4 November 2003
Six months later I had my BAHA surgery. The operation itself went well, and was carried out under local unaesthetic. The atmosphere in the operating theatre was so relaxed, we were all laughing and joking! However, about two weeks after the operation, I suddenly suffered a bad infection in my right ear and my eardrum perforated. This was unrelated to the actual surgery, but it was of course one of the reasons I had had the Baha surgery in the first place – I suffered constant perforations and so couldn't wear my air-conducting hearing aids comfortably or to any great benefit. I went to my GP – as usual - who prescribed me the antibiotics and painkillers that have become my friends over the years.

Unfortunately, the ear infection didn't respond to the usual treatment and I became very ill with constant infections and perforated eardrums for the next few weeks. The operation site itself also got badly infected resulting in two abscesses which burst, finally leaving the wound to heal slowly. I was in extreme pain and had problems with my eyes and balance as I couldn’t focus for the vertigo. Even now, there are times when I am unsteady on my feet, unable to walk freely up and down stairs, or in a straight line, or even to turn as quickly as I did before, but hopefully such things will come back to me in time.

January 2004
I went to see the specialist again in to make sure that all was well with my ear (post perforations) and the operative site (post infection), and he confirmed that everything had healed well. This is what it looked like:

11 March 2004
More than 19 weeks post-surgery, I was issued with my sound processor. This was the second and final stage of the bone-anchored system and procedure, and since that date, I've been on cloud nine! Just after it was issued, I rejoined other Baha users in the hospital room, and I sat there, listening, playing with a serviette, totally astonished that I could hear the paper rustle. I could hear the sound of my hair, I could hear my coat, and I could hear the birds outside. I could hear the squeaking of the soles of shoes on the ground as people walked past me, and I could hear several conversations – and shock of shocks, I could understand them, too!

This is what I look like with the sound processor fitted:

The BAHA is not visible to the casual passer-by so nobody knows I'm deaf unless I tell them. Even visitors at work don't know, it's that discreet.

13 May 2004
I went back to see the ENT specialists it was recommended that I have a longer abutment fitted, as the sound kept cutting out, probably due to my thick hair and skin. I hoped it would all be sorted within a couple of weeks but I finally got the longer abutment fitted on 23 March 2006 - almost two years after it was first requested! Such are the resources of the NHS!

As for actually hearing with a Baha, sometimes, because of the constant exposure to noise that I couldn't hear before, it can be just a little too much, and I get the occasional headache. When this happens, I take the sound processor off and enjoy a little quietness. Before too long, though, I'm plugged in again and enjoying the sound of the world around me.

Just having the Baha can go some way to reducing the number of infections, too, and for me this was the case for the months immediately following switch on, but since the 'honeymoon period' I've had several infections. However, with the Baha I can at least hear with or without infections, as the canal is not occluded like it is with a 'normal' air-conducting hearing aid.

Today
Life with a Baha is good - very good - and with the longer abutment it's wonderful. If only funding were more readily available, then I wouldn't have had to wait almost two years to benefit fully. Politics, huh?

I can now live almost properly in the hearing world, and I am back to enjoying life. Before, it was often a case of existing, and then only on the border of both the deaf world and the hearing world - belonging to neither, and not coping well with it either. For me, Baha is the best thing since sliced bread… and yes, despite everything, I would do it all again.

More information
About me – visit my website
About Baha – visit the manufacturer’s website
About other Baha patients – visit the online forum by, for and about patients, and introduce yourself or join the Yahoo group