Leila's got aids

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/25/2004 9:32:08 PM Eastern Standard Time,

stern@... writes:

1) One of them seems easier to put in than the other one. Is that

normal or should I be worried about the fitting of the mold? She says

it hurts when we put in the harder one, but once it's in and she's

distracted it's fine.

When Ian first wore his aides he could only tolerate them for a couple hours

at a time. There was always a spot that rubbed a little on his ear and that

spot would get sore. So, we'd take out the aide and let his ear " rest " for a

little while. Then he'd pop them back in.

2) The instructions say to detach the ear mold from the hearing aid

when we store them in the drying jar overnight. Should I really? How

can I tell the right from the left ear mold?

I'm a terrible mother, I just pop the whole thing in. I haven't noticed a

problem but others who use that dry and store more often would be better to help

with this. But we don't use them daily, We put them in overnight every other

week or so. Ian was nefer much of a sweaty kid except when he sleeps.

For Ian the ear molds are what's different. The aide could go onto either

ear. So, if I mixed up the aides and the molds, it woudn't matter. Well, actully

for Ian it would matter because theya re set at different levels. But the

aides themselves could be left or right. If I needed to keep track of left or

right aides, I'd put a small dot of nail polish on one in an inconspicuous spot.

Ian is older (13) and he's the one who keeps track of this stuff now so I don't

have to do this any longer.

3) At what age might she be able to put them in? Take them out?

With a little practice she'll be able to do it next week, or tomorrow. You'll

be surprised how quickly she'll learn this with a little encouragement.

4) Our day care director has asked if there is anything they can do

to help. Leila doesn't have an IEP at this point, but is in a very

nurturing parent coop day care, and they are new to this too. Her

class is carpeted in the non-food/water areas and she has a lot

of small group time as it is (11 kids and 3 grown-ups). Suggestions?

Look at Leila when they are talking. Talk slower rather than quickly and

don't have their hands in front of their faces and mouths. That blocks Leila's

ability to look for lip cues.

Don't try to talk more clearly or loudly, over-enunciating distorts the

sound. Instead speak at an even pace and somewhat level tones. Of course, story

time should be fun, complete with silly voices and faces but not too distorted

or

accented.

Don't pace around when talking, the coming and going volume is confusing.

Plus when the teacher is walking away, there are no lips to see.

Do not talk to the board when writing or drawing, or the felt board when

telling a felt-board story. Face forward and talk to the group.

When you ask her a question, wait patiently for her to give the answer. It

may take her a few moments to process what she's hearing and respond. She'll get

better with practice.

Don't correct her pronunciation by repeating the word alone and expecting her

to repeat you. (Unless of course it is a speech therapy class and that is

what she's supposed to be doing) Instead use her mis-spoken word correctly in

your response to her so she can hear it said and used correctly in context.

Remember that all the work these kids do to listen and hear is exhausting. If

she seems tired, then let her have some down time. Let her color quietly for

a while -- or pick another activity that does not require her to work to

understand anyone. Building with legos, or stringing beads ... something where

she

can focus into a smaller area that involves less listening work.

Those are what I thought of off-hand. I'm sure other people with little ones

will have some very good ideas as well.

Congratulations to Leila and to you!

Jill

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/25/2004 9:32:08 PM Eastern Standard Time,

stern@... writes:

1) One of them seems easier to put in than the other one. Is that

normal or should I be worried about the fitting of the mold? She says

it hurts when we put in the harder one, but once it's in and she's

distracted it's fine.

When Ian first wore his aides he could only tolerate them for a couple hours

at a time. There was always a spot that rubbed a little on his ear and that

spot would get sore. So, we'd take out the aide and let his ear " rest " for a

little while. Then he'd pop them back in.

2) The instructions say to detach the ear mold from the hearing aid

when we store them in the drying jar overnight. Should I really? How

can I tell the right from the left ear mold?

I'm a terrible mother, I just pop the whole thing in. I haven't noticed a

problem but others who use that dry and store more often would be better to help

with this. But we don't use them daily, We put them in overnight every other

week or so. Ian was nefer much of a sweaty kid except when he sleeps.

