General Category > Hearing Issues
New BAHA Recipient in South Carolina
Theham:
I've been an anonymous reader until this posting, and I am hoping to hear from other BAHA recipients on how the implant (abutment) recovery process went for them?
I just had the abutment implanted on Friday May 26th and so far all is going as expected. I am somewhat unsure about how long I can expect to wear the plastic healing cap, and how to best take care of the abutment after the cap has been removed. How long was it until you felt sufficiently recovered to get back to work? I'm working with a great medical team here who have been good about filling in the blanks but I don't necessarily know all the questions to ask or pitfalls to look out for. I am also a bit lucky in that I've been able to schedule an entire week of leave where hopefully when I return to the office I can do so without wearing any bandages on my head. At least this first week following the initial implant is at my pace on my schedule. I will note that the implant did end up being placed higher up on my head than expected due to soft tissue thickness I was told. I'm going to have to get creative about the hats I wear in the summer to cover my bald head.
Anyway thanks in advance to everyone, especially for the posts shared already on this forum that I've been able to read and learn from.
Theham:
Adding a quick update - I go in tomorrow to have the bandages and healing cap removed. Hopefully it all turns out well.
Waiting three months for the sound processor is going to be a challenge for certain. I am looking forward to it though - 38 years of SSD and acquired habits are going to make it tough to learn to trust the BAHA device. Do most folks receive any kind of therapy to learn how to hear with the BAHA? If it helps, I am going to get fit with the Cochlear BAHA 5 Power model. Any tips and suggestions are most welcome!
EricC:
You should elaborate a bit. By BAHA are you talking Cochlear? I just had a Ponto installed. Ponto uses the MIPS procedure which doesn't require any suturing. I don't know what Cochlear uses. Anyway, I'm about 1 month post surgery. I had the "pillow" for 1 week. Then it was removed and I had a small plastic healing cap for 1 week. Now its just part of my body. My ENT surgeon said treat it like a tooth. I mostly just clean it when I have shampoo in my hair. At the 1month checkup, I'll get additional instructions on cleaning.
I had surgery on a Monday and was working on Thursday. Although I pretty much hung around my computer with a hoodie on. After the first week I was biking 25miles a day (my normal routine, no extra super powers :-\ ). I did get some extra soreness after the ENT took the pillow off. My 1 month is around the corner and I'm finally able to sleep on the surgery side.
Theham:
One thing I noted but didn't see in any of the posts I read, is that when my wife gets me laughing the implant side of my head feels like I get a wicked muscle cramp for a bit until I quit laughing. I am hoping this goes away. I'll ask the doctor tomorrow during my visit just in case.
I posted a brief follow up - but here it is again - I am in the process of getting a Cochlear BAHA 5 Power. I understand a similarity minimally invasive procedure was used that eliminated the need for stitches.
Right or wrong, the only bandages I had was a thin gauze wrapped under the typical "healing cap". I am sure I was told to avoid sleeping on the implant side, but I am a bit of a tosser when I sleep. It is already sufficiently recovered that when I inevitability roll over it doesn't really cause any pain or issues. So it sounds like things are healing up just fine, just a tiny bit of tenderness and swelling but even most of that is already gone.
I only wish I could find the motivation to exercise that much regularly - well done on your part!
First post surgical follow up is tomorrow, I am expecting to hear all encouraging things based on how I feel things are healing.
alabamajane:
Hi Theham and welcome,,
I received my Cochlear BAHA 4 in 2014. I was SSD for 3 years following my surgery in 2011. I don't remember much about the recovery time except that it wasn't very bad.
I am currently in the process of updating to the 5 power and I'm really excited! I'm hoping it does much better than the 4. I have never really been satisfied with my hearing with the 4,, I don't think it is strong enough. I have had the processor adjusted several times and sent it in for repairs twice during the warranty time. I may have gotten a bad processor too.
If you have been SSD for 38 years,, you may have a hard time adjusting to it. I blamed 3 years of SSD for having a hard time using the BAHA. I really prefer to leave it off on days I stay home,,, my tinnitus is bad in the AN ear and it seems to just interfere with sounds.
I'll be interested to hear how you like it after activation. As far as cleaning abutment,, I received a VERY soft toothbrush in my kit to use in the shower or anytime to brush around the abutment. As I don't wash my hair everyday,,, I don't seem to clean it real consistently, it will get irritated though if I'm not careful,,, the skin does not adhere right up to the metal post so bacteria can get under the skin. You have to learn to be diligent about cleaning it. But I can feel it getting red and tender if I'm not careful,,,
Good luck and let us hear how it goes for you,,,
Jane
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