Is Your Hearing Aid Squeaking at You?

Ever wondered what it's trying to tell you?

It usually starts with feedback in the microphones – most noticeable when you put your hearing aids in, or when you cup your hand over your ear. Nothing to worry about.

But if the squeaking persists, it could be a sign that your hearing aid isn't seating properly in your ear canal. Assuming you're not trying out new ear moulds, the most likely cause is a build-up of wax in front of your eardrum. When it gets too much, your hearing aid will push it towards your eardrum, and if it gets really bad, it will affect what you can hear.

Ear wax is perfectly natural – it's part of the way your body keeps your ear canals clean. But the very act of using hearing aids may both make it more of a problem and make it more difficult for the natural processes to work.

So the first thing to do is get your ears checked. Most GP surgeries in Guildford will do this for you, but that may not be the case elsewhere. A quick call to your surgery to find out will do no harm.

A practice nurse will probably take care of you, and will be very pleased if you've been softening up any wax by putting a daily drop of olive oil in your ears for a week before your appointment.

It might even help to prevent a build-up of wax if you use a drop of oil on a weekly basis. You could try Earol, which is available at most pharmacies and comes with a handy dispenser.

Whatever you do, never put anything sharper than your elbow in your ears!