Help - Is BAHA right for me?

[ppearl214]

Well said Phyl, I think you stepped in at the right time.  It is nice to have a moderator who stays on top of things.

Thank you for what you do.

Paul

all in a day's work, Paul.  Kudos to ALL the Mods for all that they do.

I think JoeF had his BAHA done at the same time as his AN surgery, if my old age memory is correct. Would love Joe's inputs in this thread as well.  I know he has spoken about his BAHA many times over the years here..... "search" option for his posts may also be of interest.

Amanda, am curious about one thing. You noted that you have been dealing with hearing loss for a very long time, yet, no mention of AN.  Has the doc informed why they felt that a BAHA would be more beneficial to you vs. a standard hearing aid?  Did they deem something in particular that caused the hearing loss? Since BAHA is "bone anchored", is there a firm reason why they would feel that "bone anchor" would be the best choice? Just curious.

Thanks.
Phyl

[Joef]

Yep , had my BAHA surgery at the same time as AN .... I was figured it was better this way for insurance  ... as my insurance would not cover it ! but my wife's did.... (a fact I did not realize until months later!)

I love my BAHA .. but , since I do work at home a lot (by myself , as my wife goes out to work) I don't wear it as much ...  they are like my good shoes... If I get dressed to go in the office.. out to eat .. etc.. BAHA goes in too !

I would say to AmandaRhoads , yes it would help after years of deafness !! but.. I would also say , if  I was young again and dating.... I'm not sure I would like a box on my head.. there is a vanity aspect ... the first couple months after surgery the site was a bloody scabby mess!!  but it will heal up ... and I love it .. I proudly wear stickers on it with my hair cut short !

[tenai98]

stickers???  lol lol...cool idea though...I dont hide my either...I wear it as a survival badge of honor so to speak...Like you, Joef, I only wear it when I leave the house..as my partner is hard of hearing...(finally got him into an ENT), he has the TV, radio ect on loud...why waste batteries???
JO

[leapyrtwins]

No bloody, scabby mess for me.  Just the normal healing stuff.

And I'm surprised about your dating comment, Joef.  That was one question I specifically asked you when I was first considering the BAHA.  It was my parents' concern, not mine.  You told me that you didn't see it as an issue.  Now you tell me   

Jo -

Cochlear stopped giving out the stickers with the BAHA processors, but they are starting to manufacture "bold colors" - hot pink, blue, green, purple, etc.  While I can't imagine sporting a processor that colorful on my head, they've had huge success with the covers for their CI's (cochlear implants) that are marketed in these colors.  CIs also come with camoflauge covers, zebra-striped covers, etc.  Cochlear - and many conventional hearing aid companies - are finding that their younger clients (teens and young adults) think of their CIs, BAHA processors, and hearing aids as fashion statements.

Go figure! 

Amanda -

not sure if you had an AN or not, but many people have BAHAs due to congenital hearing loss or unexpected hearing loss.  In these instances, since they are SSD (not people with just diminished hearing) the BAHA works wonders.  I believe that statistically more BAHA wearers are non-AN patients than AN patients.

Jan

[Joef]

And I'm surprised about your dating comment, Joef.  That was one question I specifically asked you when I was first considering the BAHA.  It was my parents' concern, not mine.  You told me that you didn't see it as an issue.  Now you tell me   

its not an issue for me now at 40++ ... but if I were teen again ?... I'm not sure I would say that

[Paul F]

Jan,
I had read somewhere prior to my BAHA surgery that a new procedure was available for the incision, a slit vs the flap.  I asked my surgeon about it and he said he was thinking about it.  Well, he did not use the slit.  Forgot to ask why not.   Here is a link that explains the procedure.
http://www.actaitalica.it/issues/2008/5-08/bovo.pdf
Paul

[dalern]

