Do you have to be completely deaf in one ear to wear a Bi-cros?

[Tisha]

Well, my hearing aid ear (non-AN) ear is the one I've had problems with for 15 years.  From the time I started wearing a HA 5 years ago when it was just mild-moderate loss in high frequencies, it has worsened to severe in all frequencies.  My word discrimination is only 44% now, another bummer.

My AN ear has mild-mod loss in high frequencies (do the the SHL I suffered 3 weeks after CK...it came mostly after steroids).  It's gotten just a tiny bit worse, but will my severe hearing in my other ear...well, hearing has become more of a strain.

So unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to have to put a HA in my AN ear after all.  Talking to my Audi and we're thinking thru options.

However, I see in my future being profoundly deaf or totally deaf in my bad ear.  When that happens, if I use a bi-cros, do you have the sensation of "hearing " out of the deaf ear?   I won't be able to use a BAHA, because my deaf ear loss is a sensoral (sp?) loss and I read you can't use it for those types of losses.

Thank
Tisha
P.S.  I can't log in from work now, so don't join in as much anymore.

[arizonajack]

I see in my future being profoundly deaf or totally deaf in my bad ear.  When that happens, if I use a bi-cros, do you have the sensation of "hearing " out of the deaf ear?   
P.S.  I can't log in from work now, so don't join in as much anymore.

I've been using the bi-cros since March. I have no hearing at all on the AN side. Yes, it does seem like I am hearing from both sides.

If you decide on the bi-cros from Phonak make sure you get the MyPilot remote control and put all the available programs in it so you can switch back and forth depending on your surrounding conditions.

It's very versatile.

Programming on mine includes Automatic, Comfort in Noise, Speech in Noise, Echo Block, and Music. And I can adjust volume on each side independently of the other.

I usually find that the Comfort in Noise or Speech in Noise works best when there's a lot of background noise, like in a restaurant.

Oh, to answer your title question, no you don't have to be SSD in one ear. When I first started using the bi-cros I could still hear faint tinny sounds on the AN sides but they were too faint for an amplifier hearing aid to work so I got the bi-cros.

At this point, though, if you have better hearing on the AN side that can be helped by an amplifier you might want to delay getting the bi-cross until it's necessary

[Tisha]

Thank you so much for all the information.  My PC has been out of commission for almost a week, that is why the radio silence..so glad to be online again.

I still have quite a bit of use with my HA, so I think I'll stick with that until it's gone.  I imagine I might consider the BIcros if that ever occurs.

Thanks again..Tisha