ColinY

Deb where is it that you live?

Karth, It seems we have a similar history. I too had Cholesteatomas, in my right ear though. I lost the bones as well and had reconstruction surgeries, the last one being in 2006. It lasted some time and finally I had the Cholesteatoma come back again (6 times overall), so the final solution was an open cavity procedure, remove everything. I had a Bonebridge put in this past May and had my activation later in the summer. I asked my surgeon about martial arts, he said super light contact to the head while wearing headgear would be ok, but he wouldn't recommend anything full contact for sure. I still train and teach Wing Chun and have not found any issues. I have also played around with some JiuJitsu and find it is still ok for the most part as long as I am conscious of what is going on. I do have the headband and have tried my Samba in it, it works good, but I haven't actually had to use the headband for anything yet, so I can't help you out there.

It is too bad that it doesn't come with the extra magnets or the magnet tool. It is something I will consider buying shortly.

Yes I agree it is a shame they do not provide you with the magnet driver and spare magnets.

Thanks Ivana. Actually my new box of PowerOne Batteries arrived today. How long do you guys typically use one battery? I know it depends on use, here is my situation. I got activated at 11am on Friday July 22nd. I kept it on until about 11pm that night. Saturday I used it for a about 12 hours or so. Sunday it was about 14 hours at least. Monday to Friday I only wear it after work (5 hours each night). This past Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Holiday) I used it about 10 to 12 hours each day. I just changed the first battery out today......is this normal? once I put the new battery in I noticed for sure it seemed a little louder etc. Also I saw on the Samba Kids Set there is a magnetic thing to put the Samba on at night when you are not using it. In the picture it shows the Samba closed and attached to the stand. Is it normal to keep it closed when not using it? I open mine each night to help preserve the battery, is this a bad idea? Thanks guys!!

Thanks Mary Beth for the info. Power One is what came with the Samba when I got it and it seems to last quite a while. I think I will stick with those and buy a box to see.

Hey All, Just curious if people have had better luck with certain brands of batteries over others? There is no where in town to buy Implant Batteries, just Hearing Aid batteries, so I will have to order them in. I was wondering if there are any brands that seem to last longer than others? brands to avoid etc. Thanks! Colin

Hey All, It has been a few days since I got my Samba and I have to say this thing is awesome! When I went for my fitting I was really impressed the moment it was turned on. My audiologist tuned it up for me and we put on the following programs: Universal, Noise Cancelling, Music, TV and Outdoors. So far I have tried each one a bit, but normally I just use the Universal Program. Does anyone have any tips on using the different programs? We also tried two different magnets, at first it was a #3, but then we switched to a #2. It seems to be holding on quite well for now. For the safety line with the hairclip I did a small modification. I keep my hair cut really short (#1 on the clippers) so using the hair clip really wasn't an option. I used some fishing line to make my own line and I tied the Samba to one of the loops you can use on glasses straps. I just put the loop over the arm of my glasses, this works great if anyone is looking for ideas. It is great that the Samba comes with a few different covers. You also have the option of buying some more elaborate ones. So far I just have the Black one on. I really don't care too much about it matching my hair colour. I went on www.skinit.com to look for skins. for now they only have skins for the Rondo, but they may get some Samba skins sometime in the future. Has anyone here tried painting a cover? or putting stickers on them? I don't wear my Samba at work, but it has already made a big difference after hours and over the weekend! A few things Med-El can improve on.... My last BTE Hearing Aid was made by Widex. I got it in 2012. The remote is way smaller than the one for the Samba, about the size of a car remote. The Widex remote has a better range, you can use it from your pocket, no need to hold it up next to your head. With the hearing aid when I change the program it says the name of the program instead of a number of beeps, this way you don't have to memorize the sequence your programs are in. It also beeps each time you move the volume up or down, so you don't have to guess if the signal was received from the remote. I am sure things will only improve over time and I am super happy to be a Bonebridge recipient! Colin

Activation tomorrow!

Arielle, I have not been to this place yet, but if you are visiting Toronto you might want to check it out. I am hoping to go sometime this year if I get down that way! http://signsrestaurant.ca/

Awesome, thanks for the info Mary Beth. I sent them a message to see if they will offer skins for the Samba.

I studied some ASL in College, but unfortunately I did not keep up with it.

Ivana, of course I have already tried the magnet! It is pretty funny!

I never had this happen with a hearing aid, but thanks for letting me know Mary Beth I really appreciate it.

I went to the store this evening.Near one of the exits was a plant that my wife asked me to look at.It was about 20 inches from the Security Gate, the one to prevent shop lifters.I put my head between the plant and the gate.My head came pretty close to the gate, I think within a few inches.I felt / heard a buzz from the implant.It scared me enough that I jumped back. It only lasted about half a second since I jumped out so fast. Since I just got the implant last week I didn't want to chance putting my head back again to test it out, but I wanted to. Is this something any of you have ever heard of?I think the Security Gate works off electromagnets to detect if people are stealing items.Do you think there is any chance I did some damage to the implant? Any issues with healing? Thanks Colin