I'm wondering whether I should get a bone-anchored hearing aid at the same time as my laby? I've currently got severe/profound hearing lost with near zero word recognition in my bad ear but have gotten used to it over the years that it's slowly gotten this way. But I notice that I am less likely to socialize or go out to restaurants or gatherings because I cannot follow conversations. I tried to get my book group to talk one at a time, but it was an exercise in herding cats, so I dropped out. A couple of years ago I tried a variety of hearing aids, including CROS, which were the only ones that helped at all. I didn't purchase them, though, because the only time they seemed useful was to talk with someone seated next to my bad ear. They were uncomfortable, and since I live alone the benefit didn't outweigh the hassle of only occasional use. If I get a BAHA, I could do it along with the laby to avoid another surgery. But is it unwise to complicate the laby surgery and recovery? How would I know whether it would help me enough to outweigh the risk and hassle of caring for an implant that sticks out through the skin? What's your BAHA experience, if you've ever considered it?
Well as I know we already chatted, I just had mine put in 6 days ago with my labyrinthectomy so obvs I can’t speak at all to how it actually works yet I won’t get the receiver piece for 3 more months. I will say that neither procedure has been especially painful but I also had sav surgery in Jan so for the laby he went in the same way, not sure that makes a difference. My eyes were in more pain than anything ear related this time but that’s a subject for a different post. Between the two incisions, I’ve had slightly more discomfort in the BAHA area but in the scheme of things it’s teally minor. Last couple days it’s a bit itchy under the dressing but not in an infected way. Before surgery my speech recognition in the bad ear was 30%. Honestly so far I have noticed no difference in hearing post surgery. BUT I’ve kept to home and have avoided any loud environments. I’m very hopeful this thing will come in very handy at restaurants, kids sporting events, etc. we were on vacation the week before my surgery and are out a lot, and asid stopped wearing my standard aid recently due to all the distortion, I really struggled to hear people right across the booth from me. Forget about it in the place with live music.
I found this info doing a search for BAHA. There doesn't seem to be many of you out there. Or, the BAHA works so well they leave this forum. PleaseNoDizzy, it's good to hear you're progressing well. I hope your dizziness is subsiding and you're your balance is showing potential.
My doctor wanted me to get the BAHA when I had my Laby, but I said I wanted to wait, and at this point I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm only a little over 30 days out from my Laby, so I think its still too early to say for sure. I've been out to eat several times now and hearing in that environment is about the same as it was before the Laby, maybe a little better. My hearing is a lot better at home and work, but when you get a lot of background noise from a bar/restaurant it makes it more difficult. Whatever you choose, I hope everything works out for the very best!
Hearing aids aren't covered by insurance for me, so the main reason for me to consider it with the laby is that the surgery cost could be less. The surgeon has to submit information to my insurance in order for them to determine how much I will have to pay out of pocket. An audiologist also has to review my record to determine whether I am a good candidate for a BAHA. I'm waiting for that information to come in, and then to have a discussion about how much benefit I would be likely to get and what long-term costs (replacements, etc.) there may be. If there isn't a compelling case to be made, I'm all for keeping the laby as simple as possible. I'll share information here when I get it.