Fargo ~
Hi - and welcome. Because I didn't opt for a BAHA, I'll add a slightly different perspective in my response to your question regarding post-surgical hearing loss. My growing AN (4.5 cm at the time of my diagnosis) slowly but surely destroyed the hearing in my affected ear (my left) prior to surgery so the loss wasn't a big issue. However, as an AN patient that copes with being SSD, I can attest that, although the loss isn't insignificant, it isn't a terrible burden. At least, not for me. There are a bunch of adjustments to make, including choosing where you sit in a room or at a long table where you want/need to hear people and how to position yourself when speaking to an individual. Because I only have the use of one ear for hearing, long telephone conversations are a thing of the past for me. However, I can have a normal phone conversation because the hearing acuity in my 'good ear' is excellent. To be honest, I do 'miss' things and even my spouse, who is very well aware of my hearing deficiency, occasionally forgets and tries to talk to me while walking away - or while she's in another room. I only hear a voice (no word definition ) and have to remind her that "I can't hear you". I have to keep my cell phone in my shirt pocket and with the ring volume at maximum setting or I'll miss calls. Fortunately, I don't use my cell phone that much and this is a minor inconvenience. What else? Well, with unilateral hearing loss you lose the ability to determine sound directionality. So, in the car, if I hear a siren (police, ambulance) I have no idea where it's coming from and have to look in the rear-view mirror to be sure the vehicle isn't bearing down on me or a police car signaling me to pull over ( hasn't happened, yet). My wife calling out to me in a crowded store is almost comical as I execute a 360-degree pirouette trying to find her location. There are other inconveniences to being SSD, including the inability to hear someone talking to you in a crowded/noisy environment, i.e. a busy restaurant. In those situations, I have to physically lean forward to hear my wife, which is a bit awkward but something we've both grown accustomed to. Even so, I consider being SSD a impediment but not a handicap. Others may differ. It's all subjective and is determined by the individual. That's why they make the BAHA. You may feel that you cannot function being SSD, as many post-op folks do, and so, you'll have that option, should you need to use it. I would try adjusting to being SSD, first and if it's simply not working for you, look into getting a BAHA, realizing that while these aids are great, you won't regain 'natural' hearing - but, as many AN patients can testify, it will definitely be close enough. I hope this lengthy reply is helpful to you.
Jim
