Baha surgery for January 19th

[Jolie82]

I'm super nervous about my baha surgery. Can anyone tell me what to expect or share any tip that they used during recovery. I'm a 35 year old mom and am definitely suffering from the fear of the unknown. Is there anything my fiancé should know as well? He's going to be my rock during all of this.

Thanks in advance!!
Jolene

[james e]

Anticipation is worse than the event. You will get some injections to numb your scalp and that will be the worst part.

[alabamajane]

Agree with James e,, this is not a serious surgery generally, especially assuming you have had AN surgery,, nothing compared to that recovery. Couple days of healing and you should be good.

Relax and enjoy the holiday weekend,,,,,
Jane

[Theham]

I just recently had my BAHA abutment implanted in May 2017.  I was completely sedated for the 45 minute procedure and recovery was quick, but I did take an entire week off from work and worked from home the second week following - none of this was truly needed but it gave me the pressure free time to recover and a relaxed pace to get back to my office job.  I returned to the office after I was able to remove all the visible bandages more so that I didn’t freak out coworkers with the healing disc still affixed to my head quite visibly due to my very short hair.  It really was a case where the waiting to activate the sound processor was the toughest part even taking into account the procedure and recovery.  I had a few mild headaches following the procedure but nothing over the counter Tylenol didn’t address.  The one thing I didn’t expect is the odd sensation when folks got me laughing or smiling - the abutment placement through the soft tissue for me made it feel like I had a muscle cramp in the side of my head when I laughed.   It was both funny and mildly uncomfortable at the same time but nothing I would term painful.  I did have a few coworkers who I didn’t tell about the implant in advance to come up to me after the fact quite curious.  Responses ranged from curious to at first unsettled but they’ve all gotten used to seeing either the abutment or the BAHA device.  It helped my transition back to work that I shared information ahead of time with the team I work with.   

Do post any questions you have as well as feel free to send me a pm I’ll be happy to share my recent experience with you or answer any questions as will my wife who helps me keep an eye on my implant.  I do feel it important to remind you that everyone heals differently and each medical care provider will give you directions tailored to best help you heal.  As I am not a medical care provider, please follow all the after care instructions provided to you by the medical team you are working with.

I’ve been single side deaf (right side) all my life (near 40 years now) and traditional hearing aids never helped the way my BAHA (Cochlear BAHA 5 Power) has.  It was definitely the right decision for me, though I am still learning to hear with the device. 

[leapyrtwins]

I realize this is an old topic.

Just wanted to note for anyone who comes across it - and has the same question - that you should check out my prior posts on BAHA surgery.

In a nutshell, surgery is outpatient, fast, painless (I had mine with only local anesthesia), and the recovery is typically quick and easy.

BAHA implant surgery was the best thing I ever did for myself after becoming SSD.

BAHAs ROCK!

Jan