symptoms on the non AN side...right?!

[mellowrama]

ok, I feel really silly asking this but I was certain that my AN was on my right side and facial symptoms etc show on the left.
AN's affect the opposite side correct? 

My doc's nurse was telling me that it was the same side, and then she was discouraging me from having too many MRI's cause of radiation!
I told her that MRI's do not have radiation and that they're based on magnitism... she told me I was wrong, and then I felt like crap all day until confirming it with the imaging center that I was correct....this is not making me feel good about returning there for surgery.

[sgerrard]

The symptoms from an AN show up on the same side as the AN. But you are right about the MRI not being x-ray. I wouldn't judge the surgical team by how much the nurse knew about it; it is not that uncommon for people to make that mistake.

I wonder if your AN was on the other side, and you got mixed up by looking at an MRI picture? People often have trouble sorting out which side is which.

Steve

[CHD63]

There are no silly questions .......  

I am not a doctor, but to the best of my knowledge ANs grow from the cells covering the vestibular portion of the auditory nerve, as it leads from the brainstem to the cochlea (one on each side).  This area is outside the cerebellum or cerebrum where other critical functions are found.  See http://www.waiting.com/brainanatomy.html  for a better explanation.  It is my understanding that the left cranial nerves (which include the auditory nerve ...... nerve VIII) control the left side.  An injury such as a stroke that occurs within the cerebrum controls the opposite side.

My AN was on my left side, which is where my hearing loss is and where that surgery was done.  My previous trigeminal neuralgia (nerve V) was on my right side, which is the side the surgery for that was done.

It seems incredible to me that a neurosurgeon's nurse does not know how MRIs work!?!?!    I would certainly ask some really hard questions from someone else in that office if you pursue this medical group.  Can you ask someone to show you your actual MRI of your AN?  Then you will know for sure which side it is on.  Either your doctor or the imaging center should be able to do that.

Let us know what is going on.

Clarice

[AMD]

I have to agree with the statements above.  As a surgical nurse, I can say that Radiology is not our specialty, but most people know that MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging.  All magnets, no radiation.  But, let's give the nurse the benefit of the doubt.....she will not be the one performing surgery.  I agree in that you should ask all questions that are in your head, and if you have a bad gut feeling, or if they seem to give you the incorrect info, seek a second opinion.  In my profession, I strive to know more than my patient.  It shouldn't be the other way around

[mellowrama]

thanks for all the feedback!  I have seen my mri many times, and the an is on the right unless I'm reading it wrong....no hearing loss but I do have facial symtoms on the left, so....I guess that means it is on the left side then.

m

[Vivian B.]

Hi there,

I have been reading the posts and I am totally confused. I thought that wherever the AN side is whether on the left or on the right, that is where your symptoms come from. Mine is on the right, treatment I would assume is on the right, my hear loss and all other symptoms are on the right. Is this correct?

Vivian

[CHD63]

m .....

When I first saw my MRI, I said the same thing ..... why is it showing up on the right when my symptoms are on the left?  Then the ENT explained that the MRI view we were looking at was from the front (coronal) so it appeared that way.

Clarice

[sgerrard]

It is an odd thing about MRIs. When we look at a picture of our face, we are perfectly okay with the fact that our left side is on the right side of the picture, and vice versa. It is what we expect. With the MRI, for some reason, when we look at the picture that shows neck at the bottom, nose in the middle, we tend  to see it as looking at our head from behind, instead of from the front. Probably because it doesn't look like our face.

Here is my face, and here is the MRI of my left side AN. Both are from the front, and my left ear is on the right side of both pictures:



Steve

[Jackie]

Bravo Steve!!!

That really proves that a picture is worth a thousand words! Thank-you for that!!! I hope it helps everyone who is confused!
Jackie