For Ian the ear molds are what's different. The aide could go onto either

ear. So, if I mixed up the aides and the molds, it woudn't matter. Well, actully

for Ian it would matter because theya re set at different levels. But the

aides themselves could be left or right. If I needed to keep track of left or

right aides, I'd put a small dot of nail polish on one in an inconspicuous spot.

Ian is older (13) and he's the one who keeps track of this stuff now so I don't

have to do this any longer.

3) At what age might she be able to put them in? Take them out?

With a little practice she'll be able to do it next week, or tomorrow. You'll

be surprised how quickly she'll learn this with a little encouragement.

4) Our day care director has asked if there is anything they can do

to help. Leila doesn't have an IEP at this point, but is in a very

nurturing parent coop day care, and they are new to this too. Her

class is carpeted in the non-food/water areas and she has a lot

of small group time as it is (11 kids and 3 grown-ups). Suggestions?

Look at Leila when they are talking. Talk slower rather than quickly and

don't have their hands in front of their faces and mouths. That blocks Leila's

ability to look for lip cues.

Don't try to talk more clearly or loudly, over-enunciating distorts the

sound. Instead speak at an even pace and somewhat level tones. Of course, story

time should be fun, complete with silly voices and faces but not too distorted

or

accented.

Don't pace around when talking, the coming and going volume is confusing.

Plus when the teacher is walking away, there are no lips to see.

Do not talk to the board when writing or drawing, or the felt board when

telling a felt-board story. Face forward and talk to the group.

When you ask her a question, wait patiently for her to give the answer. It

may take her a few moments to process what she's hearing and respond. She'll get

better with practice.

Don't correct her pronunciation by repeating the word alone and expecting her

to repeat you. (Unless of course it is a speech therapy class and that is

what she's supposed to be doing) Instead use her mis-spoken word correctly in

your response to her so she can hear it said and used correctly in context.

Remember that all the work these kids do to listen and hear is exhausting. If

she seems tired, then let her have some down time. Let her color quietly for

a while -- or pick another activity that does not require her to work to

understand anyone. Building with legos, or stringing beads ... something where

she

can focus into a smaller area that involves less listening work.

Those are what I thought of off-hand. I'm sure other people with little ones

will have some very good ideas as well.

Congratulations to Leila and to you!

Jill

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/25/2004 9:32:08 PM Eastern Standard Time,

stern@... writes:

1) One of them seems easier to put in than the other one. Is that

normal or should I be worried about the fitting of the mold? She says

it hurts when we put in the harder one, but once it's in and she's

distracted it's fine.

When Ian first wore his aides he could only tolerate them for a couple hours

at a time. There was always a spot that rubbed a little on his ear and that

spot would get sore. So, we'd take out the aide and let his ear " rest " for a

little while. Then he'd pop them back in.

2) The instructions say to detach the ear mold from the hearing aid

when we store them in the drying jar overnight. Should I really? How

can I tell the right from the left ear mold?

I'm a terrible mother, I just pop the whole thing in. I haven't noticed a

problem but others who use that dry and store more often would be better to help

with this. But we don't use them daily, We put them in overnight every other

week or so. Ian was nefer much of a sweaty kid except when he sleeps.

For Ian the ear molds are what's different. The aide could go onto either

ear. So, if I mixed up the aides and the molds, it woudn't matter. Well, actully

for Ian it would matter because theya re set at different levels. But the

aides themselves could be left or right. If I needed to keep track of left or

right aides, I'd put a small dot of nail polish on one in an inconspicuous spot.

Ian is older (13) and he's the one who keeps track of this stuff now so I don't

have to do this any longer.

3) At what age might she be able to put them in? Take them out?

With a little practice she'll be able to do it next week, or tomorrow. You'll

be surprised how quickly she'll learn this with a little encouragement.

4) Our day care director has asked if there is anything they can do

to help. Leila doesn't have an IEP at this point, but is in a very

nurturing parent coop day care, and they are new to this too. Her

class is carpeted in the non-food/water areas and she has a lot

of small group time as it is (11 kids and 3 grown-ups). Suggestions?

Look at Leila when they are talking. Talk slower rather than quickly and

don't have their hands in front of their faces and mouths. That blocks Leila's

ability to look for lip cues.

Don't try to talk more clearly or loudly, over-enunciating distorts the

sound. Instead speak at an even pace and somewhat level tones. Of course, story

time should be fun, complete with silly voices and faces but not too distorted

or

accented.

