BAHA

[Evltwin]

Hello all I am new to ANA discussion forum and thought that I would start out with a question.  Those of you who have the BAHA I would like to known what you think of the hearing aid and what are the pros and cons to getting the costly devise?  All-in-all is it worth it?  I see my ENT in May and was thinking about getting the procedure done.  Do you have any suggestion for questions to ask the doctor?  Thank you for your time.

Chad

[mikjul1]

First off welcome to the site.I had my surgery for the baha last week and I can say this piece of cake so do not worry about the surgery part  . As for the divino part of it I only had the demo but let me tell you it was like natural hearing for me but judge for your self. They told me it would be even better with it in  after surgery because of direct contact with bone.. But I am sure Jan and Lori can tell you more about it they have them in already. My son is going in may to and doing a baha consult with the Dr.Good Luck hope this helps. you also can go on the baha website at  http://www.cochlearamericas.com/

[lori67]

Hi Chad.

Did your doctor offer to let you try the demo BAHA?  It gives you an idea of what the real thing will be like, although I've found the real thing to be better than the demo.  If he doesn't have a demo for you to try, an audiologist should have one.

Also, did you look into insurance coverage (I ask because you mentioned the cost)?  My insurance covered mine but it has to be coded as a prosthetic and not as a traditional hearing aid. I think many of the insurance companies are covering the BAHA - sometimes it takes a little work to get them to approve it, but to save you from having to pay for the whole thing, I think it's worth the effort.

Lori

[leapyrtwins]

Hi, Chad and welcome to the forum 

Have to ask - are you really an evil twin?  I have twins and they take turns being the evil one 

As for the BAHA, I absolutely LOVE mine.  I had the surgery in March 2008, approximately 9 months after my AN surgery.

As Lori mentioned the demo is a great idea and I strongly suggest it.  I had pretty much decided on the surgery before I tried the demo, but the demo just cemented the decision for me.  I thought it was amazing!

I was lucky enough to have my insurance company cover the cost of both my BAHA surgery and the processor (tiny hearing aid).  They don't cover conventional hearing aids, but as Lori said the BAHA is technically an implant or a prosthetic so insurance companies that don't cover hearing aids, tend to cover the BAHA.  BAHAs are FDA approved and are even recognized by Medicare/Medicaid.

Pros - it's a huge improvement over being SSD; you wear nothing in your ear; you can easily upgrade from one processor to another (Divino vs Intenso) if you need a stronger device; the outpatient surgery is a piece of cake (I and 90% of my doc's patients had the implant surgery with local anesthetic); your insurance company may cover it.

Cons - although Mike feels it's like his natural hearing, I have found that the BAHA isn't like my "normal" hearing.  But it's as close as I'll probably ever get again.  The sound isn't great in a noisy, crowded room - but then again that's an issue for other hearing aids also.  Directionality can be an issue - but I've found the directional microphone on the Divino helps this situation.

Mind if I ask where you're from and what doctor would potentially do your surgery?  Someone on the forum might have experience with the same doctor.

Jan 

[mikjul1]

Boise, ID is on his profile. I have not have the pleasure of wearing it in the real world just the Drs. office so I can not wait to get it so I can. 

[JerseyGirl2]

Hi, Chad,

I've worn my BAHA (the Intenso model) almost a year (since June 2008) and I'm very happy with it.

When I have some more time I'm going to post some things I learned at an ANA-New Jersey meeting this past Sunday (4-26-09) which was devoted to BAHA information. An otologist/neurotologist who performs BAHA surgery spoke, and a representative from Cochlear was there with a test headband for interested people to try. Here are a couple of things that may be of interest to you as you decide whether to pursue a BAHA.

Re: the insurance issue -- be sure to refer to the BAHA as a prosthetic. The Cochlear rep said that the company was being very pro-active in referring to the BAHA as a Bone-Anchored Hearing Apparatus, not a Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid.

The doctor said that he always loans a prospective BAHA user a test headband for a week. If they feel as though it's improving their hearing capabilities he will suggest that they consider getting the implant. If they're not particularly impressed with the headband, he suggests that perhaps the BAHA may not be worthwhile for them.

