Stethoscope issues - all jokes aside

[chattkis]

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You might think I'm joking. But I can't handle a stethoscope. 🙁 My right ear must be made funny and every stethoscope I have tried has hurt so bad I can only keep it in for ~5 seconds. (It pushes real hard on part of my ear, a part I guess sticks out too far or something??)

Obviously, this is a big problem for a future doctor.

Anyone know of someone with this problem? And are there stethoscopes for the apparently extra-sensitive?? where can I look?

Thanks

*scared*

 

[emack]

There's a guy who posts here sometimes... Kent something-or-other. KentW? Fancies himself some kind of stethoscope guru. You should PM him & ask for advice, because he may not see this thread before it gets lost in the pile.

I know nothing about stethoscopes.

 

[deleted87716]

In addition to trying different earpieces until you find something that feels comfortable, having a stethoscope with rotating adjustable binaurals (not found on any of the Littmanns, by the way) will be helpful. Try the Welch-Allyn Harvey Elite. Adjusting the tension in the leaf spring that holds the binaurals together (pull them apart to loosen them) may help, as well. Also, consider trying the DRG stethoscopes, which use a gel-filled eartip and have adjustable binaurals.

Hope this helps,
Kent

 

[emack]

^^^^
There he is. Told you he's the go-to guy for stethescope questions.
👍

 

[Samoa]

I find that if I see more than 20 patients a day, for several days in a row, I develop pressure sores where the earpieces rest on my ears. And that's with the soft earpieces.

 

[deleted87716]

I find that if I see more than 20 patients a day, for several days in a row, I develop pressure sores where the earpieces rest on my ears. And that's with the soft earpieces.

Some people find the hard plastic eartips more comfortable than the softer variety. You'll have to try them yourself to see if they make a difference. Hard plastic eartips are no longer available for Littmann stethoscopes, however, but they are for Welch-Allyn and others.

 

[Adcadet]

I find that if I see more than 20 patients a day, for several days in a row, I develop pressure sores where the earpieces rest on my ears. And that's with the soft earpieces.

Wow, talk about listening hard. Never had that problem, but I have yet to see that many patients in one day (haven't done any clinic-based rotation yet other than ophtho)