Don't pace around when talking, the coming and going volume is confusing.

Plus when the teacher is walking away, there are no lips to see.

Do not talk to the board when writing or drawing, or the felt board when

telling a felt-board story. Face forward and talk to the group.

When you ask her a question, wait patiently for her to give the answer. It

may take her a few moments to process what she's hearing and respond. She'll get

better with practice.

Don't correct her pronunciation by repeating the word alone and expecting her

to repeat you. (Unless of course it is a speech therapy class and that is

what she's supposed to be doing) Instead use her mis-spoken word correctly in

your response to her so she can hear it said and used correctly in context.

Remember that all the work these kids do to listen and hear is exhausting. If

she seems tired, then let her have some down time. Let her color quietly for

a while -- or pick another activity that does not require her to work to

understand anyone. Building with legos, or stringing beads ... something where

she

can focus into a smaller area that involves less listening work.

Those are what I thought of off-hand. I'm sure other people with little ones

will have some very good ideas as well.

Congratulations to Leila and to you!

Jill

[Guest guest]

Carolyn,

While forcing a tight mold into the ear for two days won't cause much harm, it

might cause an irritation after doing this several days in a row. Use mineral

oil, lanolin, K-Y or creams from your audiologist (like OtoEase or OtoFerm) to

lubricate the tight mold. Just a little will do the trick.

And yes, do detach the mold from the aid, as it will allow the dryer full access

to the different parts. Invest in a Dry & Store machine; it will be worth the

money.

Encourage everyone who plays a strong role in your daughter's life to become

used to inserting and adjusting the aids. Although you might be concerned with

too many people fumbling around your daughter's ears, there's a strong chance

that she will not want inexperienced people to be meddling once others become

experts. Better to let everyone learn at the same time.

We're still working on Hadley becoming responsible for her aids (she's only 2

1/2). We've viewed this as a progression: learn how to inform us of problems

(aid is loose, bad mold, malfunctioning aid); be part of the maintenance (taking

them out correctly, how dryer works, getting them together in morning); adjust

aids during day (when they slip off her ear, to flip them back on herself); and

finally do the insertion on her own. We're at the self-adjustment stage right

now and are hopeful that she'll be inserting them on her own by September, when

she will be 3 and in preschool. She has been successfully taking them out on

her own (rather, when she is asked not because she is acting out!) since she was

about 9 months old. I'm sure other families aren't as anal with this

step-by-step approach, but we figured that we had the time to do it this way,

given her age (she was 6 months when she received her first set of aids).

If you have a great daycare team, I'd suggest treating them as part of the

medical team supporting Leila. Inform them of the communication choices you are

making, get them involved in therapy, tracking her progress, etc. Yes, room

accommodations are important, but think beyond that to how they can be partners

with your family as you integrate hearing and listening into Leila's life.

Good luck and congrats!

Kerry

Leila's got aids

Leila (3 1/4) got her hearing aids this week -- purple Widex Diva's.

She has worn them almost the entire day for each of her first two days!

And she has tolerated inexperienced parents and day care teachers trying

to learn how to take them in and out. She rules!

I'm so surprised, as I was ready for a real battle. We read " Oliver

gets Hearing Aids " to her (downloaded and glued to manila folders) starting

a couple of days before she had her molds made, and by the time we went

to pick up her hearing aids, she was playing " audiologist and hearing aids "

with her sister (5). She claims things sound clearer, though I suspect

she is parroting back our words.

Now the inevitable questions...

1) One of them seems easier to put in than the other one. Is that

normal or should I be worried about the fitting of the mold? She says

it hurts when we put in the harder one, but once it's in and she's

distracted it's fine.

2) The instructions say to detach the ear mold from the hearing aid

when we store them in the drying jar overnight. Should I really? How

can I tell the right from the left ear mold?

3) At what age might she be able to put them in? Take them out?

4) Our day care director has asked if there is anything they can do

to help. Leila doesn't have an IEP at this point, but is in a very

nurturing parent coop day care, and they are new to this too. Her

class is carpeted in the non-food/water areas and she has a lot

of small group time as it is (11 kids and 3 grown-ups). Suggestions?

