Cochlear Osia vs BAHA — Osia better or just different?

[SSDR60]

Hi, I’m about 60 and have lived with single-sided deafness about age 14, after two mastoidectomies and an eardrum/bones reconstruction saga between the ages of six and 14. 

So I’ve adjusted to a world that sounds the way it does with only one ear. My non-hearing ear has about 10% capability, depending on frequencies. 

I’m considering making an appointment with my ENT to talk about options that exist now, as opposed to those that were available 15 years ago.

My main question is whether the Cochlear brand Osia is better, or just different from the Cochlear BAHA product.  I’d like to hear from (see what I did there? :-)) people with real life experiences with one or the other be able to tell me why they chose one versus the other.

About 15 years ago, I went to an ENT to explore options and his strongest recommendation was the BAHA vs. a complete CI — mainly because I had been living with SSD for so many decades.

I live with many of the same complaints that other people with SSD have:  inability to determine where sound comes from, great difficulty hearing things people say if there is a lot of background noise, and great difficulty understanding people who mumble or speak very quickly — people in-person or customer service people on telephones (with or without strong central United States accents).

Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

[Mary Beth]

@SSDR60

welcome to HearPeers.

A lot has changed regarding cochlear implants for SSD so you may wish to schedule an appointment at a CI center to explore your options.

We implanted my right ear which had not processed any sound at all for 24 years following a surgery for Ménière’s disease but had heard to varying degrees before then.  It is an amazing CI ear.

I now have two CIs.  After listening with only one ear for 24 years, I am amazed at how awesome it is to hear with two separate ears!

Wishing you the best!

[Tim]

@SSDR60Welcome!  I'm SSD, started loss about 20 years ago.  A few years younger. 

Used a BAHA for about 6 years.  It didn't really work for me because I didn't give a health cochlea on my SSD side so it was routing the sound all to my good ear. It needed more power to do this and I had it "through the skin" so I had scabbing and minor bleeding the whole time I had it. The result was I never really had stereo hearing while using the BAHA. Never got much in the way of benefits.   

When CI for SSD became FDA approved in the US, I went with that option. I've posted a lot here in Hearpeers on my story. It works for me and glad that I had it done but it seems like we might have different situations.

If I had a healthy cochlea on my SSD side and had done a subcutaneous system, I would have liked doing the the bone conduction approach a lot more.

Lots of options.  One benefit of bone conduction is that it leaves more possibilities open for future treatment options.    Get multiple professional opinions.

By the way, have you tried using bone conduction headphones?  It is a low cost way of trying stuff out. I like using them before the CI even though my cochlea was not so good pre-CI.

 

[Eric in Tulsa]

Welcome to HearPeers,

I’ve been SSD since 1995. The doctors have no idea why, everything seems to be in working order, but it doesn’t work properly. 
I hear noise in my left ear reduced about 60%, and the comprehension of that noise is anywhere from zero percent to 40%, depending on what ENT/Audi is running the test. 
I was evaluated for a CI a couple of years ago, and was told that I was too old to learn to use it, and I had been SSD for too long for the CI to work. They did however recommend a MedEl BoneBridge. I was all excited about doing a BoneBridge until I was asked if I had tried CROS hearing aids. 
Since I had not, I looked around and finally purchased a pair of Phonak Paradise Audeo P70 CROS Hearing Aids. 
After having the CROS Aids for a couple of years, my Audi asked how they worked for me. I told her that no one seemed to be able to dial them in, and they were only slightly better than nothing at all. She suggested that I check out a CI. She thought I would qualify. 
So I started down the same path again. But, this time I received the surprising news that the comprehension in my deaf ear had somehow increased from zero to 40%. At 40% Medicare would not cover a CI. But, it would cover a Osia.
I was implanted last December, and activated in January.  I am well pleased with the results. I no longer have a deaf shadow, and I am now able to take part in more conversations in noisy environments. I am in able to determine the direction a sound comes from, but I think that’s the only limit to my hearing. 
I’m sorry this ended up being so long, but it seemed that the history of my implant journey better explains what I’ve gone through to get here. 

[SSDR60]

On 7/28/2024 at 4:53 PM, Mary Beth said:

@SSDR60

welcome to HearPeers.

A lot has changed regarding cochlear implants for SSD so you may wish to schedule an appointment at a CI center to explore your options.

We implanted my right ear which had not processed any sound at all for 24 years following a surgery for Ménière’s disease but had heard to varying degrees before then.  It is an amazing CI ear.

I now have two CIs.  After listening with only one ear for 24 years, I am amazed at how awesome it is to hear with two separate ears!

Wishing you the best!

Thank you! I am definitely going to make an appt with the ENT I have been going to for the last several years for checkups. His practice does both Cochlear products and Med-EL. So we can talk about the pros/cons of both given my situation. 
 

Thanks,

 

[SSDR60]

17 hours ago, Tim said:

@SSDR60Welcome!  I'm SSD, started loss about 20 years ago.  A few years younger. 

Used a BAHA for about 6 years.  It didn't really work for me because I didn't give a health cochlea on my SSD side so it was routing the sound all to my good ear. It needed more power to do this and I had it "through the skin" so I had scabbing and minor bleeding the whole time I had it. The result was I never really had stereo hearing while using the BAHA. Never got much in the way of benefits.   

When CI for SSD became FDA approved in the US, I went with that option. I've posted a lot here in Hearpeers on my story. It works for me and glad that I had it done but it seems like we might have different situations.

