BAHA Reviews/Comments/Experiences Please

[foundmytreasure]

I have been approved finally for BAHA.  I would like to hear the good and the bad experiences please.  My concerns are about infections? Sleeping on that side with the BAHA? Ringing in the ears? Migraines? Anything PLEASE good and bad.  After reading I am curious and cautious more so now and not sure if this will benefit me.  My AN Surgery was in 1989.  Doctors can only tell you so much I would rather have experiences help me make an more informed decision.  Thanks in advance!

[CHD63]

Hi foundmytreasure and welcome to this forum .....

I have worn an Oticon Medical Ponto Pro bone-anchored hearing device for 17 months now, after my translab surgery 20 months ago.  I was only totally deaf on my AN side for three months because I had the abutment implanted at the same time as the surgery.  I love it and wear it 11-12 hours every day ..... basically from after to my shower until I go to bed.

Last August I had the opportunity to participate in the Oticon Medical Patient Advocacy Week-end in New Jersey.  I learned many new things related to bone-anchored hearing.  One of the things that came up was the success rate for the device after many years of being deaf.  The answer was, it is strictly individual because the brain has to relearn how to interpret sound coming from one's deaf side.  Most people will adapt and have success, but it may take a bit longer with some to tell a difference in sound.

I never had any difficulty with infection.  One must keep the area around the abutment clean and brushed free of any loose skin/debris, but I just do that on regular shampooing and/or nightly care.

You take the device off the abutment at night to sleep and there is no problem sleeping on just the abutment.

Unfortunately for me there is no difference in the tinnitus with or without the device.  Tinnitus is a brain thing.  I never had migraines associated with my AN nor since removal and use of the Ponto.

The Ponto is a huge help in small group settings and for listening to music.  Hearing in noisy restaurants is still a struggle ..... but many of my "good hearing" friends struggle there, as well!

Hope that helps.  Let us know what you decide.

Clarice

[leapyrtwins]

Treasure -

I got my BAHA implant in March 2008, nine months after my AN was removed.  After my AN surgery I had a horrible time "adjusting" to being SSD and my BAHA has been a Godsend.  I have never regretted having the surgery - which is outpatient, painless, and generally leads to a quick, uneventful recovery.  Most docs will give you the choice of general or local anesthetic for the procedure; over 90% of my doc's patients (including me) chose local.

I originally had a Cochlear Divino then upgraded to the BP100 when it was released.  I've been extremely happy with both my processors.

Since my implant I've only had one - very minor - infection that cleared up with Bacitracin within a few days.  It was caused by an ingrown hair which is very common.

I've never had any type of headache from my BAHA, nor do I have trouble sleeping on my left (implant) side - something I do nightly.  I have no tinnitus or ringing in the ears; didn't have it prior to my AN surgery either.  My doc told me that a BAHA implant has no effect on tinnitus.  If you don't have it, a BAHA won't cause it.  If you have it, a BAHA won't make it better or worse.

My BAHA site is relatively maintenance free.  I do nothing more than clean it by shampooing my hair in the shower; nothing special required. 

Because you have been SSD for so long - since 1989 - it might take you a while to realize the full benefits of a BAHA.  Most docs & audiologists will tell you that it takes someone who's been SSD for a long period of time longer to find the BAHA helpful than it does for someone who's been SSD for a short period of time.  That's not to say though that in time you'll won't enjoy the benefits of a BAHA as much as someone who was implanted closer to their AN surgery date.

I have lots of posts about the BAHA on this Forum - including some with pictures of my BAHA site, processors, and beautiful post-op "head-dress".  If you do an advanced search with my user id and the word "BAHA" you'll find them.  Also, don't hesitate to PM or email me (my email address is in my profile) if you have questions you'd rather not post on the open Forum. 

Some resources you might find helpful are the Cochlear website (www.cochlearamericas.com) and the Cochlear Community (www.cochlearcommunity.com) which is a free discussion forum (similar to this one) for Cochlear Implant and BAHA patients and candidates.

Best,

Jan

[foundmytreasure]

Thanks I spent some time going thru all the previous posts about the BAHA and plan to call them on Monday for more information. 

I was wondering I wear those "Ear Muffs"....very cold here and hate hats...  Do you think it will cause a problem as I have read about hats causing friction and noise.... 

Anyone have experiences with that?

[spgreenfield]

Treasure,

I'm fairly new to a BAHA.  I had my AN surgery a year ago, and 8 months after the surgery had the BAHA implant put in.  My surgeon was wonderful but finding him was a bit of a chore - so my journey into a BAHA was a bit bumpy. 

Apparently there's new opinions "out there" that have you activate the processor on the abutment earlier than in the past.  In the past it was 180 days or 3 months of healing.  Mine was 90 days, and I think I had a problem with that.  Also, because of going for the 8 months from AN surgery, it took me a while longer to feel as though I'm getting full volume.  So if you go ahead with the surgery, I would caution you to not rush getting the processor in place.  It's REALLY important to get that abutment fully healed and into the bone for proper sound transfer....

For all the issues, and cost, I would still do it again.  I have the Oticon BAHA only because I did a bit of research on the company and liked the fact that they are a hearing aid mfg.  IMHO I want to use someone that knows about sound quality and is researching and improving it.  My surgeon was angry at Cochlear for their seeming attempt at a monopoly by their changing the abutment style so that BAHA wearers could not test other units.  He felt that it was a very suspicious move on their part - but I see posts from many Cochlear users that are very happy.

I would urge you to be sure to test whatever unit you want - both mfg's if you can!  Find a practice that you are comfortable with the audiologist too - as it takes (in my case) quite a bit of "tweaking" of the processor to get it where you want it.

I am still at a loss in noisy settings, but in quiet places - like discussion groups, meetings, sitting next to someone in a car it is invaluable!  I hope someday to get used to it enough that it helps me with directionality, but for now I'm still spinning when the phone rings or I hear a sound at home that alerts me and can't locate where it's coming from.  My hair is now covering it so it's very discreet that I have anything "on" my head....was a little awkward when my hair was shorter.

I had and still have tinnitus very slightly in my AN ear...no headaches before after or otherwise except when I have sinus pressure from illness.  I still have balance issues - the BAHA didn't seem to change that either.

My abutment has never given me any problems - healing or otherwise.  I DID use the surgical wash I still had on hand from my AN surgery to cleanse it after the healing cap came off and I could get it completely wet.  I use the soft brush in the shower every time I shampoo my hair.  My surgeon didn't remove any hairs in the area - I'm just supposed to make sure it doesn't get wrapped around the abutment in any way.  My AN site is near the abutment, so I'm still a bit tender in that area - I understand it may or may not go away completely, but sleeping on both sides is fine for me.

Before settling on the BAHA I DID test the Phonak Cros system, but found it to be really uncomfortable and after hearing how it ate through batteries, it came off the table of consideration.

I'm finding that I'm not wearing it as much late at night when watching TV - laying my head back against a pillow is awkward because of the feedback I get when touched by a pillow....but during the day I'm wearing it nearly all the time (unless I forget to put it on being in a hurry) and I notice if I don't have it on.  It's not like the hearing has been restored to my AN ear, but I don't have to constantly TURN my head to hear people of things more clearly.  And that's been really nice.

Pam