Anyway, I'm so pleased to have had this group to prep us for her hearing

aids. It really couldn't have gone smoother, and a lot of that was

because I was able to read about other people's experiences. Thanks

to all!

-Carolyn, mom to Leila (3, bilateral v-shaped loss, now aided!)

Maya (5, hearing just not behaving)

(almost 8, bilateral high-end loss, unaided)

All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is

the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

[Guest guest]

Carolyn,

While forcing a tight mold into the ear for two days won't cause much harm, it

might cause an irritation after doing this several days in a row. Use mineral

oil, lanolin, K-Y or creams from your audiologist (like OtoEase or OtoFerm) to

lubricate the tight mold. Just a little will do the trick.

And yes, do detach the mold from the aid, as it will allow the dryer full access

to the different parts. Invest in a Dry & Store machine; it will be worth the

money.

Encourage everyone who plays a strong role in your daughter's life to become

used to inserting and adjusting the aids. Although you might be concerned with

too many people fumbling around your daughter's ears, there's a strong chance

that she will not want inexperienced people to be meddling once others become

experts. Better to let everyone learn at the same time.

We're still working on Hadley becoming responsible for her aids (she's only 2

1/2). We've viewed this as a progression: learn how to inform us of problems

(aid is loose, bad mold, malfunctioning aid); be part of the maintenance (taking

them out correctly, how dryer works, getting them together in morning); adjust

aids during day (when they slip off her ear, to flip them back on herself); and

finally do the insertion on her own. We're at the self-adjustment stage right

now and are hopeful that she'll be inserting them on her own by September, when

she will be 3 and in preschool. She has been successfully taking them out on

her own (rather, when she is asked not because she is acting out!) since she was

about 9 months old. I'm sure other families aren't as anal with this

step-by-step approach, but we figured that we had the time to do it this way,

given her age (she was 6 months when she received her first set of aids).

If you have a great daycare team, I'd suggest treating them as part of the

medical team supporting Leila. Inform them of the communication choices you are

making, get them involved in therapy, tracking her progress, etc. Yes, room

accommodations are important, but think beyond that to how they can be partners

with your family as you integrate hearing and listening into Leila's life.

Good luck and congrats!

Kerry

Leila's got aids

Leila (3 1/4) got her hearing aids this week -- purple Widex Diva's.

She has worn them almost the entire day for each of her first two days!

And she has tolerated inexperienced parents and day care teachers trying

to learn how to take them in and out. She rules!

I'm so surprised, as I was ready for a real battle. We read " Oliver

gets Hearing Aids " to her (downloaded and glued to manila folders) starting

a couple of days before she had her molds made, and by the time we went

to pick up her hearing aids, she was playing " audiologist and hearing aids "

with her sister (5). She claims things sound clearer, though I suspect

she is parroting back our words.

Now the inevitable questions...

1) One of them seems easier to put in than the other one. Is that

normal or should I be worried about the fitting of the mold? She says

it hurts when we put in the harder one, but once it's in and she's

distracted it's fine.

2) The instructions say to detach the ear mold from the hearing aid

when we store them in the drying jar overnight. Should I really? How

can I tell the right from the left ear mold?

3) At what age might she be able to put them in? Take them out?

4) Our day care director has asked if there is anything they can do

to help. Leila doesn't have an IEP at this point, but is in a very

nurturing parent coop day care, and they are new to this too. Her

class is carpeted in the non-food/water areas and she has a lot

of small group time as it is (11 kids and 3 grown-ups). Suggestions?

Anyway, I'm so pleased to have had this group to prep us for her hearing

aids. It really couldn't have gone smoother, and a lot of that was

because I was able to read about other people's experiences. Thanks

to all!

-Carolyn, mom to Leila (3, bilateral v-shaped loss, now aided!)

Maya (5, hearing just not behaving)

(almost 8, bilateral high-end loss, unaided)

All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is

the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

[Guest guest]

Carolyn,

While forcing a tight mold into the ear for two days won't cause much harm, it

might cause an irritation after doing this several days in a row. Use mineral

oil, lanolin, K-Y or creams from your audiologist (like OtoEase or OtoFerm) to

lubricate the tight mold. Just a little will do the trick.

And yes, do detach the mold from the aid, as it will allow the dryer full access

to the different parts. Invest in a Dry & Store machine; it will be worth the

money.

