After months of consideration I signed up for two Osia implants. Next will be a surgical consult, implant surgery, osseointegration and programming, but I should hear in a few months (unless I chicken out).
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Good luck! (I hope it goes well for you)
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Thanks. I am kind of anxious partly because stapedectomy failed
What is benefit over āsimpleā modern digital hearing aids. I have profound hearing loss in right ear for frequency above 1000 Hz. Can cochlear off me any benefit?
Jerry,
There is some confusion over the word āCochlearā (kind of like Xerox), it is the name of the inner ear, an implanted device replicating the inner ear and sending a signal to the nerve and the name of a company. The company called Cochlear also makes bone conduction / bone anchored hearing aids. My problem is in my middle ear, so bone conduction hearing aids work well for me. My choices are surgical implant or nonsurgical and which device.
Your situation may be single sided hearing loss, which could also make you a candidate for bone conduction hearing aids. In my situation, vibrations of the eardrums are stopped by scar tissue before they reach the inner ear, but vibrations can reach the inner ear through the skull. I am not a medical professional, but my understanding is: In your situation, sound from the right side can be sent to the left ear either through the bone or by radio with a CROS hearing aid.
Good luck
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Sholk, where are you in the process of getting osia. I am really considered these and would like to hear a bit more information.
I am in the middle of the rather long process.
First I had a failed stapedectomy.
Second I wore āregularā air conduction Behind The Ear hearing aid for twenty years
Third I tried non surgical bone-conduction hearing aids. I found the AdHear had too much feedback, the SoundArc gave me headaches from the headband. I have been using a Ponto on a hardband for several month and the headaches are getting tolerable for most of the day.
The main hospital system in Buffalo (Kaleida Health) is not currently allowing any implant surgery. I went to an Audiologist at the Cleveland Clinic who confirmed I am an OSIA candidate and sent me to their ENT who ordered a CAT scan. The scan will confirm that my skull is thick enough and provide information on why the stapedectomy failed.
At that time my choices will be continue with the Ponto and tolerate the limited hearing and headaches or revision surgery with statistically poor outcomes or OSIA implants. I am 90% certain I will go with the OSIA.
I am not a medical professional this is only my personal understanding.
Other magnetic implants include: The BAHA Attract - Only the OSIA uses Piezo technology rather than a physical vibration between the external and internal components. This is a huge advantage as it allows less magnetic strength and lower headache issues, better sound quality, etc. The Bonebridge is an option that requires more skull tissue to be removed to embed the device. I forgot the name of the other device.
Good luck
Thx. I have been wearing the baha on a soft band for about a month. I go in next week to discuss further. I researched the osia, and really liked what I found. Would like to hear from anyone who has gotten one. I have had hearing aids for years but tend to not wear much due to the sound quality and being so invasive (full ear mold). I am resistant to the abutment, but if I went with the baha would need it due to my hearing loss. I did hear that people like the ponto better if they did get an abutment. Have also researched bonebridge, but that looks a little less sophisticated than osia. Guess I am still just trying to understand the options and looking for some feedback. Any opinions are welcome!
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There are facebook groups of BAHA & Osia users with more activity and comparisons.
My Osia sound processor was just paired with my implant last Friday afternoon. So far I am loving it! Life seems pretty loud now; I didnāt realize just how much I wasnāt hearing. So far no regrets with my decision to get this device.
Hope that helps in some way.
Hi! I was diagnosed with a cholesteatoma in my left ear a couple of years ago. After three surgeries to remove and reconstruct my inner ear, I was left with moderate hearing loss on that side. My surgeon suggested an Osia 2 implant and sound processor since a regular hearing aid didnāt work well for me. So far itās amazing! I didnāt realize how much I was missing. Anyone else have the Osia? Iād like to hear about othersā experiences with this device.
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I am planning to get two Osia implants as soon as I get insurance resolved.
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I 've had the Osia for about six months. Itās very very good. Much better than my bteās for high frequencies. Speech recognition is just brilliant! My hearing test with the Osia was remarkableāpractically normal in my bad, right ear. I have a perfectly functioining auditory nerve, but with conductive loss. Bad conductive loss. I still wear bteās for playing music, in combination with the Osia. Pretty sweet.
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Thereās a thread going on concerning the new Whisper HA. I have an Osia BAHA, as well as regular HAās. I thought that Iād mention BAHA as a not so new alternative to normal aids and speak a little about my experience.
I have conductive loss from my early years due to cholesteatoma issues that required rebuilding my hammer anvil and stirrup. I also have eustachian tube dysfunction. A bone assisted hearing aid bypasses the middle ear, where my sound conducting issues occur, and sends sound vibrations (exactly like a normal hearing aid) through the mastoid bone to the cochlear nerve. This also bypasses issues I might be having from clogged eustachian tubes.
Most BAHAs have a post sticking a little bit out of the skull that attaches the processor to the mastoid bone beneath the skin. The Osia is an implant; so no post. Instead, the external processor is held in place by a magnet. Piezel (sp.?) technology is able to send signals through the skin with no loss of energy or quality. The Osia works really wellābetter than Iād imagined. I have one on my right side only. It really boosts sound amplification. It took my huge ski slope loss from middle registers through the high decibels and restored that hearing to almost normal range. A traditional aid canāt do this because, if one has conductive loss, no amount of amplification will get through to the cochlear nerve in those registers with high loss. But most impressive is voice amplification. I hear speech really well with the Osia, and from a long way off.
The BAHA uses the mastoid bone instead of the middle ear bones to conduct sound to the cochlea, as I said. Interestingly, altho I only have an implant on my right side, the mastoid vibrates all around my skull, so I get some input in my left ear too.
However, the current iteration of the Osia doesnāt have as rich a quality of sound for playing music as traditional aids. I happily use the Osia alone when out and about. But I like to use a trad aid along with the Osia (turned way down) when I play or listen to music. This is a wonderful combination. The Osia boosts the higher decibels and the Signia Ax7s fill in and warm up the music. I donāt know if the lesser quality sound is because the mastoid bone doesnāt conduct as well as the middle ear bones, or if the microphones on the Osia are simply designed for speech and not as good for music. I donāt notice a loss in quality for speech with the Osia, or anyway not enough that I care.
so there you have it. Those interested in the Whisper aid and who have conductive rather than nerve loss might look into this.
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I was going to the Cleveland Clinic but Anthem insurance denied coverage. Cleveland Clinic is out of network for Independent Health Insurance so I am strting over at Strong Memorial.
Update
I changed insurance companies and am starting over. Fingers crossed!
Implant surgery went well, activation in a month.
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I was activated on Friday - Loving my Osia
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I only just found your post. I also had a Cholesteatoma in my right ear after lifelong infections and tubes. I just surpassed 3 years with my Osia and our experiences may be similar. Excellent hearing improvement. Hate changing batteries and lack of Android support is disappointing to say the least. Iām very anxious for Cochlear to update and overhaul the Osia processorā¦