If I had a healthy cochlea on my SSD side and had done a subcutaneous system, I would have liked doing the the bone conduction approach a lot more.

Lots of options.  One benefit of bone conduction is that it leaves more possibilities open for future treatment options.    Get multiple professional opinions.

By the way, have you tried using bone conduction headphones?  It is a low cost way of trying stuff out. I like using them before the CI even though my cochlea was not so good pre-CI.

 

Hi,

Thank you for replying.
 

I’ll read other things you’ve posted. 

I don’t even know what bone conduction earphones are (need to google and find out.)

About 15 years ago, my ENT recommended Cochlear BAHA, but I want to revisit what option may be best and why. 

 There are so many options — Bonebridge, CROS, Osia, BAHA or full CI.

I think full CI would be the most invasive, and am more naturally open to one of the bone-based options.

Still getting used to the idea of having a thing on the outside of my head. But it may not be so weird after all. 

Have read a lot about people having problems with the part in the head — the Osia implant and transducer (which seems huge), or BAHA abutment — wound that does not ever heal, the abutment comes loose (?!?!???!!!!!!), buzzing and ringing. Am also concerned about the relative newness and lack of track record of the Osia. 
 

Obviously I need to learn more.

Also am surprised by so many people who have had one solution and then switched to another — that seems like A LOT to go through.

Thanks again,

 

 

[Tim]

@SSDR60  Happy to help.  The leading brand name for bone conduction headphones are Shokz (formerly known as AfterShokz).  I bought a pair on Amazon and liked it.

I had an Oticon Ponto brand bone conduction system but the neat thing is that the abutment that I used was compatible with Cochlear's device. (The reverse was not true.) A very different story from cochlear implants.  Part of the reason for going with an abutment compared to other ways of doing a bone conduction device for me was that this allowed more power for sending across the skull to the cochlea on the good side.  Again, not an issue if you have a health cochlea on that side.

I never had a problem with buzzing or the abutment coming loose.  Just didn't provide much benefit for me and for six years had the constant scabbing around the abutment.  I still have the base of the titanium screw that is osseo-integrated but the surgeon removed the top part and the skin healed over just fine in a few weeks.

As for people trying different things along the way - yes for several reasons:

• People's hearing changes over time.
• Technology changes over time
• Insurance approval changes over time
• Insurance or medical providers require trying less invasive procedures before advancing to invasive procedures.

By the way, here is a slide from a talk that I give periodically about my hearing journey.

 

 

 

[SSDR60]

On 7/30/2024 at 12:07 AM, Tim said:

@SSDR60  Happy to help.  The leading brand name for bone conduction headphones are Shokz (formerly known as AfterShokz).  I bought a pair on Amazon and liked it.

I had an Oticon Ponto brand bone conduction system but the neat thing is that the abutment that I used was compatible with Cochlear's device. (The reverse was not true.) A very different story from cochlear implants.  Part of the reason for going with an abutment compared to other ways of doing a bone conduction device for me was that this allowed more power for sending across the skull to the cochlea on the good side.  Again, not an issue if you have a health cochlea on that side.

I never had a problem with buzzing or the abutment coming loose.  Just didn't provide much benefit for me and for six years had the constant scabbing around the abutment.  I still have the base of the titanium screw that is osseo-integrated but the surgeon removed the top part and the skin healed over just fine in a few weeks.

As for people trying different things along the way - yes for several reasons:

• People's hearing changes over time.
• Technology changes over time
• Insurance approval changes over time
• Insurance or medical providers require trying less invasive procedures before advancing to invasive procedures.

By the way, here is a slide from a talk that I give periodically about my hearing journey.

 

 

 

Hi Tim,

Thank you very much for sharing your information. I appreciate it. 
 

[SSDR60]

On 7/29/2024 at 8:34 AM, Eric in Tulsa said:

Welcome to HearPeers,

I’ve been SSD since 1995. The doctors have no idea why, everything seems to be in working order, but it doesn’t work properly. 
I hear noise in my left ear reduced about 60%, and the comprehension of that noise is anywhere from zero percent to 40%, depending on what ENT/Audi is running the test. 
I was evaluated for a CI a couple of years ago, and was told that I was too old to learn to use it, and I had been SSD for too long for the CI to work. They did however recommend a MedEl BoneBridge. I was all excited about doing a BoneBridge until I was asked if I had tried CROS hearing aids. 
Since I had not, I looked around and finally purchased a pair of Phonak Paradise Audeo P70 CROS Hearing Aids. 
After having the CROS Aids for a couple of years, my Audi asked how they worked for me. I told her that no one seemed to be able to dial them in, and they were only slightly better than nothing at all. She suggested that I check out a CI. She thought I would qualify. 
So I started down the same path again. But, this time I received the surprising news that the comprehension in my deaf ear had somehow increased from zero to 40%. At 40% Medicare would not cover a CI. But, it would cover a Osia.
I was implanted last December, and activated in January.  I am well pleased with the results. I no longer have a deaf shadow, and I am now able to take part in more conversations in noisy environments. I am in able to determine the direction a sound comes from, but I think that’s the only limit to my hearing. 
I’m sorry this ended up being so long, but it seemed that the history of my implant journey better explains what I’ve gone through to get here. 

Thank you for sharing your story. It definitely helps me understand the potential downsides — which of. Purse Med-EL and Cochlear do not share very directly.