For those of you with chronic ear infections or deafness in one ear, the Baha Hearing System may be an option to get your hearing back.  We met a Sioux Falls man who could only hear people if they were in his face and talking loudly until the Baha.

Listening to barking dogs all day long goes with the territory for employees at the Sioux Falls Humane Society, except for one employee. Ryan Klein knew he was surrounded by noise, but his world was silent.

Klein says, "Now it's unbelievable what I can here."

3 weeks ago Ryan Klein got a Baha hearing implant. His hearing had been severely damaged since the age of 3 after a doctor in Nebraska botched the procedure to put tubes in his ears. Now in his late 20's Ryan has undergone half a dozen surgeries on each ear and was plagued with chronic ear infections that severely affected his hearing. He hopes the 40 minute minor surgery to implant the Baha is his last.

Ryan Klein says, "I was fighting a losing battle. Every 2 years I have to get my ears opened back up and get scar tissue removed which is painful for my ears and my arms since they take skin from my triceps."

Ryan had tried hearing aids but he was miserable because he can't tolerate having anything inside his ears because he has a narrowing in his ear canals and is prone to infections. He became a good candidate for the Baha because no part of it goes in the ear.

Dr. Ken Scott, an ear specialist at Midwest Ear, Nose and Throat says, "Ryan has excellent nerve endings for his hearing, he's  a young guy and he's had so many surgeries and his hearing was so poor he had a tough time getting by and it was doubtful he would have success without trying something new.

The Baha is surgically implanted behind the ear and allows sound to be conducted through the bone rather than through the middle ear. It consists of 3 parts: a titanium implant, an external abutment and a sound processor.

Ryan says, "I can hear them say dad even when they are standing behind me."

To hear that was music to his ears. Listening to his 2 and 5 year olds is why he got the Baha.

Ryan says, "My son said daddy you got something on your surgery. That's what he calls this. He thought it was gone when my hair covered the detachable part."

And when he goes back to work to take care of the animals, he now has the option to literally tune them out by turning off the device. He finally has the best of both worlds.

Midwest Ear, Nose and Throat is hosting a seminar on the Baha Hearing System on June 23rd at 7pm. They ask that you RSVP to Barb at 605-275-1205.