Ivana Marinac

😍🤩

Dear Melissa, is there any chance that you have copy of your audiogram? This is not a medical advice, just a help for me to understand where is your problem exactly. Although I am quite satified with BB and Samba, there could be a bigger problem if there is wrong selection of implant at all. There are so many implants on the market, and that is possible. Kind regard, Ivana

🧐 Thank you MB!

Yes, it is a mess on the market. Having in mind acoustic specifications, there is no enormous difference. But... taking into account that Bonebridge is fully under the surface and BAHA/BAHS are still implants which operates partially uncovered (now more than 40 years...) - it is time for burial the complete internal unit.

There is - it is improvement regarding the depth of drilling spot and easier implantation because of different screws. Direct BT function has to be implemented with the next generation of processor/outer unit; the internal unit does not have anything with that option.

Usually, it is 7 up to 10.

As Arnie said once - I`m baaaaaaaack! 😎

Dear Melissa, at first, can you thoroughly explain, what kind of hearing loss do you have? Sensorineural, mixed or conductive? Regarding your observation that you feel lost in a situation of any background noise - if you have one implant and it is not still well adjust on the top of it, here lies the answers of your problems. Two ears or bilateral hearing does not mean that your car only has enough number of wheels - it means that you get directionality, spatial hearing so you can better understand a person in front of you in noisy situation (beating the cocktail-party effect), more efficient speech intelligibility as well as richness of sound. So, it will be a totally different experience. Kind regards,

Dear Steve, If I may ask firstly but enormously important question - what kind of hearing loss do you have? Sensorineural, mixed or conductive. If it is, what I suspect, the first one - next question would be: what is the extent of your hearing loss? What I see more and more recently, that even professionals do not understand what each implant can give to certain patient, and what is even more important - what they expected to get. It does not mean necessarily that patient is wrong, just their hopes were not met with appropriate implant. Kind regards,

Hi Debbie once again, yes, Dr. Tucci is long in a business this gave her opportunity to track the advancement for decades and Duke is awesome institution. That being said, I have gad a rare opportunity to hear an European Goliath - Prof. Fraysee defending the line: CROS, BAHA .... and eventually CI. But, partially my participation in various groups is to gain knowledge and observations from much bigger pool than my patient base could ever be. Not linked with your story, but I defended my right fir bilateral hearing against another giant who made career in a field if unilateral conductive hearing loss thinking that he will understand me before everybody else. Oh boy, what a surprise but I’ve believed in my opinion and it stoid against the opinion people who were never in my shoes. Ok, administration is totally different thing - that’s reality I can not conquer with romantic but there is a line of people who use a CI unilaterally and thinks about it as a touchdown. Lets not end with negative thoughts, BB will definitely give you oart of you’re missing, just - thruth is deserved to be told as well as the observation that a CI is not a toy, although hard work give results.

It’s a typical situation with people who have a mixed hearing loss - you tend to insuflate E. tube and middle ear, maybe some effusion there accumulate through years and it improves sound transfer. Eardrum can be repaired in any way, even the ossicle chain can be build out of artificial prosthesis, but - hearing cells (if this is a real situation at the audiogram) are nit vampires or zombies: once heavy damaged - can’t be replaced. Only partially substituted with internal cochlea electrode which would bypass them.

Hi Funky, they tried to repair your eardrum but not from skin. Actually, watching your audiogram reveals that your hearing on your left ear is pretty much decent up to 2 kHz, but what strucked ny mind is your hearing loss further which is quite significant, at 4 kHz it suits into the category of deafness. So, you’re wrong - part of your cochlea or outer hearing cells hardly work in one significant area, so there is a disproportional hearing due to the insufficient higher band - we’ll get back to this stuff. Your audiogram looks like a typical hearing loss threshold caused by acoustic trauma, not much as the result of chronic otitis media on that side. Looking at your situation, maybe your test with Ponto revealed you thruth - bone conduction nor active middle ear implant will not regain your wish for full directionality; only one implant can do with your type of hearing loss - EAS because the rest of threshold is more or less functional. Soundbridge do well up to 80 dB but no more than of that, and you have a significant loss between 3 and 8 kHz. Higher freqencies tend to be more directional and therefore help with a sound localisation. Physics behind it is described here: https://knowingneurons.com/2013/03/15/how-does-the-brain-locate-sound-sources/

Hello Funky! can you be more specific about the type of your hearing loss? Sensorineural, conductive or mixed? Also, if you know any value of your hearing loss threshold - it would help enormously to tailor the best answer for you. in short, don’t worry - it is even louder than it is in a technical details of the device. There said up to 45dB, I have used it for a five full years with a bilateral conductive hearing loss of 65dB average. you don’t worry it will be louder since fittings are superb, also after a period of getting use - your brain will adapt both on the quality of sound as well as on the intensity. if you have a healthy other ear and without significant damage of the ear which is intended for an implantation - yes, you will be able to tegain directionality. If the other ear is damaged, or this is has a dignose of single-sided deafness - than no: one side-hearing is not enough.

Yes! London Reunion! ??

@Debbie from US hello again, pardon me for not involving myself before for a response..... Mary Beth was on the path I wanted to explain, you are a classic (up to now) patient for a single CI which would really revive your hearing on the affected side. I stand behind this although Prof.Tucci is on the other side - she’s really a giant in this world of implant technology. But, I have seen people fron the U.S. getting unilateral CI - I don’t quite understand your conditions but I have taught that everything is not possible only - if it is not tried. Regarding me, I am “the expert” because I wear them now more than 5 years. My professional skills (I am an ENT in Europe) allow me to understand the problem from the scientific and health side, but financial part is pretty cloudy for me. My indication for the implantation was a classic conductive hearing loss. Regarding you, there is no doubt you will have certain benefits, although I am known for “chasing the stars” so I always prefer the best possible, not the best accessible solution for a patient. Good luck - please let us now a out your experiences! If there is anyhow I can help..... please, just ask!