Encourage everyone who plays a strong role in your daughter's life to become

used to inserting and adjusting the aids. Although you might be concerned with

too many people fumbling around your daughter's ears, there's a strong chance

that she will not want inexperienced people to be meddling once others become

experts. Better to let everyone learn at the same time.

We're still working on Hadley becoming responsible for her aids (she's only 2

1/2). We've viewed this as a progression: learn how to inform us of problems

(aid is loose, bad mold, malfunctioning aid); be part of the maintenance (taking

them out correctly, how dryer works, getting them together in morning); adjust

aids during day (when they slip off her ear, to flip them back on herself); and

finally do the insertion on her own. We're at the self-adjustment stage right

now and are hopeful that she'll be inserting them on her own by September, when

she will be 3 and in preschool. She has been successfully taking them out on

her own (rather, when she is asked not because she is acting out!) since she was

about 9 months old. I'm sure other families aren't as anal with this

step-by-step approach, but we figured that we had the time to do it this way,

given her age (she was 6 months when she received her first set of aids).

If you have a great daycare team, I'd suggest treating them as part of the

medical team supporting Leila. Inform them of the communication choices you are

making, get them involved in therapy, tracking her progress, etc. Yes, room

accommodations are important, but think beyond that to how they can be partners

with your family as you integrate hearing and listening into Leila's life.

Good luck and congrats!

Kerry

Leila's got aids

Leila (3 1/4) got her hearing aids this week -- purple Widex Diva's.

She has worn them almost the entire day for each of her first two days!

And she has tolerated inexperienced parents and day care teachers trying

to learn how to take them in and out. She rules!

I'm so surprised, as I was ready for a real battle. We read " Oliver

gets Hearing Aids " to her (downloaded and glued to manila folders) starting

a couple of days before she had her molds made, and by the time we went

to pick up her hearing aids, she was playing " audiologist and hearing aids "

with her sister (5). She claims things sound clearer, though I suspect

she is parroting back our words.

Now the inevitable questions...

1) One of them seems easier to put in than the other one. Is that

normal or should I be worried about the fitting of the mold? She says

it hurts when we put in the harder one, but once it's in and she's

distracted it's fine.

2) The instructions say to detach the ear mold from the hearing aid

when we store them in the drying jar overnight. Should I really? How

can I tell the right from the left ear mold?

3) At what age might she be able to put them in? Take them out?

4) Our day care director has asked if there is anything they can do

to help. Leila doesn't have an IEP at this point, but is in a very

nurturing parent coop day care, and they are new to this too. Her

class is carpeted in the non-food/water areas and she has a lot

of small group time as it is (11 kids and 3 grown-ups). Suggestions?

Anyway, I'm so pleased to have had this group to prep us for her hearing

aids. It really couldn't have gone smoother, and a lot of that was

because I was able to read about other people's experiences. Thanks

to all!

-Carolyn, mom to Leila (3, bilateral v-shaped loss, now aided!)

Maya (5, hearing just not behaving)

(almost 8, bilateral high-end loss, unaided)

All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is

the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

[Guest guest]

An earmold that is too tight can bruise and scrape the ear, cause swelling

which makes it even harder to get in and further bruises and irritates the

ear. Please take her back to the audiologist before she develops an

aversion to it. Better safe than sorry as she's so accepting of them you

don't want to make it a painful proposition

[Guest guest]

<< She says it hurts when we put in the harder one, but once it's in and she's

distracted it's fine.>>

As your audiologist for some Oto-ease lotion (or similar). Some pharmacies have

it, too. I've even used a dab of Neosporin once or twice but wouldn't recommend

that for regular use. A tiny dab of Oto-ease should make the mold slide right

in and if it doesn't, it's too tight. Most audi's are able to grind down the

portion of the mold that goes into the canal if it's a bit too big. It should

NEVER hurt and will cause skin breakdown if it's rubbing somewhere inside.

Don't let anyone tell you she'll get used to it or her ear canals need to

stretch or some other such nonsense. Earmolds need to fit well and be

comfortable or she'll hate them!

<< How can I tell the right from the left ear mold?>>

After I mixed our hearing aids up for the second time, our audi took pity on me

and actually labeled them with " left " and " right " with some kind of durable

label. LOL! I was always so careful...but things happen. You'll be able to

tell the molds apart based on the direction they go but not the aids themselves,

if you've detached them from the mold.

