ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => Hearing Issues => Topic started by: Twindy on February 09, 2012, 09:23:09 am
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I was told by doctor yesterday that hearing devices (I am new to this so I don't know the correct term) don't work as well after radiation vs. surgery. Anyone know anything or have experience with this?
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Not heard this, but I am not a doctor nor an expert. However, I have today finished FSR and had surgery two years ago this weekend. I have noticed no difference in the effectiveness of my Ponto Pro since beginning radiation.
I'm struggling to find a theory that would account for such a difference.
-Tod
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By hearing devices, I assume you mean a bone anchored hearing aid. The titanium post gets screwed into your skull right behind your AN ear, vibrates your skull (you cannot feel it) and your good ear hears what words/sounds the BAHA hears. I have tried to think of a way that radiation on the AN side could have any impact on your good side. The ability to control those waves of energy is so very precise that it would totally suprise me that it could have any impact on your ability to hear sound from a BAHA or via air transmission. I'm sure the energy does not soften the skull and reduce the ability of the BAHA to vibrate your skull. Beats me!
Now, they may mean that if you are left with hearing in your AN ear following radiation, and it is rather poor, a hearing aid my not help as much. I'll bring this up and see if it holds any water... when I was wandering through the treatment options, 2 docs told me that the majority of radiation patients lose the hearing in their AN ear within 5 years of the treatment. Now this is not my statement...this is what I was told. This is one of the reasons I chose surgery.
My problem right now is my good ear is going bad regardless of the type of treatment I had. I was not first in line when they gave out ears...I was first in line for teeth.
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After radiation there can be fluctuations in hearing (and gradual deterioration in the long term), so it would be hard to find a hearing aid that will work well over time. Perhaps this is what they meant? Whereas with surgery you know where you stand - either completely SSD or with a steady level of hearing. I am not sure if this is true (I am sure someone will chime in), but my ENT had mentioned that the BAHA works better when you are completely SSD. If this is true, radiation patients who don't loose all hearing right away, may not be good candidates for the BAHA. However I know at least two radiation patients who are wearing the BAHA and find it great.
Marianna
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I just gave my transear another try after putting it away last year. It still does nothing:(
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One of the moderators here, sgerrard (Steve) had CK done a few years ago... and has a standard hearing aid (not bone-anchored or Transear-type). You may want to send him a PM/email here on the site to get his take on how his hearing device helps him, even post CK. Just a thought.......
Phyl
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I had CK done about 1 1/2 years ago, I have two hearing aids and they both work the same as before CK, as the commercial says "don't leave home without them".
TJ
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Me too. CK two years ago, and ENT says no further hearing loss post-treatment. I had my hearing aid before treatment, and it still works the same.
I have been blessed so far with good hearing preservation post-CK