baha and directional hearing

[jb11258]

 :-\Hi, I am going for a consult tomorrow. I had an removed 4 yrs ago and deaf on left side. My biggest problem is not hearing where sounds come from. I would love feedback  thanks  judy

[leapyrtwins]

Judy -

I've had my Divino for a little over a year now, and I have to be honest with you.  Although it's a vast improvement over being SSD, it isn't big on directionality. 

That being said, I have noticed over time that I have less and less of an issue with directionality.  I don't know if that's because I'm so used to being SSD and so used to my Divino - or if it can be attributed to the fact that the Divino has a tiny built-in microphone that provides some directionality (the Intenso doesn't have this). 

With all the new developments being made by Cochlear America with their new BP100 and by Octicon who will be entering the market with their Ponto in October, IMO things will only get better for those of us who chose the BAHA implant.

Good luck with tomorrow's consultation,

Jan

[jb11258]

.hi, i am sooo confused with getting replys, i think i might have e-mailed you. if so , i apologize. just have no one to talk to about this i think i need computer lessons. also all the names of this device sound like chinese to me . thanks for trying to help

[leapyrtwins]

Judy -

I don't think you did email me - but please feel free to do so if you'd like.

My email address is on my profile - and I'll be happy to "talk" BAHAs or anything else any time 

Jan

[ChrisB]

A friend of mine is a PhD audiologist.  He tole me once he's found that a certain percentage of his patients do achieve some directionality over time with devices he's provided (he for some reason really likes the CROS), but he's found it's generally younger patients.  The older we are, the less the brain is able to adapt and learn to discriminate between the natural sound coming in the "good ear," vs. the different sound coming into the "good ear" through bone conduction, and translate that into directionality.  So far, after 3 years I've had no significant success (I was 58 when I experienced SSD).  I've had a few experiences where there was a little directionality in very select situations, but it's not been frequent or particularly useful in a practical sense.  Still, I'm grateful to have what I have, compared to simply being SSD.  I hope your brain is younger than mine, and/or you have better results.  (I'm in the market for a newer model brain if anyone has any good sources.    )

Chris

[Joef]

I think its worse with the BAHA in ... at least without it, I can move my head a little and take a good "guess" based on volume of the noise. With the baha in, its harder to tell the difference!

[jerseygirl]

This is a really interesting thread. I was always wondering how BAHA compares to Transear in terms of performance. BAHA is supposed to be better because all the manual errors associated with making the mold and daily insertion are eliminated thus making the device more reliable and its performance more consistent. I am surprised to find out that learning directionality is not automatic with BAHA. I would love to read more about the experiences of those who use it. About 3 weeks after I started using Transear, I experiences my first "aha" moment, that is, I knew where the sound came from. Now Transear really helps me with directionality, or what I like to call it, sound localization. I am not sure if I am 100% accurate but, boy, it sure feels good not to look like a confused idiot while trying to figure out where the sound came from!

            Eve 

[epodjn]

I'm also hearing from people with devices about their experiences. I've been SSD for 8 months and can't decide if I should check into it or not? What made you decide to do it? What situations does it most help? I've heard some say that if you have tinnitus it doens't work very well. Any and all opinons welcome!

[jerseygirl]

Hi,

I went with Transear because I did not want another surgery and was afraid of headaches. The back of my head looks like a war zone thanks to the first AN surgery that I had in 1988. I had excruciating headaches for 10 years after that and they are very hard to deal with. Everybody is different, however. BAHA is certainly a viable option for most people. I am just surprised that directionality is not a given with it. I definitely get some with Transear but I wonder if it depends more on a person than on device. Maybe, we should do a survey and compare the two.

                   Eve

[JerseyGirl2]

For what it's worth, I'll mention again (I posted a similar comment on another thread a few months ago) what an otologist/neurotologist said at the April 2009 ANA/NJ workshop on BAHAs: within a very short timeframe of becoming SSD (he thinks it might be as short as several weeks) the brain permanently loses its ability to localize sound. And, yes, he said "permanently;" he didn't say anything about age being a factor.

He said that he always tells his patients this so that they won't be disappointed if sound localization is the only, or a very important, motivator in their consideration of a BAHA. I'll add that I didn't know this docctor (I had my AN surgery and BAHA implant at House Ear), but he had a good bit of BAHA experience.

I had been wearing my BAHA Intenso for almost a year at that point, and I had been thinking that I had been experiencing some accurate localizing. I think I had accurately located a couple of ambulances (on separate occasions) when I was driving. Realistically, I suppose it could have been attributed to "luck" or sub-conscious visual cues, or whatever. Given that there is a finite number of directions that a sound could be coming from I guess it only makes sense that I'd pick the correct one on at least an occasional basis. That being said, the BAHA certainly helps with the ability to hear a given sound, so I think that's pretty valuable in and of itself, whether or not you can instantly determine the directional source of the sound.

There may be many who disagree with this doctor's theory and feel that they have regained at least a good measure of localization with their BAHA, TransEar, CROS, etc., so maybe this is yet another "AN thing" that is very individualized. I do think that those of us with SSD may be (consciously or unconsciously) honing our other senses -- and maybe a heightened measure of plain old "common sense" as well -- to help us with directional issues.

I think the BAHA is an excellent device and I'm awfully glad I have mine!!

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)

[FrankinCA]

I am somewhat new to all this but have lost the direction of sound for a few months now.  I had an interesting experience just tonight where I found myself hearing a sound and actually figuring out where it was coming from simply by weighing out the options.  It seems once I get one small clue of where the sould is coming from I will zero in on it.  Could just be a fluck too.

[leapyrtwins]

I noticed a few times today that my Divino is helping me pick up directional sound.

While waiting for an elevator numerous times in a hotel lobby, I was able to tell where the sound was coming from.

Jan