It’s been two and a half years since my original post about BAHA, and I’m thrilled that it has garnered so much conversation. Getting a BAHA is a large (and expensive!) commitment that comes with expectations, and folks seem eager to weight all of this as much as possible before committing to the surgery and a lifetime with a peg-head.
I still think it comes with minor hassles (occasional ooziness at the implant site, getting cold faster than the rest of my head in the winter and aching a bit, and changing my hairline). I discussed these in my original April 2010 post.
Important Update
I have to make an important update to the second part of my post, though, where I discussed what I thought was a design flaw: in my experience, the BAHA only picked up sound in one direction (to the side), and didn’t pick up sound in front of me, often where I needed it the most. I stopped wearing my BAHA for the most part early-on, and since, I’ve adapted fairly well to having one ear. As a result, it has been ages since I’ve seen an audiologist.
I visited an audiologist this summer to discuss alternatives to Devino, the device I have, and discovered that one of my two microphones has been broken this entire time!! I feel rather silly – it makes much more sense to have a broken microphone than for the company to design a useless product, but since I didn’t know what to expect from the device, and since I had just spent thousands of dollars on this thing and don’t remember doing anything stupid with it (like jumping into a pool), I expected it to function just fine. And so it never occur to me. An important lesson – these devices are very delicate, and according to the audiologist, you should expect to get repairs every year or two.
BAHA Repairs
BAHA has a mail-in repair center. Each repair costs a flat fee – something like $800-900. I’m not sure if this is the same for all customers depending on insurance and what not. The company stops supporting repairs on devices after a few years; so the Devino model that I have will stop receiving support soon. It doesn’t add up for me to repair my device now, but the next time I switch jobs, I might consider trying out a new device to help with the transition. What is cool about having a BAHA is that hearing technology is constantly improving, so you can expect some improvement from your devices throughout your life.
Daily Life with BAHA
It is still my experience that I do not use my BAHA 95% of the time. I work in a quiet office, and my friends and colleagues are not phased when I ask to switch seats at a table, cup my good ear to listen, or ask them to repeat themselves occasionally.
HOWEVER, I will say, it is nice to have BAHA as a backup the remaining 5% of time – particularly when I meet new people, or enter situations where I have less control over when were I sit (conferences and large meetings). Even my gimpy 1-microphone BAHA helps in these situations. I imagine that anyone who works with customers/clients, or kids would find the (fully functional) BAHA helpful much more often than 5% of the time; without a hearing device, other people will struggle to get your attention, and you will have difficulty figuring out the direction that sound is coming from.
In my original post, I felt rather disappointed in the BAHA. It didn’t perform as I expected because (a) I apparently broke a microphone on day 2, (b) it was not a replacement for my good ear, and (c) there are some minor hassles associated with having a metal peg in your head. On a scale where 0=not recommend and 10=recommend, I was feeling a 4 or 5 in 2010. Today, I feel 6 to 7 about recommending the BAHA. As long as you think of it like a walker or wheel chair, and not a set of brand new legs, and you keep up the maintenance, I think you’ll do just fine with it. If you think you won’t need it often enough to justify, you will be much richer and less likely to have fashionable hats!
31 comments
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September 10, 2012 at 1:13 pm
Marina Vielhaber
I appreciate the input regarding your implant. I have been fortunate enough to have OSU Medical center doctors that determined I’m not eligible for an implant. I just needed better hearing aids to deal with my loss of hearing. Thank the Lord Phonak’s awesome and helped me keep my job. I lead a somewhat normal life now because of them. To hell with Miracle Ear and Beltone’s who are a complete waste of money!
Sincerely,
Marina Vielhaber-Zachea
Administrative Assistant
City of Findlay WTP
Life without GOD is like an unsharpened pencil, it has no point!
September 27, 2012 at 5:39 pm
suddendeafness
Marina – so glad your hearing aids are working well!
July 20, 2016 at 4:50 am
Piero
Hi my name is Piero and I have exact same problem as you ( sudden sensorineural hearing loss on my left and I ware a Cros Widex hearing aids , does not help me much fir the same reasons you mentioned, so today I have my first consultation with a Baha surgery Dr , I was a bit excited till I read your post .. I too have the same hard times with back ground noise and multiple people talking at the same time .. I get very muffled .. I washopping the BAHA myt helped me but from what you experienced I guess not , so I won’t be so excited lol . I would like to discuss more if possible if you would be kind enough to call me at 732 5477694 thank you .
