Sunken patch?

[PamJ]

Has anyone else got a 'sunken patch' where their abutment is

[CHD63]

Yes, mine has a small indentation in the skull surrounding the abutment.

Clarice

[PamJ]

Hello Clarice thank you for your reply.  I have also heard from someone in England who also had a sunken patch.  I only noticed it yesterday while washing my hair and it worried me but knowing other people have the same I can settle down again.  Thank you

[james e]

There is supposed to be a sunken spot. When the surgery is done, you are "scalped" in a small area where the abutment is placed. This is done so the abutment can be short, and the BAHA will not touch your scalp. If you have ever touched your BAHA with a finger, or a hat, it will cause feed-back. The same thing would happen if the BAHA was touching your scalp. I had some skin cancer on top of my head removed a few years ago, and I have a depressed area when the skin was removed. This is normal, and should not be a concern.

James

[PamJ]

Thank you James that's very reassuring.

[leapyrtwins]

As James and Clarice said, the sunken patch is supposed to be there.

If the BAHA processor sits too close to the skull, it doesn't work properly.

You need some space - although it's extremely small - so that air can get between the scalp and the processor.

It's also normal for one half of the abutment to be almost touching the skull while the other half of the abutment is slightly higher.

I originally told my doc he did my implant wrong, but he laughingly told me I was the one who was wrong - he did a perfect job 

Jan

[PamJ]

Hi Jan thank you for explaining that, the surgeons seem to think we will know without them explaining to us hopefully I'll have my processor in about 2 weeks I'm very apprehensive and some people have said they were disappointed with theirs.

[leapyrtwins]

Pam -

I hope you won't be disappointed.  I loved the BAHA from the day I tried the demo in my doc's office about 4 months post AN surgery.  I thought the demo was amazing and couldn't wait for the real thing.  I wasn't disappointed and I still remember my "Gotcha Day" - the day I got my processor - even though it's been over 4 years now.

I think that people just need to be realistic about what the BAHA will and will not do.  It's important to remember that it won't be like your normal hearing was.  But on the other hand, in my opinion, it beats being SSD without any type of assistance.  The BAHA is also not perfect in crowded and/or noisy settings, but once again I think it's a big improvement over being BAHA-less.

At the time my doc did my BAHA implant, he had done over 200 implants and shared with me that out of those 200 patients only 1 had decided the BAHA wasn't for her post op.  To me that spoke volumes and solidified my decision to get one.

Jan

[PamJ]

Thank you so much Jan it's very reassuring to read your comments I'm now beginning to feel excited again, I'm back at the hospital on Tuesday and hopefully I'll be given a date for the processor it is now 9 weeks since my implant.