This is probably one of the most frequent questions I have been asked. Choosing a hearing device is a complicated and personal decision matrix. An audiologist once shared with me that no two people experience their hearing loss the same, even if they have the exact same audiogram. I have really found this to be true when discussing hearing loss with others. Some people with single sided deafness find that losing their hearing in one ear is very impactful to their life. Another person feels they have easily adjusted and don’t need any assistance. I will share how I made my decision, and some may apply to you, and much may not.

When I was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma brain tumor, I already had severe hearing loss in my left ear (something like 90% of my hearing was gone on that side). I chose translabrynthine surgery to treat the tumor. I knew that the surgery would result in total deafness in that ear. I thought that losing that last 10% would not be a big transition as the hearing was already mostly gone.

I was surprised to find that losing that last 10% was very impactful for me. Though I couldn’t understand conversation with my left ear prior to surgery, I could tell there was traffic or hear someone walking up on my left. Once I lost that last amount of hearing, I really felt the deaf shadow that was made by my head being in the way of the sound. I felt very unhappy with my hearing loss and decided to research my options.

Just feeling like I could do something about my hearing loss was helpful for my mental and emotional state. A diagnosis like a brain tumor can make you feel like life is out of control. Taking steps to improve my quality of life and lessen my disability helped me feel stronger, more in control, and like I had some power over my life. My hearing device journey was very empowering.

I met with an audiologist about 5 months or so after my brain surgery. For me, that felt like pretty good timing. I had an opportunity to do a decent amount of recovery from the surgery. Right after brain surgery, there were many more high priority items than hearing loss: such as relearning balance. I also felt like I had a chance to see what life was like with one ear and decide I wasn’t a huge fan. I know some doctors recommend looking into hearing options soon after the treatment or hearing loss, while others recommend waiting longer. I liked how it played out for me, but I certainly can’t speak to what is best.

My hearing loss is caused by my hearing nerve essentially being destroyed by a brain tumor on my left side. My right ear hearing is normal. I was not a cochlear implant candidate as my nerve was not able to be used (only a small percentage of acoustic neuroma patients can get a cochlear implant). My options for prescription hearing devices were CROS aids or a bone conduction hearing aid. I did not have the option of a bonebridge/ sentio/ ossia style device as they were not out at the time. I am also not sure if my doctors would have recommended that style as I was continuing to be monitored by MRI for regrowth of my tumor, and those devices cast large shadows on the scan. Both CROS aids and bone conduction aids work by picking up the sound on the deaf side and sending it over to the hearing side, so all sound is processed by the one functional ear. They do not restore the ability to sound locate but help you hear the sounds you miss on your deaf side.

I absolutely recommend to test drive all the hearing devices you can. When I met with an audiologist, I tried out CROS hearing aids as well as bone anchored hearing aids. I found a lot of my choice was based on feel and sound. I disliked the sensation of having hearing aids in my ears. I learned that I have tiny ear canals, and so the insert in my ear felt very invasive. I also disliked how wearing two aids (one in the deaf ear to pick up sound and send it, one in the hearing ear to receive sound) meant that some of the natural sound was blocked by the aid. I also am a chronic hair tucker. I found that every time I tucked my hair behind my ears the hearing aid had feedback. All of these little things meant the CROS aids were uncomfortable for me.

I tried out a bone anchored hearing aid (baha) on a softband headband. It doesn’t give exactly the same experience as the post (which is installed in an outpatient surgery), but it gives you an idea of the sound. I really liked the sound better with a baha. It was quieter than my hearing ear, but it felt more normal than the CROS aid. The sound still has a bit of a tinny quality, but I feel like it mostly blends under what I hear with my normal ear, and I don’t often notice it. It is more obvious when I stream to my baha than in everyday conversation. I liked that I didn’t have anything in my ears. It was like “Say Yes to the Dress.” It just felt right.

A lot of other folks who have had acoustic neuromas and brain surgery have shared with me that the idea of having another surgery to install a bone anchored hearing aid is too off-putting. That is certainly a reasonable choice. However, the surgery to install the baha post was more like getting a dental implant than like brain surgery. It was an outpatient procedure. They install the post in your skull, and then the big healing is pretty much just the skin around the abutment. The worst part of the whole thing is the anesthesia.

I have absolutely loved my baha, and it has made my life so much better. But it definitely has pros and cons. Besides surgery, some cons: it impacts your ability to wear hats, it can impact sleeping on that side (though for me it was primarily the brain surgery that did that), you have to maintain the skin around the abutment, it can be knocked off (I solve this with a cute retention chain and cuff), and expense (though sometimes these are covered better than standard hearing aids under durable medical equipment benefits). It is important to do a cost benefit analysis for you.

I have no regrets with my choice, I have been very happy with my baha. My recent upgrade and stats get into more detail on how well the baha has worked for me. I think the best part of getting a hearing device was empowering myself and lowering my anxiety. It helped me worry less about my safety and my children’s safety. It decreased my hearing fatigue (though it is still present). It helps me feel more confident in social situations. It makes me feel more connected and not as left out in social situations. Honestly, I joke that it is my emotional support hearing device- and that isn’t too far off from the truth.