Tanner's BAHA

Tanner has Unilateral Hearing Loss or SSD (Single Sided Deafness). When he was born he failed his newborn hearing screening at the hospital. We were optimistic when they said it happens alot and usually its just fluid in the ear and will come out. So, 2 weeks later we took him back again and he still didn't pass, yet they said it was most likely still fluid. So, 2 weeks after that we went back again...and the Audiologist at the hospital mixed up the ears and diagnosed his Left ear was not hearing correctly...so we were so confused. On May 8, 2009 I took Tanner to Sunshine Cottage a school for hearing impaired children. They have a Newborn hearing screening program so our pediatrician highly recommended them. I sat down still feeling optimistic that it was just 'fluid in the ear'. It was a 3 hour test and he was asleep for all of it. At the end of the visit I was told the results in his right ear were not good. As they went on to explain to me what they found, it still really didn't hit me that my child has a hearing impairment. Then we left and as I put my sweet 1 month little boy in the carseat it hit me. I began sobbing and felt so helpless. Now I know it could be a lot worse and have a lot worse problems but no parent at any time likes to be told their child has something wrong with them especially something that is lifelong. So fastforward a 6 months. We took him to get a C-Scan done on his head to see if there was anything that would show up concering his ear structure. We got the results back and sure enough he did have some anatomical issues with the structure of his ear. He is missing part of the semi-circular canals in his right ear (balance canals). Has enlarged vestibular openings and shortened ear canals and a slight hole in his left semicircular canal. So, there were have it. We finally knew why he had profound hearing loss in his right ear. So, the past year we have been going to Sunshine cottage as part of their Parent-Infant program to learn strategies and techniques to help Tanner be a good listener and make sure he is meeting milestones both physical and language. Because of the severity of the hearing loss a hearing aid would not be beneficial. And since he has good hearing the left ear he is not a candidate for a cochlear implant in the right ear. So, when he turned one were informed about the BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Apparatus) hearing device. If you want to know more about the BAHA check out this website http://www.umm.edu/otolaryngology/baha.htm#a. The BAHA intenso would be worn on a softband because he is not old enough to have it implanted. So, we are currently in the Trial process to see if it is helping him. I have seen a huge improvement overall in his behavior. He seems to be more coherant and alert and babbles more. Since Language development is so crucial at this point I am willing to do anything to help him listen and hear better. The BAHA uses bone coduction to give him the sensation that he is hearing out of both ears even though he is really hearing out of only his left ear. The following information is taken from the website http://www.umm.edu/otolaryngology/baha.htm#a (I take no credit for the following words) I just wanted to give an overview of what the BAHA is.

"One ear does not provide adequate hearing in many situations. Patients with severe hearing loss on one side, but normal hearing in the other ear have difficulty understanding speech in background noise (such as group conversations and restaurants) and determining which which direction sound comes from .
The Baha, now an FDA cleared solution for unilateral deafness, provides a completely unique benefit. The Baha device is placed on the side of the deaf ear, transfers sound through bone conduction, and stimulates the cochlea of the normal hearing ear. The Baha effectively transmits sounds from the bad side to the normal ear and ultimately results in a sensation of hearing from a deaf ear. Stereo hearing results in improved understanding of speech, especially in background noise and aids in the localization of sound.

Another great website is http://products.cochlearamericas.com/baha

So, we are currently in his 4th week of the Trial and I have been so impressed with it so far. We have done some audiological testing and have seen good results. So, we'll see at the end if this is the route we'd like to go for Tanner and his hearing. I am sad to be leaving Sunshine Cottage here in San Antonio but I feel so blessed that Logan has a similar program called Sound Beginnings that Tanner will be a part of. Here are some cute pictures of our Little Tann Tann wearing his Baha softband!