<<3) At what age might she be able to put them in? Take them out?>>

Y'know, I'm reading about everyone who is having their younger children do this

and I guess I'm just too overprotective or something. Well, I'm overprotective

of the aids. LOL! could remove them himself soon after he got them at

age 4 but we had to institute an immediate rule in our house that aids could be

only one of two places. For us it's either his nightstand or the shelf in the

kitchen. Otherwise, I'd find them all over the house...including the time one

was lost for a week and we found it had been carried off by the dog and dropped

into a box of magazines. is 7 now and he can put them in by himself but

he prefers not to. A few times, he has gotten part of the skin of the outer ear

pinned under part of the mold without noticing and, after a few hours, was in

terrible pain. Since he wears them from when he gets up to when he goes to bed

and we can change the batteries while they're still on, taking them on and off

during the day doesn't come up much. At school, his teacher and his sister know

how to do it.

Carol - mom to , 7.11, mod to profound, LVAS

[Guest guest]

<< She says it hurts when we put in the harder one, but once it's in and she's

distracted it's fine.>>

As your audiologist for some Oto-ease lotion (or similar). Some pharmacies have

it, too. I've even used a dab of Neosporin once or twice but wouldn't recommend

that for regular use. A tiny dab of Oto-ease should make the mold slide right

in and if it doesn't, it's too tight. Most audi's are able to grind down the

portion of the mold that goes into the canal if it's a bit too big. It should

NEVER hurt and will cause skin breakdown if it's rubbing somewhere inside.

Don't let anyone tell you she'll get used to it or her ear canals need to

stretch or some other such nonsense. Earmolds need to fit well and be

comfortable or she'll hate them!

<< How can I tell the right from the left ear mold?>>

After I mixed our hearing aids up for the second time, our audi took pity on me

and actually labeled them with " left " and " right " with some kind of durable

label. LOL! I was always so careful...but things happen. You'll be able to

tell the molds apart based on the direction they go but not the aids themselves,

if you've detached them from the mold.

<<3) At what age might she be able to put them in? Take them out?>>

Y'know, I'm reading about everyone who is having their younger children do this

and I guess I'm just too overprotective or something. Well, I'm overprotective

of the aids. LOL! could remove them himself soon after he got them at

age 4 but we had to institute an immediate rule in our house that aids could be

only one of two places. For us it's either his nightstand or the shelf in the

kitchen. Otherwise, I'd find them all over the house...including the time one

was lost for a week and we found it had been carried off by the dog and dropped

into a box of magazines. is 7 now and he can put them in by himself but

he prefers not to. A few times, he has gotten part of the skin of the outer ear

pinned under part of the mold without noticing and, after a few hours, was in

terrible pain. Since he wears them from when he gets up to when he goes to bed

and we can change the batteries while they're still on, taking them on and off

during the day doesn't come up much. At school, his teacher and his sister know

how to do it.

Carol - mom to , 7.11, mod to profound, LVAS

[Guest guest]

--- You wrote:

2) The instructions say to detach the ear mold from the hearing aid

when we store them in the drying jar overnight. Should I really? How

can I tell the right from the left ear mold?

--- end of quote ---

Hi - I'm glad things are going well so far with Leila's aids. The other

suggestions from listmates are great. I would say we hardly ever take the ear

mold off the hearing aid - it fits so snugly and it's hard to get off. We put

the earmold attached to the hearing aid in the dry and store but do open the

battery door and take the battery out. We've not had problems with moisture for

the most part. When we do have moisture problems, we will take the mold off and

blow air through it.

Good luck!

Barbara

[Guest guest]

2) The instructions say to detach the ear mold from the hearing aid

when we store them in the drying jar overnight. Should I really? How

can I tell the right from the left ear mold?

If you are talking about a the jar with the little beads that absorb moisture,

we have used that since Maggie was 3. (She'll be 9 next week.) She uses a

Widex Senso aid and we have never taken the molds off at night except when we

need to soak them to remove wax/dirt. We do remove the battery.

Try putting a permanent marker dot on the right earmold in an hidden spot if you

think you'll have trouble identifying the molds.