He said he also makes sure that potential wearers fully understand that the BAHA will not eliminate or decrease the level of tinnitus they already experience (nor does it amplify or worsen the tinnitus) and that the BAHA will not restore the ability to localize sound. This was an interesting point -- he said that within a very short timeframe of becoming single-sided deaf -- possibly within just several weeks -- the brain permanently loses its ability to localize sound. I had actually thought my localization was getting better ... but I suppose that sometimes I just must be luckier at guessing the source of a sound. Whatever ... the BAHA certainly helps my ability to even hear the sound ... and that in itself is just fine!

As Jan said, when you're in a crowded, noisy room, the BAHA isn't going to enable you to hear everything like you used to, but it's still a huge help.

Best wishes as you consider your options!

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)

[grega]

Hi Chad,

I can truly say that these fine folks who have responded to your question before me have helped me too.  Get as much info from baha (just google it) and forum feedback as possible to settle your mind.

I'm also in the baha-decision mode, having tried the Intenso tester for couple weeks.  Hope you're also able to try a tester.  I'm still deciding, but only between the Divino and Intenso.  I have calls and emails in to my audiologist and to Cochlear to understand what should be done for this decision, but nothing back yet  So I pose this to all ..... what did your audiologist and/or ENT doc do or say regarding one unit or the other.  Thanks for your thoughts.

Good luck, Chad, understanding it all.

Greg 

[leapyrtwins]

Greg -

I think the major difference between the Divino and the Intenso is the "power".  My neurotologist left the choice of the processor up to me, but said that most patients with "normal" hearing on their non-AN side find that the Divino is powerful enough for them.  In his opinion, the Intenso is a better choice for those with less than 100% hearing in the non-AN ear.

Since my non-AN ear has no hearing issues, I went with the Divino.  Part of the plan we decided on is that as time goes on and I age and potentially lose some of the hearing in my non-AN ear I will switch to the Intenso.

IMO one of the nice things about the BAHA is that you can make a change like this easily.  The abutment remains in your head, you just get a new processor.

The other difference I've heard about from reading posts on the forum is that the Intenso, unlike the Divino, does not have a directional microphone.  I've found the directional microphone on the Divino very helpful and I think Lori mentioned somewhere that she does too.

I'm not totally sure, but I think I've read that the Intenso, while still very tiny, is a little larger than the Divino.  Catherine could give us input on that - so I'll defer to her.

Jan

[wendysig]

Chad,

I had my BAHA surgery in January and have been using the processor since April 3.  I have to say that I love my BAHA and would have the surgery again in a heartbeat.  For me, everything was covered by my insurance, I just had a small co-payment, but I would have paid for the surgery and/or processor if necessary and felt it was worth it.  The surgery is a piece of cake and didn't have much pain afterward.  The benefit I get from the processor, which I wear from the time I get up until I go to bed is great.  Although it has its limitations it is a HUGE improvement over being SSD.  It does take some getting used to though.  It's kind of strange hearing sound on your deaf side being transmitted to your other ear.  Although I can't tell if sound is coming from my left or right, I can tell when it's coming from behind me.  It's also great to be able to hear the person sitting in the passenger seatclerly  when I;m driving.  BAHA has improved the quality of my life in many ways, these are just the ones that stand out to me right now.  Since you're looking for advice, I'd say, try the demo and if you like what you hear -- gio fir it!

Best wishes,
Wendy

Chad -- My surgeon recommended Intenso because the hearing in my good ear is not perfect.  I opted for Divino because of the directional microphone though(he thought I would do okay with Divino too or I would have gone with his recommendation -- Intenso doesn't have this feature,but is more powerful)  and am happy with it.  My insurance company will replace the processor every five years, so if I feel like I need to upgrade to the Intenso at that time, I will.

[grega]

Thanks Jan & Wendy!

See what I said Chad .... very helpful feedback from those in the know!

Keep smiling   ...... Greg

[Keri]

Great information everyone. Like Greg, I'm in BAHA decision mode. I don't think I want surgery again until late fall, maybe around the time of my one year translab anniversary. How long does it take to recover from the surgery? I know it's nothing like brain surgery, but you all often speak of the big bandage, and going under general and I'm wondering if it's a bit more extensive than I thought. How long do you have to lay off exercise (like running)? Do you feel like you're going to shake the processor loose in your head from exercise? ! (like I was afraid that when I ran for the first time post op I was going to explode my brain!)

