Ask your audiologist...

Why do some people with hearing aids say they feel like they are in a barrel?

Close off an ear canal and what do you get? Occlusion. Give it a try. Stick your finger in your ear, or put your head under water in the bath tub, and start talking. Your voice becomes louder and deeper until you remove your finger. When you opened your ear canal, your voice became normal again.

Any time we place any kind of a hearing aid in an ear, we are occluding the ear canal. Occlusion is one of the top complaints of hearing aid wearers. We have a few ways of reducing occlusion, such as programming the response of the aid or venting.

It typically takes a few weeks of wearing a hearing aid to become accustomed to the sound of your own voice. If your own voice is still bothersome after two weeks of full-time wear, make sure you tell your hearing professional so they can try reprogramming or venting your aid or ear mold to see if it helps.

Remember: your own voice only sounds different to yourself - you still sound the same to others. The more severe the hearing loss, the more we need to occlude the ear to keep the sound or volume in.

I have found that the least-occluding hearing aids are the Lyric extended wear and the open fit behind the ear. The Lyric is placed in the bony portion of the canal, making occlusion less noticeable. The open fit behind the ear can have a small open dome with large vents to let your own voice in more normally. These types of hearing aids are recommended for mild to moderate hearing loss.

I have these types of aids that you may try on a no-obligation trial basis. Please give me a call.

Dr. Tia Flynn is a certified audiologist and has been in business for more than 14 years. Every Tuesday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, Dr. Flynn provides free hearing screenings at 1601 Third St. in Coeur d'Alene. (208) 664-2767.

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