Author Topic: "Sinking" BAHA  (Read 17904 times)

dalern

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Re: "Sinking" BAHA
« Reply #30 on: August 22, 2010, 05:10:24 pm »
Good thought, Paul.  I will fill you all in after I talk to the doctor or nurse practitioner.  I appreciate all the input.

Joef, I pulled my stitches out too.  Jan, I SHOULD have billed my doctor.  Think it's too late? ???
~Dale
Dale Barnes, RN, MSN, CLNC
Tarzana, CA
1998 Sudden Onset Idiopathic Sensorineural  hearing loss diagnosed at House Ear Institute, Los Angeles
BAHA June 30, 2010 Dr. Jeffrey Harris UCSD San Diego

leapyrtwins

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Re: "Sinking" BAHA
« Reply #31 on: August 22, 2010, 09:29:45 pm »
Good suggestion by Paul, definitely ask your doctor or audiologist.

I didn't know that the abutments had changed yet.  There was talk that one of the companies - either Cochlear or Oticon - was going to change to make it a little harder for patients to switch from company to company.  Although changing abutments is just a quick office procedure involving a screw driver.  When Entific was bought out by Cochlear, Cochlear changed abutments for some reason.

Dale, you can try to bill the doctor - turning the tables might be fun and could potentially save you some money  ;)   Let me know if it works.  I won't hold my breath  :D

Jan
Retrosig 5/31/07 Drs. Battista & Kazan (Hinsdale, Illinois)
Left AN 3.0 cm (1.5 cm @ diagnosis 6 wks prior) SSD. BAHA implant 3/4/08 (Dr. Battista) Divino 6/4/08  BP100 4/2010 BAHA 5 8/2015

I don't actually "make" trouble..just kind of attract it, fine tune it, and apply it in new and exciting ways

dalern

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Re: "Sinking" BAHA
« Reply #32 on: August 27, 2010, 01:08:18 am »
Ok, so here is an update.  I saw one of the resident's today, and the nurse practitioner, as my doctor is away. I do not have a piece of metal sticking out under the abutment.  It was a very sharp, very hard scab.  She cleaned it out.  The lumps and bumps I feel and see on my skull around the abutment are normal.  They are basically where the suture lines were and will eventually flatten out some more.  The indentations I have from my craniotomy in 1991 never went away, so I am not holding my breath about this either.  They said my site looks really good.  I did find out a few other things.  My surgeon, despite the new possibility of a shorter wait time for "gotcha day", will not consider anything less than three months.  I was told that he finds it hard to believe that any change in the implant would really provide safe osseointegration.  No matter what is recommended by Cochlear, he will stick with a longer wait period.  Also, UCSD no longer can provide Oticon as an option to Baha patients because UCSD is not contracted with them for this procedure.  They had offered me the option, but since the end of June, things have changed and it is not an option.  If someone really wanted to Oticon, Dr. Harris might be able to do it at one of the other local hospitals where he is on staff.  I also asked about upgrading to the BP3 since my BP100 box has not even been open.  The audiologist said she would check, but no guarantees.  In addition, she said that all BAHA surgeries as of September 1 (at UCSD) will be getting the BP3.  She said it is basically the same with some upgrades.  So....that is my updated info.
~Dale
Dale Barnes, RN, MSN, CLNC
Tarzana, CA
1998 Sudden Onset Idiopathic Sensorineural  hearing loss diagnosed at House Ear Institute, Los Angeles
BAHA June 30, 2010 Dr. Jeffrey Harris UCSD San Diego

leapyrtwins

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Re: "Sinking" BAHA
« Reply #33 on: August 27, 2010, 07:36:34 am »
Dale -

I'm glad to hear your site is healing well and that everything is normal.  A big relief  ;D

Interesting info on UCSD not implanting Oticon BAHAs - thanks for sharing that information.

I posted some new info. last evening on my Cochlear BP3 thread.  If you didn't already read it, in a nutshell, the BP3 is basically an upgraded BP100 - not a completely different processor.

Jan
Retrosig 5/31/07 Drs. Battista & Kazan (Hinsdale, Illinois)
Left AN 3.0 cm (1.5 cm @ diagnosis 6 wks prior) SSD. BAHA implant 3/4/08 (Dr. Battista) Divino 6/4/08  BP100 4/2010 BAHA 5 8/2015

I don't actually "make" trouble..just kind of attract it, fine tune it, and apply it in new and exciting ways

Jim Scott

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Re: "Sinking" BAHA
« Reply #34 on: August 27, 2010, 03:17:04 pm »
Dale ~

In my moderator role, I've followed this thread, even though I'm not a BAHA wearer .  I just wanted to offer you my congratulations on coming through the implant process O.K. and sharing your information.  I'm sure your posts have been helpful to those considering obtaining a BAHA and wondering what happens during the process.  The specific info on the brands and iterations of the BAHA units available is also quite useful, so thanks, again.  :)

Jim
4.5 cm AN diagnosed 5/06.  Retrosigmoid surgery 6/06.  Follow-up FSR completed 10/06.  Tumor shrinkage & necrosis noted on last MRI.  Life is good. 

Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is.  The way we cope with it is what makes the difference.