilities due to the environment, admit it! They may not comprehend what you are trying to tell them, but as we all know, that's just another opportunity to try and educate them once again on hearing loss. If the explaination doesn't work, you can always ask all of them to walk around with earplugs in their ears. At least you would be on a level playing field... (by livinglakecountry.com)
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I'm off for some AC - Susan