Do I have the tumor ???

[arnieg]

I am new to this group.
For the past 2 months I have had mild tinnitus symptom in the right ear and sometimes I sometimes hear my pulse in my right ear.My BP was a bit high so
my PCP adjusted my BP dosage and BP is under control.
I do have a history of allergic rhinitis and feeling of fullness of ear for several ears (8-10 years)
I visited my ENT last weekend and did the audiology test.
I have normal hearing in the Left ear and normal hearing from 250 to 4 kHz, then a moderate  Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) from 6-8 kHz in the Right ear.
Doctor advised me to also to do a Brain MRI to rule a tumor.

I don't have any other symptom like loss of balance, dizziness, nausea, headache or facial numbness.

Based on the experience moderators can you advise here is it worth for me to do an MRI ?
What are chances I have a tumor ?

I am very active and hiked 5 miles on the mountains yesterday.

Any advise who help me manage my anxiety.
My MRI is scheduled for June.

Thanks in advance.

Arnie

[MarlaB]

First of all, breathe....

Second of all, the most accurate way to confirm (or rule out) an acoustic neuroma/vestibular schwannoma is by MRI.

 If you do have a tumor, you have already found ANA. You can sign up to get lots of resource material to help you decide what's next and how to understand and deal with a lot of the stressors.

If not, then I wish you the best of luck as you search to determine the cause(s) of your symptoms.

Marla B

[donjehle]

Hi Arnie!

First of all, thank you for making your first post on the ANA forums!  You have come to the right place to learn about acoustic neuromas.

And MariaB is right -- the MRI is the most accurate way for you to know what is going on.

It is challenging to know whether you have an AN simply by your symptoms because everyone's journey is different.  Some people have a loss of balance, others don't.  Some people have nausea, others don't.  Some people have dizziness, others don't.  Some people have headaches, others don't.  Some people have facial numbness, others don't.  Some people have sensorineural hearing loss, others don't.  Some people have a sense of fullness in their ear, others don't.

But it makes sense to me that you do have the MRI in June to see if you have an AN (or something else), and if you do, then you will know how large it is.  Then you can decide on what treatment strategy you want, even if it is simply waiting and monitoring it.  If the MRI comes back clean, then you can rest easy knowing you don't have a brain tumor.  And if it shows that you do have an AN, it is rarely malignant, so you can do as MariaB said, and breathe . . . and we will remain here to support you through the process.

Please keep us posted when you find out what is going on in June.
Don

[skier]

Hi Arnie,
I wish you well, and I'm very sorry you have the single-sided hearing loss and tinnitus.

No one can answer if you have an Acoustic Neuroma or not, without an MRI. I'm glad it's on your schedule.

I can certainly relate to the high anxiety before getting an MRI, in the period of time when one doesn't know what is wrong. One would like to know, but it is the MRI that is the tool for diagnosis. Speculation is pretty unreliable, alas. Almost useless.

I was told that I more likely had viral inner damage, to account for my single-sided sudden hearing loss and tinnitus. And that the odds of having an acoustic neuroma were very very low. But only the MRI knows, alas.

I have an acoustic neuroma, which the MRI found. It's small.

It's not what I wanted to learn, but it's also not the worst of the things I feared it could be. It will get treated, and I will go on, not exactly the same as before, but OK enough.

As for anxiety, I could probably write a book on how not to handle anxiety, as I tend to panic easily, but ... eventually I go back to the basic ways to handle anxiety: time in nature; time with friends or talking with them; music; meditation; exercise; a positive attitude; faith.

If I was giving advice to myself, pre-MRI and pre-diagnosis, I would say, get a few facts about acoustic neuromas, and then focus on your generally good health and wellness, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Do not dwell entirely in the fear.

I'm sorry it's so difficult not to know. It was for me, too.

All good wishes,
Skier

[arnieg]

Thanks for your valuable responses. My MRI is scheduled for end June. I will certainly update the group. Reviewed my audiology with my PCP. The WRS in my right ear is (92%)  better than my left ear ( 88%) .This was strange because I have moderate SNHL in my right ear.

I am using the audio cardio app  and doing sound therapy everyday and happy to report that my hearing at high frequency improved by 12 db in the past 3 weeks on my bad ear at 8000Hz.

Sharing the link if anyone is interested {LINK REMOVED BY FORUM ADMIN. CONTACT POSTER THROUGH PM FOR LINK}

My tinnitus is very mild and tolerable. I am taking magnesium supplement everyday.
My PCP thinks I may not have AN but you never know.

Good luck to everyone

Arnie

[arnieg]

My MRI got rescheduled a few times due to International travel and then I came down with Covid.
I finally had my MRI yesterday and as I am pleased to inform that my results are normal.

Report results : The internal auditory canals are normal and symmetric in caliber. No abnormal mass or enhancement of the internal auditory canals or of the cerebellopontine angles. The inner ear structures appear symmetric and signal intensity. No abnormal fluid opacification of the mastoid air cells

My doctor told me there is no medical cure for tinnitus so I have to live with it.

Thanks everyone for your support.
I was scared a lot.
All's well that end well.

Arnie

[skier]

That's great news, Arnie.
So happy to learn that you had normal findings on your MRI.
It's possible, I have been told, to get hearing loss and tinnitus from viral damage, which may or may not resolve over time.

Be well.
Skier

[divulgenoun]

My MRI got rescheduled a few times due to International travel and then I came down with Covid.
I finally had my MRI yesterday and as I am pleased to inform that my results are normal.

Report results : The internal auditory canals are normal and symmetric in caliber. No abnormal mass or enhancement of the internal auditory canals or of the cerebellopontine angles. The inner ear structures appear symmetric and signal intensity. No abnormal fluid opacification of the mastoid air cells

My doctor told me there is no medical cure for tinnitus so I have to live with it.

Thanks everyone for your support.
I was scared a lot.
All's well that end well.

Arnie

Hi Arnie
Anyway, that's a good result. I really hope that your health will start to improve soon.