September 19, 2012 at 10:59 pm
P Watson AZ
I just stumbled upon your blog & have found it very interesting & helpful. I lost my hearing in my right ear due to SSHL just over a year ago (June ’11). I feel that I have transitioned to 1/2 deafness quite well, though there are times that still get to me! I decided not to go with the BAHA, as I didn’t think I’d ever use it. I’ll just have to get used to being deaf. I’m still adjusting, but I don’t think that will ever change. I loved your post about sleeping better. I have to agree, although there are times I’d like to rip out my ear just from the ringing at night. But being able to drown out my husbands snoring by just rolling over definitely has its advantages! The hardest times I have with it are in large, loud environments. Going bowling with friends the first time was quite frustrating. My 12 year old daughter still can’t remember that if she walks on my right side I won’t respond (but I do generally remind her that if she decides to talk to me over there I will decide to ignore her. She’ll catch on one of these days, right?!?!). I’ve always been athletic & participated in soccer and softball. SSHL has also affected my game on the fields, but its also taught me to appreciate the ability to be out on the field, and to enjoy the fact that I can still do it. My next challange will be going back to school. I graduated from college over a decade ago, so going back to start another carreer could be interesting! Let’s just hope I can laugh at my self long enough to get over the nervousness!
Thanks so much for your insight!
September 20, 2012 at 3:05 am
suddendeafness
Thanks for sharing your story! Sounds like you’re adjusting rather well to your hearing loss. I’m really glad. Best of luck with your classes. FYI – check with your school’s disability services. You should qualify for (1) an FM hearing device (head phones connected to a mic that the professor wears… and if you’re in a fancy classroom, you might get a feed from mics located around the room picking up student conversation), and (2) note taking services by at least one other student in the class. I was in school recently, and found that I could situate myself to hear well in most classrooms. Round rooms and round tables were most difficult. I took a calculus class in a rounded classroom, and couldn’t follow the conversation and many questions. I found the FM device and note taking services incredibly helpful. You’ll probably do just fine without them, but know you have options! Take care, Dana
September 27, 2012 at 3:25 pm
Leah
Dana, I’ve come across your blog as I have been recently diagnosed with SSHL. I wanted to express my thanks for sharing your story. Reading about your positive attitude helps me know that no matter what the outcome, I will make it through. I am coming up on 3 weeks with SSHL and am already coping and adjusting better to the hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance issues. I have had minor improvements through the steroid treatments and am still at a profound hearing loss but continue to hope and pray for more healing. I am so sorry you have had to do through this but am glad you that you seem to be happy and at peace. Many blessings to you!
September 27, 2012 at 5:43 pm
suddendeafness
Thanks for checking in, Leah. The first weeks (and months, even) kind of suck. Knowing what to expect and that it gets easier can hopefully make this time feel more manageable. Glad that you’ve experienced some minor improvements and best of luck with the rest of your treatment. Take care, Dana
October 10, 2012 at 11:54 pm
Sari
Hi Dana, I just found this blog today. Thank you for writing it & sharing your story. You give me hope. Today is exactly week 4 for me. I went through 2 weeks of oral steroids & 2 rounds of injections. My hearing recovered slightly but in reality my dr doesn’t really feel like I responded to the steroids given my small improvement in hearing thus far. He did, however, say there is a possibility of improvement beyond several weeks. I have a moderate loss & have adjusted somewhat but am still very dizzy everyday (MRI was normal). I feel like I could adjust to the hearing loss & even the tinnitus but this dizziness is driving me crazy. Did you experience this? And if so, did it subside? How long did it take? My dr also told me that my symptoms should subside in 6 months & given my moderate loss, probably won’t notice it too much. I want to believe this but given how I feel, I’m praying he is right. Thank you for your help. Sari
November 3, 2012 at 9:59 pm
Melody
I just came upon this blog today. I woke up with sshl on July 22, 2012. On July 25 I woke up with vertigo so bad I could’nt walk. I also have tinnitus thats pretty loud. I had 5 Steroid shots in my ear, and missed 2 months of work because I could’nt walk without holding on to something. I got back just barley enough hearing to be more annoying than helpful and am looking to get a Phonak biCros as I don’t have good hearing on the other side. I’m back to work but it’s exhausting because my world still likes to roll around on me, and the tinnitus is loud. I get depressed because I’m starting to think the vertigo will never leave and how will I be able to handle the rest of my life with this screaming in my head. My Dr. told me thers nothing he can do about the tinnitus. Is this true? Will all the symptons subside eventually? My co-workers are wonderful to me, they like to tease just enough to keep me smiling, and my poor husband…he’s my rock, but he’s the one who really takes the brunt of my ups and downs. Would a baha help cover the tinnitus? Any info on this …all of it, would be wonderful!
