Mairiphinc Posted May 31, 2016 Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 Hi all! I'm new so be gentle! I've just been approved to have the Bonebridge with Mr Green at Manchester Royal Infirmary. I have been deaf in my left ear since birth due to prematurity, the nerve to my brain never developed and I got my first BAHA on headband at 28 but I've always found it too awkward to wear, the headband slips off all the time and it fizzes and crackles every time my hair touches it. So I finally decided to be brave and go for an implant and the Bonebridge seems like the best currently available and also very convenient and easy to hide if you don't want to wear the external processor sometimes. I guess what I'm nervous about is that it is such a big op with General Anaesthetic and bone being drilled away and I have never had an operation before. I have got by with one ear for my whole life so far so I keep thinking whether I really need it and whether it will actually make any difference to me. Most of the people I've read who have had it seem to be adults who have gone deaf as adults so they felt disabled and it really helped them, whereas I have never known any different. Has anyone else had the Bonebridge after being deaf since birth/childhood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted May 31, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 Hi - this is not a boxing ring so don`t worry Welcome to the Hearpeers... We are very diverse group of participants of this forum from all over the world. Regarding your questions, I am the recipient of the Bonebridge but for another reason - conductive hearing loss. Well, the proposal for your treatment is just "one side of the coin". Except proposed Bonebridge unilateral deafness can be treated also with a cochlear implant. You wrote "the nerve to my brain never developed" - is this finding relative explanation or you really (shown on the MRI) do not have developed hearing nerve? If we are talking about first scenario then a cochlear implant also works for you; in the second scenario it is not a solution for you. It is possible to habilitate the cochlea which never worked but results are mixed. You ask what you will get with the Bonebridge? At first, if I can ask - did you get anything from that BAHA which you used sometimes? There lies a real answer - although implanted bone-conduction implant can give you even 30% more amplification. But, unfortunately you can not get bilaterality which is possible if you try to habilitate your affected ear. Regarding the effect of the implantation of BC implant in your case, implantees report "richer" sound. If you have further questions - please ask... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted May 31, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 Welcome. We are a gentle group. You are in good hands with Ivana. Smile. I am a bilateral CI user but want to welcome you to our group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mairiphinc Posted May 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 I suppose a lot of what I know is what I was told by my mother, I remember having tests and some kind of X Rays as a child that diagnosed the hearing loss and I was told it was my auditory nerve that was missing. But apart from annual heating tests I wasn't offered any kind of aid or support. It was only going back as an adult that I discovered there were things that could help now. The BAHA worked but felt hard to hear and awkward to wear so I never wore it enough to become accustomed to it. No one has ever suggested a cochlear implant to me so I assume it's not appropriate for my type of hearing loss X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted May 31, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 Yes - in the old days people didn't really understand value of bilateral hearing so audiologists gave you one HA and - this was it. After many years of research they understood the value of bilateral hearing: hololocation, higher intensity of speech as well as more "saturated" hearing. Regarding BAHA, that is exactly what I felt about BC on a headband although my hearing loss is different. So - you haven't discussed with dr. Green any other option? Read a little bit about the other approach here: http://www.medel.com/ssd-approved Opinion of the user: http://www.medel.com/data/pdf/SSD_Final_Detlev_Fischer_ENG.pdf and also an expert: http://www.medel.com/data/pdf/Final_Interview-Single-Side-Deafness_ENG.pdf If you haven't made any CT or MR scan recently, it's not possible to conclude what is with your inner ear or centrally situated hearing neural pathways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted May 31, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 This is another site where both solutions are more easily compared: http://www.medel.com/single-sided-deafness-ci Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted May 31, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 One more user opinion: http://www.medel.com/blog/a-hearing-therapist-chose-med-el-for-single-sided-deafness-ssd/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted May 31, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 Practical advices: http://www.medel.com/blog/single-sided-deafness/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Sandy Posted May 31, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 Welcome to Hearpeers. I'm a CI implantee too. Ivana is our expert on the Bonebridge. Ask all the questions you need to get the best fit for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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