Hearing Aid danger

Just a word of warning - I have worn hearing aids for the past twenty years, and thanks be to all the audiologists who have helped to ensure that I am not isolated from my fellow beings.

However, last Sunday had a bad experience, when the little bit at the end of the tube broke off in my ear and got lodged in my ear canal. As I did not realise this until I was actually in bed, and my local A&E does not have a 24 hour service, I did a bit too much poking around trying to remove it myself and lodged it further down.

Was not sure what to do, next A&E in Bristol is over 25 miles away, should I just telephone and wait most of the night for a ambulance to get me there - and then, how on earth would I get home (cannot afford a taxi all that way).

Rang my local daughter at 9.25 to ask her advice and she told me we had 35 minutes to get to local A&E and drove straight round for me. I got into her car in nightie and dressing gown, just grabbing some knitting and my e-book, she put in my electric wheelchair and got me there by 9.50, where we were told it was an upto six hour wait!!!

Saw Triage nurse a few minutes later and she found a nurse practitioner who dealt with me straight away. My daughter pointed out she had managed to bring up four children without ever having to take them to hospital with anything up noses or ears, but her Mother manages to do this!!!

However, the two nurses told us that it was not at all an uncommon problem for them to deal with. Never occurred to me hearing aids could constitute such a problem

I was back home and in bed by 10.30.