Cochlear bp100 or Oticon Ponto Power- BAHA

[marisa_rivera]

Good afternoon! We are in the process of testing out the BP100 and the Ponto Pro(Power). My daughter has SSD since birth. They believe it was due to nerves not properly forming in the inner ear.
She is currently testing the Oticon Ponto Pro. I dont think she's noticed a HUGE change, other than being able to hear when she lays on her "good ear" or talks on the phone.
I'm hoping she will have better feedback on the BP100.
Can anyone tell me how much of a difference they saw(heard) once actually having the abutement put in? Or what their opinion is with either /both types. I know she will most likely get the Oticon abutement since it will fit either device.
Any information is greatly appreciated! We are excited that we have some sort of option for her. I hope she benefits the I see that most have.

[CHD63]

Marisa .....

Good plan to try devices from both companies.  Keep in mind that the demo is never as good as the actual implanted abutment with the processor attached directly to it ..... with either brand.

Also, the deal is to have hearing from one's deaf side, not to be aware of a huge burst of sound ..... that would be terribly distracting long-term.  When my processor was first attached, I was initially disappointed sitting in the audiologist's office when I could not tell any difference, until she had my husband say something to me from my deaf side and I could hear AND understand him without turning to face him.  I was ecstatic!!  I love my Ponto Pro!!!

Thirdly, if your daughter has been SSD from birth, it may take awhile (maybe even as long as a year) for her brain to recognize and process the information coming from a side that never has heard before.  Hearing is really a "brain thing" and the ear is only the means by which the brain gets the sounds.

Best wishes.

Clarice

[leapyrtwins]

I know she will most likely get the Oticon abutement since it will fit either device.

I'm a little confused here.  Does your daughter already have a BAHA implant?  If so, she may be able to switch processors (Oticon vs Cochlear), if not she won't be able to switch.  A couple of years ago Cochlear changed their equipment so that Oticon processors no longer fit.  Those of us with "old" implants - more than 3 years old - can still switch between companies.

IMO the actual implant is better than the demo.  The demo just gives the patient an idea of what the implant will sound like.

When I had my implant I started with a Cochlear Divino than upgraded a year later to the BP100.  At the time I decided to upgrade I demo'd both the BP100 and the Ponto Pro.  I found them very similar, but opted for the BP100 since I liked it better.  I haven't regretted my decision.

Somewhere on this Forum is the comparison I did of the two processors.  If you search, you'll probably find it.

Best,

Jan 

[marisa_rivera]

Clarice,
Thank you for your response! I really appreciate it. She is unsure how much she likes the ponto pro. She gets a lot of feedback due to her glasses being so close to it. But I also think it's because she has it turned up kind of high to try and get a better response from it.
I try to make her understand that she wont need it that high once the abutement is put on.
She gets the BP100 today. I'm hoping she can better decide or notice a difference between the 2. I may even request that she keep that one over the weekend as well in stead of just a couple days.
I've read up more on the Cochlear bp100.  So i'm trying to read up some on the Ponto Pro.

Jan,
She does not have the implant(abutement) yet. We are just testing the devices out w/ the headband. I notice that it's kind of a split decision on the 2 devices and everyone's experience will vary. I'm hoping she is able to distinguish which one she likes best. I will look for your thread that discusses your opinion on the two.
She has excellent hearing in her left ear. So I'm sure it takes a while for her to adjust to it all.

Thank you both for your responses! I really appreciate all the information you've provided   

[marisa_rivera]

Also, my concern is that she had zero response from her bone conduction test they did. Which they believe is a result from nerves not properly forming in her ear.

Is this common for someone w/SSD? Are the results from having the BAHA still good? Or how much of a difference does that make for someone that issue?

[CHD63]

Marisa .....

Thought you might like to check out http://earcommunity.com/  I met Melissa last week at the Oticon Medical Patient Advocacy week-end.  She has done tremendous research on hearing issues in children because her daughter was born with essentially no hearing in one ear.  She gives very unbiased information on both the Oticon Medical and Cochlear bone-anchored hearing devices ..... see http://earcommunity.com/hearing-loss/baha-technology/  ..... specifically.

Clarice

[PamJ]

Hello Clarise I hope you don't mind but I followed your links and found them so interesting.

[marisa_rivera]

Thank you for the link! Very imformative. I appreciate you sharing that with me. She is trying the BP100 out right now. So we will see which works best 

[dalern]

I just want to chime in here and say that if she is trying the Ponto Pro POWER, she should not compare that to the Cochlear BP100.  They also have a power model, it is the BP110. Then she would be comparing like devices. I found that I got a much better result with the abutment than I did with the headband.  When it is actually attached to the bone, direct contact, it did make a difference....In numbers, I would say it was an improvement of about 50% better over the headband.
~Dale

[marisa_rivera]

Thank you Dale! That is great input. she will actually need to get the Ponto Pro Power if we use Oticon since she has such a profound hearing loss in her right ear. She is trying the Baha BP100.
I did notice the BP110 which I assumed was the power type model.
Did you try the normal BP100 and the Ponto Pro when testing out the devices? The audiologist said that once she gets the abutement she will be able to try them again to make a final decision. It's just so hard to decide whether to go with the procedure or not. I want to make sure it's going to make a real difference for her. It's hard to get any real feed back from her. I feel like she doesnt know what to fully expect from it.

Thank you again for your response. I appreciate it! 

[CHD63]

Marisa .....

Admittedly I do not know much about the Cochlear bone-anchored products ..... however, I do know that Cochlear changed their post/abutments about a year and a half ago so the latest Cochlear processors are no longer compatible with the Oticon Medical abutments.  If your audiologist said she will be able to try both after the abutment is implanted, it seems to me she would only have access to the older Cochlear processors then.

As it stands today, if you have the latest Cochlear post/abutment implanted, you can only use Cochlear products ..... the Ponto processors will not fit onto it.  If you have the Oticon Medical post/abutment implanted, you can use all of the Ponto devices, and the previous-to-the-change Cochlear devices.  Hope that makes sense.  In other words, you really need to decide which you are most likely to want before the abutment surgery.

I'm wondering how Cochlear is handling people who want to upgrade to the latest Cochlear processors but have the older post/abutments .....

Clarice

Clarice

[marisa_rivera]

Hi Clarice,
The audiologist said that the current Oticon abutement will fit either the device. So we plan on getting that one. She recommended ordering the Ponto Pro to try it out and then compare it to the BP110.  I was just informed that my daughter is using the BP110..not the 100 like I originally stated.
I am curious as to how they are handling the people that have the older abutements. I hope there is a way to allow them the advantage of using the newer ones.

[CHD63]

OK, good.  Sounds like you and your audiologist are up-to-date and in agreement.  Glad she is trying out the BP110 against the Ponto Pro Power.

Clarice

[dalern]

If you are trying the BP110 you should try the Ponto Pro Power so you are comparing like devices.
~Dale

[leapyrtwins]

I'm wondering how Cochlear is handling people who want to upgrade to the latest Cochlear processors but have the older post/abutments .....

To the best of my knowledge that isn't an issue.  Cochlear equipment, old and new, will fit Cochlear processors.  Old Cochlear equipment will fit Oticon processors, but new Cochlear equipment won't fit Oticon processors.

Dale, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you have "old" Cochlear equipment and you are able to upgrade to the BP110 - which came out after Cochlear changed their equipment?

Jan