Just "hearing" about BAHA and Transear

[JDaner]

 Hello,
I just a bit slow here I think.  I had my AN removed 12/97, 5/98, and 5/03.  It was 5cm and "stuck" on my facial nerve, so they took their time removing it.  I obviously have SSD and have just heard about BAHA and Transear.  Has anyone tried either of these after losing their hearing so long ago?  I do get "stressed" about my hearing...loud television...feeling lost in social situations...etc...and I tend to withdraw from life occasionally because of it.  But, I sort of think I've dealt with it this long, why should I be thinking about changing now.  Any thoughts???
Jeanette

[Kaybo]

Jeanette~
I, too, think like you.  It has been a LONG time for me too (1995)...I will say that all this talk has made me think that I may "check in" to some new things.  BUT, my life is really good now so I am not thinking I HAVE to change anything.
K

[Cynaburst]

I lost my hearing in 2001 and got my Transear this summer.  It has really helped me.  While I was getting by fine without it, having this device makes things so much easier.  I am not here to tell you its perfect, but I almost never have to say "What" now.  It is very helpful, and I figured that I had nothing to lose by trying it, and I am happy I got it.  I would not get the BAHA since it is invasive, but the Transear is just a hearing aid.  All you have to lose is money.

[gramps]

I don't have an AN but I have had SSD for some 12-15 years from an unknown cause.  I tried a standard hearing aid in the bad ear about 4 years ago.  It was worthless.  Next I went to an otologist and wound up with a CROS system.  It was somewhat helpful but essentially useless in restaurants, etc.  Keeping the connection working was also a problem.  I got my Transear approximately  1 year ago. It is the best hearing aid I ever had but also somewhat lacking in the restaurant or crowds.  I cannot turn it up to enough amplification without noise (not feedback).  Maybe it simply doesn't make excellent contact or there is too much junk in my bad ear to go through.

In trying for improvement, I decided to go ahead with BAHA and had surgery on January 17.  I will get the processor in a couple of weeks or so from now when the post has "ossified".   It seems to me that once the post ossifies that the contact should be perfect.   My wife says this is the last straw for me.  The audiologist works in the same group as the surgeon who has performed many BAHAs. so I am not changing doctors.
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[JDaner]

Thanks for the feedback.  I'm going to make an appointment with an audiologist soon.  I'm concerned about it not working in the restaurant/crowd arena.  That is where I get most of my stress / frustation at.  I'm a stay at home mom, so my daily life is "quiet", (until the teenagers come home).  But I would like to watch movies without asking "what" all the time and I would like to "enjoy" social places more.  If I really focus and the person talking to me is a clear speaker and doesn't have his/her hands in front of their mouth, I can sometimes get by, but sometimes I would just like to relax and enjoy the moment.

[leapyrtwins]

Jeanette -

you should check with your doctor or audiologist and see if it's possible for you to try the BAHA demo.  It's basically the BAHA device attached to an elastic headband so that you can get an idea of how the BAHA will work.   

I had a demo back in September and it was one of the things that sold me on the BAHA.  I'm having the surgery next week.

Jan

[Rosita]

  Hi, I just found out about this forum and am really happy that I stumbled upon it.  I had my surgery three years ago and still having problems.  Could someone please tell me what a BAHA is and Transear.  I have not heard of either of them and if it will help my right ear and keep me from saying "WHAT" I'm certainly for it. 

[leapyrtwins]

Rosita -

I know more about the BAHA because I just had the surgery.  BAHA stands for bone attached hearing aide.  It is not a hearing aide per se, it is considered an implant.  In a nutshell, a hole is drilled into your skull and a "screw" (actually an abutment) is inserted.  Once the abutment calcifies, it is strong enough to hold a processor (sometimes called a "device") which basically snaps on.  The processor/device is a tiny hearing aide.  BAHAs are similar to Cochlear implants; BAHA is to SSD (single-sided deafness) as Cochlear is to bilateral (double-sided) deafness.  If you want a more scientific explanation, search the web for BAHA Implant.

The way I understand it, a TransEar is a hearing aide that fits inside your ear, but it's much better than most conventional hearing aides.  I know there are many users on this forum who love their TransEar; Boppie comes to mind.  To read more about it, search this forum under "TransEar" or search the web.

Jan
 

[Sam Rush]

A transear is similar to BAHA in that it sends vibrations thru the skull to your good ear. It fits tightly in your dead ear. It does not require anything in your good ear, which is different from a CROS system which transmits to a receiver in your good ear.

The advantage of transear, is that it doesn't require surgery or a screw permanently in your head, the disadvantage is that the BAHA transmits sound waves better due to the ossification of the screw into the bone.

If I had to do it over again, I would at least try the transear before getting my BAHA. I tried the CROS, and didn't like having anything in my good ear.

bOTTOM LINE, (FOR ME)  BAHA works great, but is a luxury I rarely use, as SSD doesn't seem to be a problem for me w/ excellent hearing in my good ear.

Good Luck  Sam

[leapyrtwins]

Sam -

thanks for describing the "scientific" part of the BAHA and the TransEar.  I'm not any good at figuring that kind of stuff out 

Jan