November 4, 2012 at 12:00 am
suddendeafness
Hi sari, thanks for your post. The vertigo is disruptive and frustrating. Unfortunately, I don’t think the baha will improve it. In my experience, the only way to improve vertigo is to move regularly so you can retrain your brain to recognize your “new” balance. I know walking is probably the last thing you want to do now, but I promise your balance will return faster if you do. I learned this the hard way 🙂 see my post called rx… I don’t know about tinnitus. Mine went away in time, but I don’t know why. Glad you’ve got a supportive spouse and coworkers you can laugh with. These first few months will just suck, but life WILL get more manageable. You’ll probably notice steady tiny improvement for at least a year. Keep us posted about your progress (and set backs). It’s really great to know we are not alone :). Take care, Dana
April 1, 2013 at 2:40 am
suddendeafness
Hi Melody,
I’m hopelessly delayed responding to your post – I’m really sorry. Has your tinnitus or balance changed since you posted a few months ago? Like you, the entire first year of having single sided deafness stunk. My dizziness felt crippling. I couldn’t drive for a few months, and it was even longer before I got back on a bike. I am a reasonably active person, so sudden deafness and its side effects, brought my life to a crippling halt. In addition to the deafness, and tinnitus, and dizziness, I felt really isolated. There wasn’t some tragic accident I could point to to explain what I was experiencing to other people.
The balance problems made the world feel chaotic and out of control; and the tinnitus on top of it was totally nerve wracking and exhausting. This is all to say – I totally hear you, and I hope it’s getting easier. It got much easier for me over time. After about a year I returned to most of my normal activities and the tinnitus largely faded (at least enough that it felt manageable… there was not a point at which I thought, “hey – it’s over”, but I think it faded approximately a year after I lost my hearing). Although I say that I returned to most of my normal activities after a year, I still didn’t feel as sure-footed as I once had. A ton of progress came in that first year, but I still gained more confidence in hiking and biking and running in my 2nd year.
My major improvements in balance came in the first year when I made a commitment to keep moving. In my post Rx: Be active, I describe how my audiologist told me that moving regularly trains the brain where your “new” balance is. Initially, this meant just walking across the room several times a day every day, looking up from my computer every hour, and taking the stairs as often as I could. It totally stunk. The world was chaos every time I moved. But it got easier with time. Today, it’s 5.5 years since I lost my hearing, I don’t have tinnitus, and I’m training for a marathon! That’s just my experience. I obviously can’t make promises about what will happen with your tinnitus, but I’m confident that balance is something that we can each relearn.
I honestly don’t know how a BAHA will effect your tinnitus because my tinnitus was largely gone by the time I received my hearing aid. This is what I wrote to another person who asked a similar question: My guess is that the BAHA will add more sounds to the ringing/buzzing in your head, but if this additional sound is useful, it might allow you to change your focus of attention to the sounds of the world rather than the tinnitus. You might also find that the BAHA helps with the dizziness indirectly because you won’t be spinning your head back and forth as much wondering what you are missing on your “bad” side. For me, this constant head motion added to the sense of utter chaos. It’s just a guess, but if your dizziness doesn’t improve by staying active, you might find that a BAHA helps you feel a little more control in a chaotic, dizzy world.
I should close by saying that I started this blog because at the time that I was going through all of this, I had no idea IF life would return to normal. My doctors had little to say about the experience of single sided deafness; when I pressed them, they only discussed the mechanics of the ear. Blah blah blah. I hope this blog gives some concrete information about how your life WILL return to normal, and what to expect from that journey.
Take care, Dana
April 4, 2013 at 6:47 pm
Melody Edwards
Thanks for getting back. Update: I had a vestibular labrynthectomy on 02/04/13 for vertigo. Still getting better.( Please God!) I am attempting to go back to work again on 04/15/13. I do stay busy, I do try to b as normal as possible I just keep trying to live my life. Don’t know how work will go. I work at the USPS so it’s a noisy enviroment. Noise make me spin in circles it feels like. My boss is not handicap friendly.I did get the baha. It is wonderful, BUT, I don’t think anything replaces natural sound. I REALLY miss music. Next year I Will look into more options. I am very lucky that I have good ins.So,life is what it is now. Sometimes depression hits me but it’s not as bad now. I am checking into all my options in case I need to retire from my job. As far as I can tell, the hearing loss ( for me deaf on one side, and about 1/2 on the other) and all the vestibular issues are cause for SSDI.I don’t want to but I still want a life I can function in. So, we’ll see! I do appriciate any contact with you. I realize theres actually quite a few of us out there, but scattered. Anything to say or share is very welcome, any advice too!
