tongue numbness

[zhengcw]

Hi,

My Right AN is 21mmx16mmx16mm, I lost 20% hearing, but feel more and more tongue and facial numbness these days, and it looks extending to Left side, is it a 'commom' symptom before treatment?
I heard it possible the numbness will extend to throats and lung if not treated, is it right?

Thank you very much.

-cw

[leapyrtwins]

cw -

although I didn't have tongue numbness, it can be a symptom of acoustic neuromas; others have had it.

I don't know if it can eventually extend to the throat and lungs, but any AN left untreated can potentially grow large enough to eventually kill you.  And I stress the word EVENTUALLY.

Jan

[epc1970]

CW
I don't know about the lung and throat numbness but as Jan said, an AN left untreated could become life threatening. Though AN's are benign, as they grow they exert pressure on significant stuctures in the brain i.e. brain stem, ventricles of the brain, cranial nerves etc.
Erin

[Jim Scott]

CW ~

Tongue and facial numbness are a common symptom of AN patients because the fifth cranial (trigeminal) nerve is often affected, so the sensations you're feeling may be annoying but they are not terribly unusual.  The loss of feeling can, if not addressed, affect your ability to swallow -  but I don't believe lung function should be affected, although I'm not a doctor and so, I could be mistaken.

Your increasing symptoms would seem to indicate that treatment should be seriously considered, soon.

Jim   

[joebloggs]

Hi there,

I developed facial numbness on my right side in May 2008 - overnight.  I woke up one morning and I was numb down my entire right side.  Once the doctors eventually figured out I had a 2.7cm AN 4 months later (long story but they lost my MRI scan etc etc etc) they thought that because I had a cyst inside the AN, it grew fast all of a sudden causing my trigeminal nerve to be stretched and it hit my brain stem all of a sudden and caused the right side of my body to go numb too.  The body numbness only lasted a week but the facial numbness (including half my tongue, roof of mouth, surface of my right eye etc etc) lasted until I had surgery the following March.  When I woke up from surgery the facial numbness had disappeared!  I guess without the tumour stretching the nerve everything went back to normal which was great!  I'm not sure what would happen if you had radiation as the tumour would still be there so I would think the numbness wouldn't go away either, but I'm not sure.

So anyway, although developing numbness means your tumour is probably getting a bit bigger and stretching the trigeminal nerve, it doesn't have to be forever and I wouldn't have thought it would proceed to your lungs or anything like that any time soon, having said that, at 2.1cm I would think you're probably on the way to getting treatment soon anyway.

Cheers
JB

[lori67]

I developed facial numbness/tingling prior to my diagnosis too.  Apparently, I was numb on half of my tongue too, but it was so gradual, that I didn't even notice.  It wasn't until I went to the neurotologist and he poked my tongue with the stick part of a q-tip and I didn't feel it.  After my surgery, I got sensation back in both my face and tongue, but it wasn't exactly the same as the other side.  Then after my 7/12 nerve graft, I lost sensation in half of my tongue again.  I've gotten some back, but, again, not like the other side.

I don't think you need to worry about your lungs, since they are not innervated by the same nerves that provide sensation or movement to your face or tongue.  I'm pretty sure the only time it would get that serious is if the AN got big enough to press really hard on your brainstem - and it would have to be huge for it to get that bad.   I'm sure your doctors will not allow that to happen.

Lori

[arkansasfarmgirl]

My numbness started 4 years before I sought treatment.  Of course, by then, my tumor was "one for the record books".  LOL  I'm a dumbass when it comes to going to the dr--I avoid it like the plague!!  Sometimes to my great detriment...

V

[LisaP]

Hi,

I am two years now W&W and at times I have a weird taste on my right side or can't taste food at all.  I also get a funny sensation that I feel on the right side of my neck and throat.  Sometimes my shoulder and arm will feel tingly.  So I guess to answer your question is no not uncommon, but I neve heard of it going any further.