And for me, they did NOT remove my hair follicles.  I asked the doc about that and he said he was using a newer method.  I will have to ask if he did the slit or the older procedure.  I tend to think he used just a slit.  My advice and 2 cents:  Definitely ask for a demo to borrow for a few days.  Ask for a ponto as well as a BP100.  I tried both before choosing the BP100.  I wore each of them on a soft band for about 5 days.  I was told that the sound would be considerably better when the real thing was in place, but the demo at least let me know that the sound would be improved.  I have been without hearing in the right ear for about 12 years.  I was also told that the longer you have SSD, the longer it will take for you to see the difference, and that for some people it does NOT make the amount of difference they expect.  The demo was enough of an improvement for me to decide to have the procedure done.  I am aware that my hearing will not be "restored" and will not be the quality that I had before.  However, at this point, any improvement is welcome.  Can't wait til my "gotcha day!"
~Dale

[leapyrtwins]

Thanks for the link, Paul.

I'm seeing my doc tomorrow morning for a small procedure and will ask him about this.

Jan

[james e]

My implant was done following my AN surgery, and it was a slit. There was no bloody mess. The compression bandage, the 2" round bandage that snaps onto the post got sort of nasty looking, but it was not messy. In fact, it came off after one week and the doctor's nurse said to just leave it off. I was scalped, but it is a very small area, and it is also helpful snapping the BAHA on each morning and not getting hair in the way.

Brand loyalty is interesting. I made my mind up I was getting a BAHA before I ever tried it...too many good reviews here...never a bad one. When I tested for it, I was told I was not a good candidate, but that is a long story! Any way, this little jewel behind my right ear makes me hear like I used to...except for where sound is coming from. Lots of people ask me about it, and they love to hear my story from start to end.

[leapyrtwins]

You go, James.  You sound as thrilled with your BAHA as I am with mine 

During my little procedure the other day I asked my doc the flap vs slit question.

We discussed how he used a flap in my surgery, removed some of the tissue in the area, and also some of the hair follicles.  I told him that some doctors apparently don't use a flap, but cut a slit in the skin and do the implant that way and asked him why that was.  He told me that it was doctor preference and although he'd heard of the slit he'd always done the flap.

I pointed out that you probably can't remove as much tissue or scrape the hair follicles with a slit, and he agreed but said there wasn't enough available data yet to decide if this is an issue.  The slit approach is fairly new from what I gather.  From our conversation I got the impression that once slits are more widely done if there is evidence that the results are no different than the flap that my doc wouldn't be opposed to changing his preference. 

So in conclusion, this is just one of those differences that doctors have and there's more than one way to skin a cat (pun intended) 

[hjb4971]

The new small slit surgical style was perfected in late 2008 by doctors in Chicago and presented to other surgeons with a whitepaper soon thereafter. I'm told that more and more surgeons have adopted this style because it is FAR LESS INVASIVE, required a minimal amount of hair removal, and heals much quicker with far fewer complications.   I have advised numerous people to find out with methodology the doctor they are considering is using then decide what they want. I just can't imagine anyone picking a ten year old invasive style with huge incision and many infection problems vs. a new surgical style with a 3/4- inch slit that heals quickly and is easily and quickly concealed.

I've had no complications with my baha surgery and love my baha unit, especially since having it adjusted for more volume.

[leapyrtwins]

Thanks for sharing this info. HJB - very helpful.

I am one who had the flap, but it was far from "invasive" - at least in the way that you are choosing to define the word.  Acoustic neuroma surgery is invasive - BAHA surgery doesn't even compare    I don't think my doctor - or any other doctor - would let a patient have a highly invasive procedure under local anesthesia, but I might be mistaken. 

I did not have a huge incision - it was small.  I have never had an infection - either while healing or since having my implant (2+ years ago).  I don't have a lot of hair removed - my processor covers that area perfectly.  My implant site healed very quickly.  I didn't have any complications either.

I'm happy to hear that you love your BAHA.  I love mine, too, and that's what it's all about 

However, I don't want you to scare people away from getting the implant - just because their doctor may choose to use the flap style instead of the slit style.

As we Forumites know, doctors often have different surgical "styles" - as well as different protocols in AN treatment - but that doesn't mean that one doctor is better than another in this aspect.  It also doesn't mean that one doctor is "wrong" and the other is "right".

Best,

Jan