April 1, 2013 at 2:59 am
Would I recommend the BAHA? | Life with Sudden Sensorial Hearing Loss (SSHL)
[…] Also see, Would I Recommend the BAHA? – Part 2 […]
May 10, 2013 at 11:33 pm
Judith
I have been to a balance center that offers vestibular rehabilitation. These are the types of exercises recommended to re-train the brain to restore balance. At first, you’ll feel worse, but keep doing them! Good luck!
Click to access VestibularExercise.pdf
November 22, 2013 at 9:18 am
Wendy
I am almost 4 months into the SSNL adventure.. August 6th 2013. I have found the physicians (GP, Audiologist, ENT) to be coldly disconnected… is it because they can’t help?? Began oral steroid treatment immediately. No improvement. Like others here, I have experienced the vertigo, although that seems to improve with activity. It is the permanent sense of loss (emotionally) that has been the toughest. Explaining it to those closest to me has been challenging too. Took me two months to resume playing guitar and singing… now I kinda think I sound better Lol! I have white noise in the affected ear. The “density” of it depends on how loud my surroundings are, if I am tired or if I am stressed. Almost daily I will get a series of “clicks” or almost a pressure valve release sound. Sometimes I even here almost the sound of a hammer on anvil and very occasionally the sound of crickets… if you can believe it!! Oh the hilarity of life!! I hear these with certainty in the affected ear. It keeps me hopeful… or maybe it is just wishful thinking. Probably the most disconcerting thing?? Not being able to discern what direction abrupt sounds are coming from. I almost have to do a full 360 to figure out where I put my cell phone when it rings. Won’t be wandering in the woods with the cougars and bears by myself any longer. I am certainly a handicapped woods woman. Frustrating… Thanks for being here. Nice to know I am not alone… cause sometimes I feel like I am with this one. I have much more to say but not today…
November 22, 2013 at 2:37 pm
suddendeafness
Wendy, I hear you. I feel like I could have written this. Glad to hear you’re getting back to music and life the best as possible. In the years since I lost hearing in one ear, I picked up the fiddle. I’m deaf in my left ear, next it the shoulder where the instrument rests. So I feel like I hear other players better than myself. Finding a good spot in the room with a group, and moving to an electric fiddle where I can wear a earbud in my good ear seems to help. Though I also don’t expect/want to be a master either :). Keep checking back in – would love to hear about what things get easier with time, and what tricks you learn along the way.
November 27, 2013 at 9:01 pm
Melody Edwards
How ironic,I was sitting in my ENT’s office when i read your post. I came down with sshl on July 22 2012. On July 25 12 I woke up with a bad case of vertigo. I did all the steroids, including the shot in the ear drum, 5 to be exact. I think i am one of the of the unlucky ones.I am totally deaf on the left side and i had already lost alot of the hearing on the right. The vertigo has never left me .If I’m rested and not stressed I can function pretty good, it just never goes away. The first 6-8 months the emotional roller coaster was tough. I finally went and got counseling. It kinda helped but as you’ve discovered. no one that doesn’t have it, can’t really understand it. I’m lucky (so to speak) that in the small community i’m in i have found 2 others who have close to the same thing. So I do have someone I can bounce off when it’s bad. I have done all the rehab stuff and exercised till I couldn’t anymore. For me it is what it is. I even had a labrynthectomy in Feb of this year Didn’t help one bit.. So I have filed for retirement from my job as it exhausts me and I can’t hardly function in real life. I want to figure out who I am now as this is a total life changer for me. Some things I do at a risk simply because I am stubborn!..I refuse to quit. I just have some limitations. You do adapt. It does get easier. I really hope your vertigo goes away. I’d love to hear again, I’d love to walk a straight line again. But this is my life now. Somtimes it is hilarious! Even I crack up..Can’t help it! Best of luck to you. I’ll watch for more posts from you!
