Ear wax buildup as an indicator of and AN

[rodneyd]

Hi all,

I was diagnosed with an AN in October, 2013.  But one of the things that struck me was that I had had wax buildup in the AN ear at least twice in the last 8 years (but no buildup in the non-AN ear).  I also read about another AN patient who had wax buildup in her AN affected ear. 

My question is this:  Have any other AN patients noticed wax buildup in their AN affected ear?  If so, is it possible this could be an early indication of the beginnings of an AN?

Just a thought,

rodneyd

[photog1]

It's interesting that you mention this because I have a lot of earwax buildup in both my ears.  In fact, my right ear is completely blocked.  I just found this out at my primary care doctor's office at a checkup a month ago.  I also have tinnitus, including pulsatile tinnitus that has recurred after a 2-year break.  Just in the last month or so, the volume of my tinnitus has increased to about twice as loud as before. 

I have an appointment with my ENT this coming Wednesday and hope he will flush out this excess wax at this office visit.  I was visiting my sister on vacation recently, noticed that I need to turn up the TV volume louder than she does.  I have always thought if I have any hearing loss, it would be due to the excess earwax.

Curious to see what happens at my appointment this Wednesday.  I will also mention to him about my UK friend who was diagnosed with a 1.7 cm AN this past February and he has no hearing in his AN ear.   He just had his ears cleared of excessive earwax. 

Hoping for the best.
Tina 

[rodneyd]

Hi Tina,

You mentioned that you had total earwax blockage of the right ear.  Is this the same ear that your AN is in?  What size is the AN and how long have you had it?  Have you had surgery or radiation or are you a W & W category?

My general practitioner used a type of tool to scoop out the wax buildup rather than using a solution to dissolve it (that I had previously found difficult to use at best).

Of course, any relationship between ear wax buildup and an AN is pure conjecture on my part, it just seemed like the coincidence was pretty high so that is why I posted this note.

Will be going in to the hospital tomorrow for a 7 month MRI, with results on Tuesday.  Just had a hearing test and my word understanding is still high (96% in left (AN ear) and 100% word recognition in my right ear), so that was encouraging. 

I don't know if you saw this or not, but in the latest issue of the AN newsletter, there was a study that indicated one baby aspirin a day seems to prevent any further AN growth so I am going that route during my W & W period.

Good luck to you!

Rod

[arizonajack]

in the latest issue of the AN newsletter, there was a study that indicated one baby aspirin a day seems to prevent any further AN growth so I am going that route during my W & W period.

I've been taking the baby aspirins daily since 2006. My AN developed in 2011. So much for that study.

[photog1]

Rod,

I don't have an AN, at least as far as I know.  Anxious to see what happens when I'm at the ENT's this week.  I will mention my diminished hearing and the tinnitus and see where things go from there.

Keep us posted as to your situation.

Thanks,
Tina

[rodneyd]

Hi Tina,

My MRI results were very encouraging.  No growth in the last 10 months and my hearing is still good.  Still have some balance issues, but I can cope with them at this time.  My next MRI is scheduled for one year from now, so we shall see what the future brings.  Still on W and W, and am happy I made this choice (for now).

Let us know what your ENT says about your condition.  I would be very interested to know.

Rod

[photog1]

Hello, Rod,

I went to my ENT yesterday.  They, first, removed the ear wax and the doctor said there was a lot of it, especially in my right ear. Then, I was given a hearing test.  I did well in that, my hearing is normal in both ears.  That surprises me, because I had thought I had diminished hearing in my left ear.  I thought that with the removal of the ear wax, the tinnitus would disappear.  Not the case.  The high-pitched ringing is still as loud as before the appointment yesterday.   He believes it is due to my having TMJ. 

What really got me yesterday was my pulse, which is only 56.  I guess that is super normal.  I've been feeling very fatigued lately so that must be dragging down the pulse rate.

I had an MRI 5 years ago due to pulsatile tinnitus that suddenly started earlier that year.  The results were normal, however, my ENT wants to see the report.  The MRI had been ordered by my neurologist when I went to him due to the pulsatile tinnitus.

Glad to hear your MRI had normal results!  That must have been a big relief.  Keep us posted.
Tina   

[ANGuy]

I'm no Dr, not by a long shot, but a pulse of 56 isn't unusual.  It's better than most people, but people who do a fair amount of cardio excersize, or are just lucky, have pulse rates that low all the time.  My wife is young, healthy, and has a pulse like that.  I'm 47 and while I'm not some kind of fitness guru, I am fairly fit and my pulse is 67.  Unless your Dr is concerned about your pulse rate, I wouldn't worry about it.

Research tinnitus.  Lots of people have it and for no identifiable reason.  It's worth trying to track down the cause of it because that may lead to a way to mitigate it, but very often there is no source of the tinnitus found and it is just "one of those things".

As far as ear wax, some people are prone to it.  But, using swabs or similar to clean it out actually impacts it.  Ear wax dries and falls out on it's own.  By swabbing it out, it actually gets pushed back in and makes things worse.  My wife would occasionally get wax impacted that the Dr had to get out until the Dr explained to her to NOT clean it out with swabs.  Once she stopped using swabs (Q-tips) she stopped getting impacted wax.

[photog1]

I'm no doctor, either.  Having a boyfriend from the UK, who was diagnosed with a 1.7 cm AN last February, and all he has gone through since has compelled me to learn as much about it as I can, so that I can understand his situation and give him a lot of support from my end.  So, this condition has made me more aware and curious about issues involving the ear, more than ever before. 

I've never used a Q-tip to try and remove the ear wax.  I know it's not good to use those for wax removal.  I have occasionally used something caused Debrox, but only when I couldn't shake all the water out of my left ear after swimming or showering.  Oddly, that ear is not the one that was completely blocked with the wax.   

Over 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with TMJ and I'd had the tinnitus a while prior to that time.  The TMJ specialist who diagnosed me said the ringing in my ears is caused by that.   I'm 62 now, so I have put up with the tinnitus for at least half my life.  Maybe longer, I don't remember when the tinnitus started. 

Thanks for what you said about the pulse matter.  I was surprised, though, to hear it was only 56.  The last time it was that low was after major surgery in 1995.  It went much lower than that, too, on some days after that surgery.  I have controlled high blood pressure and my pulse is usually in the low-to-mid 70's to 80.   

[Kat From Indiana]

Regarding the earwax connection: I noticed that even years prior to my AN diagnosis in my R ear, earwax was always dry and flakey.  It was and still is, not unusual for the (R) ear wax to form hard chunks in my AN ear and actually fall out of my ear like tiny earwax stones.  In contrast, the earwax in my left ear is wetter.

[JNelson24]

I just had my second pre-surgery consultation a few weeks ago, and asked about this as I had noticed a change in my ear wax recently too.  The doctor is an ENT surgeon who is a specialist in inner surgery, and will be assisting the neurosurgeon in my tumor removal.  He said that there is no correlation, and that my ear wax issue wasn't related to my AN.

[rodneyd]

Thanks for all the replies.  I think it is probably just coincidence and not an indicator.

Rod