BAHAhaha!

Hola!

Writing this from the aeroplane to sunny Spain while nursing my ear ache, partly from the pressure and partly from the annoying child sat behind! Flying was never an issue before SSD, now it's just noisy and unpleasant with a constant struggle of tannoy announcements! Sitting in the right place is essential if you want any conversation at all, hence why I sat my boyfriend on my bad side!

It's situations like these where I wonder if I made the right choice about the bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA). The BAHA transfers sound by bone vibration, sending sounds directly to the cochlea, bypassing the outer and middle ear. The surgery is a routine 40 minute operation under local anaesthetic whereby a U-shaped or straight incision is made to expose the bone behind the ear. The hole is usually 3-4mm deep depending on the person and is widened (drilled) to fit the titanium implant. 3-6 weeks later (assuming there are no complications) an audiologist will fit the hearing processor which clips on to the implant.

Patients may be offered the BAHA if they are unable to wear a conventional hearing aid or find them ineffective. I was offered mine on the NHS, however costs can reach up to $4000 in the U.S.

I was given one on a headband that pressed against the bone behind my ear. I was to try this for 2 weeks in all working/living situations before deciding on whether to go ahead. I was advised to wear it for 20 minutes at a time at the beginning to help me adjust and then for longer if I could. Like everything, there are good and bad reviews so I was happy to try it for myself.

I tried it at home first but to be honest I didn't notice a great deal of difference from my other hearing aids. The same issues arose in the dance studio and the noisy gym I work in, unless I was in a quiet situation (car, conversation with few people) I found it useless. It didn't help with tinnitus (although mine is only minor), dizziness, balance or nausea and was worse than my cros aids while laying in bed or out in the wind. Positives were that it picked up sounds that I wouldn't normally hear like a clicking pen or the shuffling of some paper. Its also good to know if someone is on your bad side, I spend a lot of time, at work especially, jumping when someone appears on my left side unexpectedly. I dare say that if you work in a quiet office or with few people it would be invaluable but for me personally, I wasn't willing to go through with surgery for very minor improvements that my cros aids already offer.

I would love to hear your thoughts and comment if you have/refused the BAHA. Please feel free to comment below or contact me via my facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/heartodaygonetomorrow/


Until next time...

Help or hindrance?

For my third blog post I'd like to talk about hearing aids, or lack of! 

Your sense of hearing is dependant on tiny hairs deep inside your ear, if you lose your hairs, you loose your hearing. 

Hearing aids use a microphone to pick up sounds and an amplifier to increase the volume in to your ears, this is all well and good if you have something to amplify in the first place! 

After being referred to a hearing aid specialist (NHS) last June I was sceptical but thought it was worth a try. The nurse answered all my questions and fitted me with a new set of Cros hearing aids, balanced them on the computer and showed me all I needed to know. It was explained that the aid will pick up sounds from my bad ear and play them in to my good, allowing me to know what is going on on my left side even though I would hear the sounds in my right. I couldn't notice any difference in the hospital room so I tried them on the way home in the car instead. My Dad was sat next to me (on my bad side) and we talked, listened to the radio and tried to put them to good use. The difference they made was so slight it was hardly worth having. I was disappointed but told myself I had to give them a try. 

After 6 weeks I was convinced they didn't work, despite being told numerous times that I just had to 'get used to them'. In the end I went with my gut feeling and made an appointment to have them checked. I was referred to the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham where I was seen within a week. The nurse very quickly confirmed what I already knew, they were faulty!

 

Up until this point I felt that all the information I knew about my condition was found on google! No one had sat me down and explained the reasons for my hearing loss and discussed the challenges I may be experiencing. This particular consultant was brilliant and very informative of what may have happened. Once she had replaced my cros aids and they were working correctly, we then went on to talk about the limitations of this particular hearing aid. I was then advised of the BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid) which I will talk more about next time.

The new set were much better and I find them helpful in quiet situations, for example, if me and my boyfriend go for a meal, I can hear the waiter on my bad side, along with the next tables conversation! To be clear, it's nothing like having 2 fully functioning ears, but I can pick up sounds that I wouldn't normally hear. Anything louder than a 2 person conversation they are pointless, for example, in bars and clubs the noise levels can become unbearable and i find myself feeling isolated and sometimes detached from any conversation. If my hair is down I find that it rubs on the speaker and causes a constant swishing sound though my good ear. Hoods and hats are also a no no as I found out on a recent trip to New York with a friend. The weather was wet and cold and the rubbing of them on the speaker made everything sound like I was under water, even with my friend on my good side, the wind also doesn't help. My working environment is incredibly loud with children, a cafe, tap shoes and constant music and background noise. In my opinion, In these situations the cros hearing aid does not provide any benefit. I find myself most days wishing for some quiet! Sshhhhhhhhh!

Until next time...

Facebook page - Hear today, gone tomorrow - https://m.facebook.com/heartodaygonetomorrow/