December 20, 2013 at 6:50 pm
Adam Wright
Hi everyone,
Thanks for creating this blog, its really helped me and my wife. My wife woke up on 11/23/13 with intense dizziness and vomiting that was so bad she didn’t actually realize she couldn’t hear until she was in the ER. He hearing loss was instant and profound – no hearing whatsoever on the left side. The doctors initially diagnosed it as “labyrinthitis” and prescribed oral steroids for 2 weeks, no effect. We did our own research and found out about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, about which there are several studies available through the NIH: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22670557 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21414179 . She was prescribed 20 treatments and just finished her second one, no results yet. I have two questions for the people on this blog:
1) Has anyone tried Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? Any results?
2) It would be really nice to connect personally with people who are in a similar situation. We are located in Berkeley, CA – if anyone wants to get together sometime for a support network, we are totally game. My number is 415-699-7153
Thanks again!
-Adam
February 3, 2014 at 9:54 pm
Ken
I have been deaf in my left ear since I was 4 yrs old, and am now in my 60’s. I had a cochlear transplant at age 18, but it failed due to an accident before things healed. One doctor suggested a Cros type system, but when I later inquired, he stated that the mechanical sound from it would be worse than not hearing, and refused. I didn’t inquire again until lately. I am now seriously considering a BAHA system, and tried one with a band for a day. At first I thought the improvement was so slight that it would not be worth the trouble, but a I drove back to the doctors office, I turned on the radio. The music sounded so clear…so I plugged my good ear to be sure, and still the music was so much clearer.
I talked to the doctor and his nurse, and they both said that the new systems allow them to “tune” it to the sound frequencies needed, and that a permanent BAHA system tuned for me would be much clearer in sound.
I can only hope that this works. I have little to lose, as I am already deaf on that side, and I am tired of not hearing when someone walks up on that side, or when I am a passenger instead of the driver in a car.
It will be a few months before I can report how things are for me, as my bone implant is currently scheduled for about 3 wks away, then 2-3 months before they connect the unit, and who knows how long to get it tuned to my needs.
On a bright side, they say it is bluetooth, so I will be able to program it for cell phone and TV watching as well as normal hearing use – or so they say
Will report back
June 13, 2014 at 5:00 am
Jane Khin
Dear Adam,
I am from Sydney, Australia.
It happened to me the same thing on my right ear in 2002. I did not try Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or any other treatment due to recovery chances is very little as advised by my Doctor for sudden deaf. Only thing I have done is BAHA hearing implant but not work for me and I am with one hearing since and I am still in work force. Now this implant is rejected by my body and need to go to hospital for another operation. My point is not too worry and rush like me to end up with a hole in the skull and no benefit.
Pls tell your wife not to worry, she can adjust her hearing day by day but of course it will not be the same like having both sides.
After all one hearing only is not too bad as I expected.
All the best!
Jane
July 21, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Deborah
I had the exact same situation as you, sudden deafness in my left ear in a moment of 3 hrs and lost my balance too. Its great reading this site and glad to know you underwent the BAHA surgery. I’m seriously considering too as I’ve been referred after 3 mths into this sudden incident. Just wondering what is the difference btw BaHa and the magnetic device u mentioned in ur most recent post?
July 20, 2016 at 4:50 am
Piero
Hi my name is Piero and I have exact same problem as you ( sudden sensorineural hearing loss on my left and I ware a Cros Widex hearing aids , does not help me much fir the same reasons you mentioned, so today I have my first consultation with a Baha surgery Dr , I was a bit excited till I read your post .. I too have the same hard times with back ground noise and multiple people talking at the same time .. I get very muffled .. I washopping the BAHA myt helped me but from what you experienced I guess not , so I won’t be so excited lol . I would like to discuss more if possible if you would be kind enough to call me at 732 5477694 thank you .
July 20, 2016 at 12:11 pm
suddendeafness
Piero – thanks for your post and good luck with the doctor’s visits.
August 26, 2016 at 11:57 am
Aimee L PORIS
Hello! I am so excited to see this blog. I am on day 24 of SSNHL in my right ear. I am tapering off the steroids and now starting to see where I finally end up. The BAHA and Ponto implants were mentioned as a possibility for me. Do you have any experience with the Ponto system? Do you still find you don’t use the hearing aid 95% of the time? I work outside training horses, and am exposed to all weather, wind, and dust. Not to mention that I need to be able to wear a riding helmet. I also am in an environment that uses a lot of loud speakers. In reading your reviews, I’m not sure that getting the implant would be useful. Any insights are appreciated!
