ENT suggested CROS-any experiences?

[janz]

Just had my followup  MRI, hearing evaluation, and appt with ENT (it has abeen 2 years since GK treatment). My ENT suggested I might try CROS hearing aids as I have lost most of my useable hearing in the AN affected ear. Have read many posts, just curious if anyone has tried them and what they thought?  I noticed alot of people have tried the Transear. Any reason why?

Thanks so much for any input anyone would like to share.
Jan

[mimoore]

Hi Jan,
My ENT also suggested the Cros hearing aid for my hearing loss in my left ear due to surgery (perfect hearing prior to surgery). Retrosigmond approach. The Cros is two hearing aids and I was really hoping to try the Transear (one hearing aid) but it is not available to Canadians yet. I don't really want to try the Cros get used to it and then switch to the Transear when it does become available. I really want to do something - being a teacher and spinning around like a top because I do not know who is calling me from where is frustrating to say the least. Rick from Transear says they are hoping to have it available to Canadians in the summer of 2009. I hate waiting.
I hear the BAHA is successful also, I have not enquired about the more surgery makes me feel weak. I hear from the folks here that the surgery is not really that bad, I am sure someone will chime in and talk of their experience.
You have more options then I do living where you are so explore them all and do what is right for you.
Michelle 

[tenai98]

Jan, I think the Canadian docs prefer the CROS over any other hearing aids...go figure...so did my ENT...he spoke against the BAHA...If and when I have the surgery, I'm looking at Feb/Mar/09 I think I'll wait for the transear and even travel to the states if necessary to obtain one
JO

[mimoore]

Jo I have thought strongly about going to the States to get one but am worried about follow up appointments - I hear that they can be a bit finicky at first. I live near Toronto so it is not impossible for me to make a trip and go...
Michelle 

[leapyrtwins]

Jan -

my neurotologist told me about the Cros aid post op but I decided against it.  I didn't want to have something in each of my ears because I'm deaf on one side. 

The TransEar is worn in only one ear and the BAHA is attached to the skull, so neither one of them involve both ears.  I can tell you from experience that the BAHA is an excellent option.  And from what I've heard (no pun intended) the TransEar is a wonderful option also.

IMO they are both much better choices than the Cros.

The other Jan 

[jazzfunkanne]

Hi Jan, i have the cros aids which mean you have to wear two hearing aids, with the transer it would just be one hearing aid, i am looking into both baha and the transear at the moment.
The crosaid is good is certain enviroments, but i find if its noisy i cant make out what people are saying.

[leapyrtwins]

The crosaid is good is certain enviroments, but i find if its noisy i cant make out what people are saying.

This same problem exists with the BAHA - and I'm fairly certain with the TransEar.  So if you are looking to make a switch to alleviate this problem, you may want to reconsider.

Jan

[jazzfunkanne]

Hi Jan, my prob is my good ear fills up with fluid from wearing the aid in both ears, so i can either go for the baha or the Transear, am thinking the transear first to save more surgeryx

[janz]

Thanks so much to all of you that responded to my question. It is great to have everyone's input. I feel like I need to do some more research. When I had talked to an Augoiologist, she said that only 50% of the people that try the CROS keep them as they do not want to wear the hearing aid in both ears.

Thanks again,
Jan

[leapyrtwins]

Janz -
 
I remember my neurotologist mentioning the same thing.  The CROS seems kind of cumbersome compared to the TransEar and the BAHA.

I just gave Tisha some links to TransEar and BAHA information, you might find them helpful in your research.

You'll find them on Tisha's thread http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=7896.0

Good luck,

Jan

[jlamborn]

I currently have the Phonak Bi-Cros and it's been wonderful to have that extra depth of hearing I wouldn't have had otherwise.  I'm completely deaf in my right ear due to the AN trans-lab surgery.  I have a hearing aid anyway in my left air due to a car accident a few years ago that damaged the inner chain of bones.  I added the Bi-cros after the AN surgery which put the "microphone only" aid on my right ear and an audio "shoe" that snaps onto the bottom of my current hearing aid on the left.  You can really tell the difference when you put the hearing aid on first, then add the Cros aid second and immediately get a boost in volume and depth. 

