MRI results are back

[Snoopy]

Just got back from the hospital, it appears I have a cyst sitting on or close to the 8th nerve. ENT has said it looks like I may of had it for years, so I have been booked in for another MRI scan going deeper as its beyond the place where an AN sits so I presume its quite close to the brain. I am glad its not an AN , but not sure what will happen now ? The ENT said it appears to have damaged the balance nerve, and it is the cause of my tinnitus and earing loss. Anyone else who has had this problem please feel free to give me any info they have on it and how they treat them or are they just left there ?

[Chances3]

Hi Snoopy,

I had a small AN growing on my 8th cranial nerve deep inside near my brain stem.  My worse symptom were terrible vertigo attacks, the full spin variety lasting 2-3 minutes, recurring every 3-5 days.  I chose the Middle Fossa approach to preserve my hearing, because the tumor was still small.  They servered my vestibular nerve, in the hope of stopping the vertigo problems.  It was a long road to recovery, but I am glad it is out.  From what I have learned, the AN is rather slow growing, so some AN patients have the luxury of waiting, before they chose all the medical options that are presented to them.  I have no knowledge about a cyst, but I believe they carry a lot of blood vessels in them, which could make your medical options different than those with a AN.

I'm sorry you have to go through this, but the good news is that medicine has come a long way in treatment, so learn as much as you can, get multiple opinions, so you can make the very best decision that is right for you.

[Snoopy]

Thankyou for your reply, I had prepared myself for the worst (so to speak) so when he said cyst I was relieved. Well relieved untill I realized that I still felt dizzy and light headed 24/7 have raging tinnitus and although I do have hearing loss that is the least of my problems with how tired I get. He also mentioned a lipoma, but felt it was more proberly a cyst. So off to the MRI scanner I go again as he wants to scan deeper, as its deeper than where a AN would sit. So instead of worrying wether I had an AN I now have either a cobwebb shaped cyst or a lipoma, hope you guys dont mind me sticking around a while but I get the feeling I may be about to experience something similar and dont no where else to moan about it 

[Chances3]

The people who participate in this community are the most wonderful and caring people you will ever meet.  They all have had different journeys and results.  Don't worry about the pity party, we all have them.  Stay strong my friend.