LisaP

[Denise S]

Don't want to step on toes here, but it is actually the 7th cranial nerve called the facial nerve that can cause these symptoms (versus trigeminal 5th nerve).     Here is some info on cranial nerves: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranial_nerves
7th Cranial Nerve (Cranial Nerve VII)
 
Facial Muscles Supplied By the 7th Cranial Nerve
 
Muscle                                  Function
Epicranius(Occipitofrontalis)    Raises eyebrows, wrinkles forehead horizontally
Corrugator Supercilii              Wrinkles forehead vertically
Orbicularis Oculi                    Closes eye
Orbicularis Oris                      Draws lips together
Zygomaticus Major                Elevates angle of the mouth (laughing)
Buccinator                           Permits smiling; blowing / pursing of the lips     
 
Hearing structures innervated by the 7th Cranial nerve:
tapedius muscle - the function of this muscle is to tension the bones of the middle ear
 
Sensory functions innervated by the 7th Cranial nerve:
Anterior two thirds of the tongue - taste
 
Parasympathetic functions innervated by the 7th Cranial nerve:
Salivary and lacrimal glands - salivation and lacrimation (saliva and tearing of the eye)

Did you get any of the brochures from Acoustic Neuroma Association?  In one of those it discusses the 7th facial nerve very well and how it 'branches' off into tiny fiber areas that can affect the saliva glands, tongue, lacrimal gland (tear duct for eye), nose, facial movement....hope this helps.

[mk]

The 7th nerve is a motor nerve, responsible for all the functions noted above. The 5th nerve (trigeminal) is primarily a sensory nerve (although it does control some functions like chewing). The trigeminal nerve is responsible for the numbness experienced by many ANers, which could extent to each three branches on the forehead, cheeks, lips/tongue etc.
The tongue numbness doesn't mean that there is no sense of taste. It means that  the taste is altered because of the altered sensation. People with damaged facial nerves may experience absence of taste, whereas people with trigeminal issues will have altered taste/burnt tongue sensation.

In a similar way, people with trigeminal problems often experience dry eye. This is not due to absence of tears (like when there is facial nerve weakness), but because of reduced sensation of the cornea, which in turn sends wrong signals for tear production.

I hope this clarifies the issue a bit.

Marianna

[opp2]

I've lost most feeling in my gums on the left side top and bottom. I and you need to be diligent about brushing and flossing. I also feel very little outside of tingling on the tongue on the left side. When I rub my gums with my tongue my teeth and gums don't feel the same as the other side. I have the just been to the dentist feeling on the left side of my head from my ear forward up to my hairline at the top, along my chin to the nose, half my nose and my left eye does not tear properly.

My toomah is 2.0x3.0. I have elected for surgery but have not received my date.

Mind you I ha

[opp2]

CRAP!

ve known about my tumor for nearly a year now. I have been dragging my heels so to speak for quite some time...

anyway...yes numbness is a common symptom from my experience and research...good luck!

[Evltwin]

It’s been a while since I posted anything but when I saw this posting I had to chime in.  I have had issues with my tongue just prior to my surgery for my AN.  For the past 15 months since the surgery I have had odd tastes in my mouth and my tongue has discolored.  My ENT thought it might be black tongue so we tried every medication he could think of to get rid of the issue.  Nothing worked.  About one year trying to get rid of this my ENT finally said that it might be my fiscal nerve problem.  I have had right side facial paralysis with no change since the surgery.  So did anyone else have something similar to what I have gone through?

Chad     

[Soundy]

I had some numbness pre surgery ... but have had metal mouth taste and numbness every since surgery ...also dry eye abd mouth and then for whatever reason sometimes my eye will run ...have  some minor facial paralysis issues that most people say they don't notice but for what ever reason sometimes show up better in pictures ... right side of tongue is numb since surgery and sometimes when I swallow things just kinda stop and don't go all the way down causing me to choke ... liquid which seems like it would just slide down is my biggest choke hazard ... I think there was more facial nerve damage than picked up but with not exactly adequate care since surgery it can't be proved ...

I wonder if what was meant in original post concerning the lungs if you meant that tumor pressing on brain stem would stop your breathing ... when sudden growth of my tumor happened , I was told it had to come out or I would just stop breathing one day due to pressure on my brain stem ...

[mimoore]

I first experienced numbness in my left nostril which then moved into my face. Before I had my surgery I was experiencing numbness in my face, eyeball, tongue, part of the roof of my mouth and I lost my gag reflex. My tumour was really pressing on my 5th CN which is responsible for feeling.
The tumour came nicely off of the 5th CN and I got most of my feeling back (not in my nostril or part of the roof of my mouth) but it was really stuck on the 7th CN.
Michelle