My only complaint with it has been the interference I get when I'm around computers (I'm an IT tech, so when a computer is booting up, it's kind of like an asteroids game is going on for a few minutes ), some flourescent lighting creates extra static, and as you go through those security bars at the entrances of stores, you get a buzz there, too.   It's because it's an RF frequency wireless system from the microphone to the receiver. 

I've just gone through the day surgery about a month ago to have the BAHA titanium implant put in and have to wait a couple more months to be able to attach the processor to it while the implant grows with and into the bone.  They let me try out the BAHA with a head-band type setup.  I plugged my hearing ear and could actually hear the audiologist and carry on a conversation with him, it was fascinating!   Since this is hearing is through bone conduction, there will be no extra interference to pick up like the cros system has.  I can't wait for the processor.  I don't regret the Bi-Cros system, but in my field of work, I'm just constantly around equipment that creates that extra interference.

[leapyrtwins]

jlamborn -

glad to hear you've joined the BAHA Club   

IMO if you liked the demo - and it sounds like you did - you'll love the real thing.  I think you'll find it's a nice improvement over the Bi-Cros.

Let us know when you get your processor and what you think of it.

Jan

[Debbi]

I am still wandering around SSD, but I did want to mention that if you go to the BAHA website your can request information - they send you a really informative DVD (which my hubby and watched last night) along with a good selection of printed material. Very informative!  I've had NO luck finding an audiologist locally who will fit me for a TransEar (goodness, you'd think I was asking them to sew a ear to my forehead or something) so am now revisiting BAHA.  Call me undecided at this point.

Debbi

[Kaybo]

Debbi~
I thought that I'd check into the TransEar (like I don't have anything else to do) after all this time!  However, there is no one in my area that has anything to do with them either!   

K

[JerseyGirl2]

Debbi,

Just read your BAHA post, and it reminded me of a couple of things I learned at the recent ANA/NJ mini-conference a couple of weeks ago. I'm so glad I got to meet you there -- as I mentioned in a post on another thread, you were just as thoughtful and kind in person as you are in your forum postings! I thought the conference was informative and I was really impressed by all the folks who are dealing so positively and pro-actively with their post-treatment challenges.

Here are a couple of BAHA-related "factoids" I picked up at the conference which I'll share for what they may or may not be worth: I spoke with the man on the "patients panel" who's worn his BAHA for about a year now. His audiologist gave him a clear ear plug to wear in his good ear when he's in noisy surroundings (parties, etc.) He feels that it's a help, the downside being that he then hears a very magnified version of his own voice. As he said, the ear plug encourages you to be more of a listener than a talker in those situations! Turns out that his audiologist is not too far from me and has three BAHA patients. My audiologist had not worked with a BAHA before ... so I plan to at least touch base with this more experienced one. It's not like New Jersey is in the middle of nowhere ... but BAHAs don't seem to be that common around here. I think (but I could certainly be wrong) that the panel member and I were the only BAHA users at the conference.

The other tidbit is from a woman in her 20's who got my e-mail address from another woman I met at the conference. She was interested in the BAHA, but said that her surgeon recommends that all his young patients (and "young" is the operative word) not do anything "permanent" (e.g., the BAHA abutment) for their SSD but should instead wait to see if something better comes along in the next 10 to 15 years. Personally, I find this advice a bit odd (is this surgeon waiting, say, for the perfect computer and not buying one until that one comes along?!?!). He wasn't particularly recommending Trans-Ear or CROS either, by the way.

Finally, there was a woman at the conference who uses a CROS. She was generally happy with it, even though the wire was somewhat annoying. She mentioned that it was not a help in noisy situations.

I'm happy with my BAHA, and having worn it for five months now, can honestly say that it has become totally second nature. This will be my first winter with it, so I'm trying to figure out how I'll deal with hats or hoods!

Debbi -- I hope that your friend who was having Translab and the BAHA implant at NYU a week or so after the conference came through her surgery with flying colors!

Catherine (JerseyGirl2)