August 26, 2016 at 4:28 pm
suddendeafness
Hi Aimee – Good luck with the rest of your steroid treatment. Your job sounds very cool 🙂 It must be disorienting right now to have the hearing loss. Yes, I still go without my hearing aid – it’s been years since I’ve taken it out of the case. My first year with SSHL was by far the hardest, and I could only think “I have to do something so I don’t live like this for the rest of my life”. What I didn’t realize when I signed up for my BAHA surgery at 6 months is that things were changing for me – rapidly. In that first year, my ability to use my ‘good’ ear improved tremendously, and I regained most of my balance – at least enough that I was fully functioning again. The pronto does sound promising, but my one bit of advice is to wait a year – stay in your job – be patient with yourself – and just see if you find ways to adapt before signing up for a major, expensive surgery. The abutment in my head still oozes regularly, it gets cold before the rest of me, and it makes haircuts awkward. These things are not the end of the world, but ultimately, I didn’t need the BAHA. It might be a different situation for you if you need to be listening in all directions (I have no idea where sounds come from with just one ear… maybe a hearing aid could help you with this), and your body and brain are just different, so you might feel after 1 year that the hearing aid would make a difference. I hope those thoughts are helpful. Best! Dana
September 2, 2016 at 12:21 am
Aimee L PORIS
Thanks Dana! After reading your blog, and taking a deep breath, your advice is exactly what I’ve decided to do…wait a year or two (or more) I’ve been very fortunate compared to alot of the people who have responded here. I have not had any dizziness now for a week, and even managed to ride a horse yesterday! Aside from being generally out of shape and it being a very hot day, I was fine! I have found staying rested, hydrated, and keeping a full belly, to be key to managing the dizziness. Like you said, I think keeping moving helps too. I move constantly, and walk an average of 8-10 miles a day just working. Tomorrow I start the first of 3 injections to see if we can recover any more hearing. I too only have white noise in my ear, thankfully no or very little ringing. So far I’m managing well, and sometimes even forget I can’t hear on that side. Like you said though, not being able to tell where sounds are coming from is very disorienting, and in my job, can be dangerous! Although I’m starting to figure out how to be safer about it all. So far I can hear vibrations and some of the deeper tones, so that helps in general. Discerning speech is still difficult. Thanks for your reply, you’ve helped me take a deep breath, and confirmed my decision to just wait and see. Thank you so much and I hope all is well.
June 6, 2017 at 8:12 pm
Nicole Broerman
Hello Dana and fellow folks with SNHL,
I have had Meniere’s Disease for 20 years and underwent a left labyrinthectomy in April of 2017. My previous horrible vertigo is now gone and I am considering the BAHA using the magnet (so no post coming out of the skin). Has anyone other than Dana had the BAHA and what is your experience? Like many of you, my main issue is in restaurants and group settings, not one on one or in quiet environments. The decision is not as obvious as I once thought. Thank you so much for your blog and information!
Nicole
June 7, 2018 at 10:51 am
Cormac
Hey Dana,
Thanks for the post. It was great to read it from your perspective. I am scheduled to under go BAHA surgery very soon but have loads of doubts now wheather it is the right thing for me or not.
I read in your blog that you were using the BAHA Divino. Can I ask if you have upgraded your device at all? And if so are you now getting more of a benefit from it? I now the technology has improved a lot since the Divino was being used. I would love to read about what the latest is for you in your journey and I know it would help me and others out there who are under going the surgery a lot.
Thanks!
June 7, 2018 at 12:01 pm
suddendeafness
Hi Cormac,
Thanks for your message. No, I haven’t upgraded or switched devices, so unfortunately I can’t offer a good comparison. I still go BAHA-less, cupping my hand over the good ear occasionally and always requesting a corner seat to favor my good ear. This approach still works well for me. Though, everyone’s situation and needs are different, so I would certainly discussion with your medical team / family / fiends / others with hearing loss. If you’re feeling really torn, perhaps it’s possible to postpone for 6 – 12 months? Worst case scenario is you get the surgery and don’t use the BAHA (like me), which honestly isn’t the end of the world (assuming medical debts, time away from work, etc aren’t life altering). If you do have the survey soon, all the best! I hope you have a smooth recovery. 🙂
Best, Dana
June 25, 2018 at 7:15 pm
Autumn Whitten
Hi, Dana
I would like to add something about the baha. My daughter has the baha 5. You were complaining about background noises. On the baha 5 all she has to do is get on her iPhone and she can adjust the settings to make the background noise less. Maybe something you would want to check out now. It is a life saver for my daughter and she now hears perfectly through the bone.
July 5, 2018 at 2:10 pm
suddendeafness
Wow – that’s super cool! Thanks for the tip, Autumn.