Oops, in my earlier post I said that Kim Eveleth was a COSTCO. She is not; she is at SAM'S on 27/441. My mistake.
Speaker In Ear (SIE) hearing aid's are supposed to be very comfortable, but I have not been able to try SIE's. (My hearing problem is to the "profound" level, so [as I understand it], I'm relegated to those big ugly Behind The Ear (BTE) models that provide more power.) The SIE's are much smaller and I suspect easier to adjust-to.
As for hurting your ear(s), any hearing aid can be bothersome until you get used to them. Sometimes it's a 'fit issue, and sometimes it's a user-experience issue. Simply put, your ear's don't usually like things put in them! You may find that some adaptation is necessary. Try wearing the aid(s) for one to three hours a day for a few days, then increase it to longer periods, and your ears will have some time to adapt to the new device. If you have full canal aid's, try this: Put a minuscule amount of mineral oil on your fingertip and rub it in the outer part of the canal where the aid fits (Don't put mineral oil IN the ear, and be sure to only just enough to make the surface a bit more slippery). This will reduce the aid/ear friction and it may be more comfortable.
Now days, if you are buying a new aid, check out the various Bluetooth features. My Phonak (model: Belero) aids are two years old and permit iPhone calls to Bluetooth directly to my ears, and listening to music on the iPhone is once again a Joy. The rapid pace of technology is amazing ... and we (Baby Boomers) are leading the way!
Best,
Casey
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