Thanks,
Keri

[JerseyGirl2]

The audiologist at L.A.'s House Institute (where I had my AN surgery and BAHA implant) recommended the Intenso model since the hearing in my good ear isn't 100% (combination of aging and genetics in my case). I went with her suggestion. The Intenso is larger than the Divino -- mainly a bit "thicker" --  but I have absolutely no problem at all concealing it with my fairly short, layered hairstyle -- and the choice of colors allows one to get an amazingly good match. Guys with very short hairstyles may find it challenging to conceal either the Intenso or Divino, but I wouldn't let that issue be a deal breaker.

The Intenso doesn't have a directional microphone (my understandiing is that the resultant increased power was deemed more desirable when the Intenso was designed) ... but it does have a handy "2nd setting" option which helps to screen out background noise, and I find that I'm tending to use that setting routinely with good results. Re: Wendy's statement that while she can't determine left-right directionality, she can determine that a given sound is coming from behind, I think I could say the same thing. I honestly don't know whether it's the BAHA or just a heightened dependency on visual cues -- or a combination of the two.

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)

[JerseyGirl2]

Hi, Keri,

I'll definitely defer to Jan, Lori, Wendy, and others who had the BAHA surgery at some point after their AN surgery (I had my BAHA implant at the same time as my translab, and it was an absolute non-issue in terms of recovery). I think you'll find that they will agree it's not a big deal -- similar to a dental procedure -- and many (maybe most?) have the procedure done under local rather than general anesthesia. The doctor who spoke at the ANA-NJ meeting I attended last weekend stressed that it's a very simple procedure.

As far as feeling as though you're going to shake the processor loose while exercising, etc., I would say no. Once you're used to wearing it (and that won't be long), you'll hardly know that it's on your head. A little tether device is supplied with the processor (you can clip the string -- similar to a fishing line -- to the processor and then to your shirt collar or whatever), but I've never removed it from its packaging. I think it's mainly designed for kids who use BAHAs. If you're ever doing something that you think may dislodge your BAHA, just don't wear it! My only issue (and it didn't last long) was the "yuck" factor involved with snapping something on and off my head. It was reminiscent of learning to wear contact lenses -- the thought of sticking something on your eyeball takes some adjustment, but once you've done it a few times, it becomes totally second nature and you don't even think about it.

Catherine (Jersey Girl 2)

[grega]

WOW .... thanks Catherine .... great analogy re contacts, which I remember.  This is all great advice.  Great that ANA-NJ had the baha speaker to answer questions and let people try the units.

Sure it'll be hard to hide, but that's lowest on my priority list.  And for any future roles (comm'y theatre), I'll probably remove it and use spray paint .... whoa! ... make that make-up .... to cover the bald spot ... haha!

I have spoken with Anne Marie Autry at Cochlear Americas (800-523-5798), who said the 2-yr warranty starts when you're fitted with the processor.  An extended warranty is also available, but you can decide up to 90 days before regular warranty expires.

Back to Chad .... don't stop asking questions .... they're all important ... and this forum is the place to ask.

  Greg

[lori67]

Keri,

I didn't have a big bandage - I had the healing cap, which is like a styrofoam washer that snaps right over the abuttment and then some gauze over it, which was hidden by my hair. I only had to keep the bandage on for a few days, during which I was allowed to wash my hair.  I realize my doctor does things a little differently than what others seem to do, but it worked for me.

I had general instead of local, only because I'm a chicken and I didn't want to hear, see or smell any of what was going on in the OR.  As a nurse, I've seen enough, thank you!  It was an easy procedure - I was in at 10am and home by 3pm - and that included a stop for ice cream on the way home.

I wasn't told that I had to hold off on exercise after the surgery, but I suppose it would be best to ask your doctor specifically.  I'm sure if you're not planning on playing hockey or rugby, you'd be okay.  I don't wear my processor when running...not because I can't but just because... well, I'm lazy and haven't really done any running.  And since most people I know haven't had brain surgery, I figure I have a good excuse.  I don't tell them about you!!    But, the processor snaps on there pretty well and I've found you really have to knock it on something for it to fall off.

Greg, once the area heals, your hair should pretty much cover the bald spot.  And the processor comes in different colors to match your hair, so I'll bet no one would even notice if you were wearing it on stage.  Or you could just choose roles that require the use of a hat!

Lori