just general weirdness

[cburley1]

 My last 2 mri's the radiologist is saying there is growth, ENT cannot get the same measurements so wants to wait one year (if I don't have any new issues) and decide what to do after next MRI...but here is my weird question...I noticed about a year ago that my eye on my AN side is bigger (noticeably) than the other side...I don't know if it is from pressure from AN or the other eye looks smaller from pressure...lol...sounds odd I know and I know our body parts aren't symmetrical...but this is noticable and it wasn't always like that...any suggestions?

[Tumbleweed]

I can't imagine this is being caused by the AN, as your tumor (at 1.6 cm) simply isn't large enough to be anywhere near your eyeball. If I were you, I'd go see an optometrist ASAP. You could have a totally different condition that's threatening your eyesight.

Another possibility is thyroid disease, which can manifest as a bulging eye. It usually affects both eyes at once and is caused specifically by overactive thyroid. If you have insomnia, weight loss, irritability, rapid pulse and muscular weakness, those symptoms would also suggest overactive thyroid. In that case, I'd see your doctor immediately and tell him what's going on. Overactive thyroid is pretty easily treated, so don't worry if that's what it is.

Best wishes,
TW

[PaulW]

I actually noticed that I had one eye bigger than the other too.....
Was it caused by the AN?
Well I believe probably yes and no....

Had the AN grown so big that my eye was buldging NO!

So this event happened about 18 months before diagnosis of AN.
I woke up one night with one sore eye. I had scratched my eyeball on my pillow, my eye was stuck open and I found it very hard to close it. It looked like my eyeball was very swollen and buldging. I immediately went to the hospital. Within a few hours it looked mostly normal again, and I could close my eye again. I had a CT scan they found nothing and they put it down to an alergic reaction of some sort. I have since realised my eye hadn't buldged at all, it was just that my eyelid was stuck open and gave the impression of a buldgey eye.

What I have noticed since then.
My eyelids seem to naturally be more open on one side compared to the other, this gives the impression of a buldging eye.
Is this slight weakness in my eyelid caused by the AN? Quite possibly.
So it could be the tumour is pressing hard on the facial nerve.
My AN eye blinks slightly slower than my good eye, and my lower lid droops slightly.

As you maybe aware some people with AN's complain about their eyesight, words jumping around, seeing double etc.
This is attributed to a compromised balance nerve and a loss or partial loss of the Vestibular Occular Reflex
So to overcome this loss, and to stop words jumping around, I had unconsciously started to read with one eye.
My wife commented on it, my eyesight was great when tested... but I had all of a sudden started using one eye.

I now favour my AN eye.. 10 years ago I didnt. One eye does look slightly bigger than the other, while photos of me 10 years ago dont show this. The other explanation for my slightly buldgey eye could be the way I favour that eye now.

Anyway that was my observation, I hope that helps... Maybe you have a slight eyelid weakness, and/or favour one eye like I do.

As for your AN growing... dont panic
You are less than 12 months in and swelling is completely normal.
It may continue to swell for 2 years sometimes longer before it stabilises or begins to shrink.

 

[cburley1]

Thank you...I favor my AN eye also...my husband teases me all the time when I'm doing my hair...I catch myself doing it with one eye closed for some reason...lol....and my tumor is, according to my MRI, almost 2cm now and it is on my facial nerve...always has been, the facial spasms & hearing loss is what sent me to the doctors in the first place...it was 2 years ago tomorrow that I went to the doctors & she told me I may have a brain tumor....not a day I'm going to ever forget...as you know how that feels too...you gave a good explanation ....the more I research & talk to other people...I'm finding out that there are many variations in symptoms & side effects of having an AN....