I have shared general information about my bone anchored hearing aid (baha) before. You can find that here:

Recently, I had some audiology appointments. I now have more data and statistics I wanted to share regarding my baha lifestyle.

I do want to mention that a hearing device is really not a one size fits all scenario. It is extremely personal, and there are many factors to consider. Also, everyone experiences hearing loss differently. I had an audiologist tell me that even with the same exact hearing test, no two people describe their hearing experience the same way. So this is my story, and it may or may not be like your experience.

I have had my baha for almost 9 years. I have consistently loved it. Since I got it, I have found it very helpful for work, listening fatigue, background noise, safety with traffic, etc. I often hear people mention only being comfortable wearing aids for a certain amount of hours at a time. That is not true of me. I put my baha on when I get ready for the day and take it off when I go to bed. I use it all day every day. When I am in situations where I can’t wear it (such as swimming), I miss it a ton.

At my recent appointment, I was able to get actual numbers on the impact the baha has on my hearing. I have normal hearing in my right ear. So when they test my hearing in just that ear in a quiet setting, I get a score of 100%. My left ear is totally deaf. They performed a speech in noise test, where they had me listen and repeat a sentence in the midst of lots of background noise. This test had sound coming from multiple speakers in the room, not through earbuds. It really feels like trying to hear at a crowded restaurant. When I did the speech in noise test with just my right ear listening, I got a 63%. I felt that was about what I would expect, as I have half the ears of normal people listening. Then I repeated the test using my baha, and my score was 81%.

To me, that information really demonstrates the huge amount of assistance the baha gives me. I have always said it is not like having 2 working ears, but it is a lot better than one. By the numbers, it is a solid ear and a half. I think that getting a 20% increase in hearing is a really significant improvement. Especially when you consider that this test is understanding in background noise, which is literally the hardest time. The audiologist also reported that she could see from my body language how much harder I was focusing and straining to hear when I was not using my baha.

Keep in mind that this was just the test for hearing in background noise. When I have been tested for word recognition with the baha on in a quiet environment, I get a 100%. Obviously, that is a large improvement from the 0% my deaf ear would have. I definitely appreciate knowing there is sound on my deaf side. Without it, there is a deaf cone made by my head blocking the sound, which means I miss any sound on that side of my head if it is in a bad location. Just knowing someone is trying to talk to me or traffic is going by is so helpful.

A couple of considerations if you are thinking about a baha.

• You do need surgery to get one. The surgery was not bad at all, more like a dental procedure than brain surgery. But that can be off-putting.

• If you get a post style, the skin around it needs upkeep. It is like having a piercing. You need to keep it clean and maintain it. I have always had sensitive skin, so I find I really have to be careful of hair products. It can, at times, be sensitive for sleeping on that side.

• It can be a pain for hats. I have a custom edited helmet. I rarely wear baseball hats. Usually, when I wear a winter hat, I don’t wear the baha, or I use a pony tail hole to put the aid through. I think newer generations of devices have solved this.

• I do recommend a retention chain to keep it safe if it gets knocked off. That happened to mine. I was able to do a claim through the aid company and get it replaced for $400, but it is expensive equipment you want to last. My kids bump mine off from time to time.

• It is important to maintain it. Keep it clean. Make sure it doesn’t get wet. I put mine in a drying container by Westone every night. Westone Hearing Aid Saver – Large Size https://a.co/d/9mS7j5j

My baha is soon to be nine years old, and besides knocking it off and damaging it once, it has been great. I take good care of it day to day, and I haven’t needed any maintenance or fine tuning. It has been sturdy and reliable.

I am hoping to upgrade soon and get a newer device with some great new features. But I haven’t felt I have needed a lot of assistance up to this point because my baha has been such a great assistance tool. I jokingly call it my security blanket because I rely on it so much. On the off chance I forget to put it on, I realize it within 15 minutes of getting to work. That is how much it helps my day to day. I am so very grateful I had the means to improve my hearing loss situation. My baha has been a huge help for my life.