ANA Support Group leader and moderator of the ANA Young Adults Facebook group Emily Truell discusses her experience with the Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA)
I am also deaf on one side since I was 12 years old (now I am 50) due meningitis. 10 years ago I went to a specialist for a BAHA but decided against it back then. As I am now a mono person for most of my life, I wasn’t ready back then. Now there are new BAHAs on the market, e.g. the new BAHA 6 max, and it looks quite interesting. I had big problems in the COVID pandemic as everyone was wearing a mask. I wasn’t aware that I was lip reading so much all the time! I understood people very badly in louder surroundings! Never noticed that before so I think I will contact the same specialist again and maybe have the surgery. I am just concerned to loose to much hair then, i have very long hair and I don't want to have my head shaved too much. How many hairs did you have removed? All the best, regards from Switzerland.
Almost no hair was removed. I have a small scar where the hair doesn't grow from my prior brain surgery. They used the same scar area to install the baha. You can't see it, even if you look hard.
@@DontBugCandy Great to hear it works for you and you like it. I cannot have a cochlear as my hearing nerve is damaged. No signal to the brain anymore.
Hi Emily. I'm also single sided deaf. I lost my left side hearing in 2018. I currently use the BAHA 5, however, I', waiting on delivery of my new BAHA 6. Love to chat.
I also have single sided deafness in my left ear with severe tinnitus. Just curious if you also have/had tinnitus with your hearing loss and if so, did the baha help with that or worsen?
it can create a small shadow. However, with the post style the shadow is very small so not considered concerning. A magnet style baha was not recommended as the shadow is larger and I am being monitored for tumor regrowth. It is safe to have mris with the implant. You just remove the processor (and there are particular settings to have the mri machine at).
Thank you for making the video just left the doctors office they’re recommending a Baha. What is your word comprehension percentage with the Baha? I would love to ask you like 20 questions
I would be happy to talk. You can find my contact info here: www.anausa.org/community/young-adult My word comprehension is 100% when it is quiet. It goes down significantly in a loud environment.
I'm deaf one side as of 1 year ago. I've gone with the cros hearing aid and I'm currently looking into the baha. You haven't filled me with much enthusiasm to get it done now after saying the clarity of what somebody is saying isn't great. Like, for such an invasive thing to have done, I dunno, I just think I'd want more than to know somebody is taking on that side :(
@@greginfla_1 that is awesome! Cochlear implant definitely gives you more options than a baha. I am not a candidate for a cochlear implant. I am grateful for the big improvement the baha made in my life over ssd.
Thank you for this video. I had my acoustic neuroma surgery in March of this year and will be getting my BAHA abutment placed in November. I’m nervous about having another procedure so close to my incision from surgery because I’ve had such bad headaches since surgery. Did you have any headaches or worsening of any symptoms (pain, tinnitus) after your abutment was placed?
nope! I was tired and my skin had to heal from the abutment surgery but no other complications/ interactions. I would say I maybe got a few headaches the first week or two as I was acclimating.
Just wondering if anyone that has a baha, did your tinnitus subside or worsen if you have tinnitus? I am a candidate for a baha after SSHL left side only. I have severe tinnitus in my left ear.
It can help with tinnitus but not guaranteed. It helps some but not all. My tinnitus was removed when I had my brain surgery, so I can't speak to this personally
I am about to get a BAHA. I am completely deaf on the right-side and wear a high-power behind-the-ear hearing aid on the left. The doctors want to install the BAHA on the right but say I will hear on the left. Does this mean my old hearing aid will no longer be required? Or can I still get any advantage from wearing it? And, one final question, is the sound you hear the same as with a hearing aid ie true sound? (I love my music)
You will probably still need your hearing aid. I am not sure your exact situation but perhaps they mean the left side will process the sound from the baha? If so, the baha will only work as well as the hearing in that ear. But it all depends on the type of hearing loss and your situation. I only wore regular hearing aids briefly once, so I don't have a great compariosn. I liked the sound quality better with a baha than a hearing aid. The baha isn't the same as my hearing ear. However, I greatly enjoy music with it.
Hi. I may not need to contact you but could I possibly arrange for a relative to speak to you- either by email with me as go between as they don’t use email, or possibly a phone call?
Recovery was just a few weeks where it made any impact in my daily life. I think I couldn't use regular shampoo for 2 weeks. Pain was very minimal. Few days. Then it took a while for the skin around it to heal completely, rather similar to a piercing like a belly button ring. But that wasn't a huge deal for me- just a little skin sensitivity
It can get infected or sore if you don't clean up properly. It took some time for mine to heal completely but I know I am a slow healer The hair grows back !
you need to keep the skin clean or you can have infections. kinda like maintaining a piercing. My hair grows everywhere around the site except the incision scar (it is right adjacent to my brain surgery scar)
Hi. Thanks for sharing. I also had an accoustic neuroma and suffered complete loss of hearing in my left ear. Did you try bi-cros hearing aids before you decided on the BAHA?
Yes! I did a test drive of both. I found bi cros very uncomfortable because I have teeny tiny ear canals. Also I liked the sound experience better with a baha.
I had tinnitus before I had my brain tumor removed. I had my brain surgery about 6 months before my baha, so my tinnitus was gone before I got my device.
I've had an abutment for about rights years. The only time nine gets sore is when I don't clean it well. With very few exceptions, like when hair trimming buzzers hit it, I forget that it's there.
The sound is a little different. Mostly quieter, maybe a little tinny. You can test drive one with an audiologist and see what it sounds like. The skin around it does sometime get sore/ need cleaning maintenance. I don't sleep on that side as much as I used to, but I can. You can't really feel it.
Hi ! I got mine in 2019. I generally can't feel the anchor while lying but it still depends on your position or the pillow's softness. I can't lie down on a hard surface for sure and I have to be careful while hugging my SO. Also, lying on linen can provoke a squeaky sound against the anchor that I absolutely can't stand because it feels like it's coming for the inside 😅 Also, it still gets sore sometimes
@@LuckyBrainTumorMy biggest adjustment was tuning out people in restaurants and other loud crowded environments. But hearing the soft rain on a roof was amazing. So was being able to hear further away and without having to turn the TV volume up extremely loud.
Hello! How long was recovery? I have guardianship of a 41 yr old with Down’s Syndrome, who had surgery on 8/1, follow up on 8/8 and back for final follow up and device attachment the last week of Sept. I think I’m cleaning it as needed and cleaning it correctly, but it still isn’t healed. With what and how do u clean ur abutment? She’s not in pain, but it’s still slightly tender to clean- I’ve been using saline wash. Ur input is appreciated! We love ur video!!!!
