Could my AN possibly result from a concert?

[swissguy]

Hello,

It could sound a little strange, but I never got any tinnitus before this concert.
And I never got any balance issues before.

Everything started right after it.
Because of theses problems, I did a MRI which revealed an acoustic neuroma.

I felt a teer deep inside my inner ear during the concert. And I read somewhere that these tumors could be provoked by "an injury to genetic material from the nerves of balance". I'm sorry for the explanation, but it would be even hard to do it in my own language.

In your opinion, could one only concert have resulted to this outcome?
I never read it anywhere in any internet article and I didn't find even one person who would have experienced the same thing.

An acoustic neuroma happens to 10 over 1 million people. Considering the fact that millions of people are going to concerts daily all over the world, I would be here like 1 over 50 millions.
I was moreover wearing my earplugs.

By the way, did some of you succeed to identify the reasons of your AN?

It's really hard. I have this deep feeling inside that my life will never be the same.

[judyette]

Hello swissguy.  I think it's pretty much human nature to want an answer to Why things happen to us, and our brains sometimes work overtime trying to find those answers.  I'm just another person with an AN, not any kind of professional, but that sounds far-fetched to me, that your AN could have started to grow because of attending one concert.  I think the "injury to genetic material" you read about might be referring to radiation damage, perhaps from X-rays of the head.  I read recently (I think it was on the Keck AN website) that prior radiation is the Only thing scientists have found to be definitively associated with AN.  Not saying that is the only cause, just the only association they have scientific evidence for currently.  Strangely enough, I did have a lot of head X-rays back in 1979 when I was in an auto accident and sustained a head injury.  But there's no way to know for positive sure that is the cause of my AN.

In my opinion, the answer to your question is No, I don't think the AN could have been caused by going to one concert. But that's just my opinion.  It's a tough diagnosis, I wish you all the best.  Many people here are doing relatively well, both before and after treatment.  While our lives Are changed by it, life goes on, and we adjust.

[mwatto]

Hi I had radiation (xrays) for dental work 52 years ago for dental. From what I know this was probably the cause of mine and I had hyperaccusis as a child so that may have been an aggravating factor. There is suggestion that over myelination is a wound response and an acoustic injury may have added to my risk.

[donjehle]

Hi swissguy!

Thank you for posting on the ANA Forums!

How long ago was the concert?  It generally takes a long time for an acoustic neuroma to develop.

Have you had your second MRI?  Usually the second MRI can reveal how slow or how fast the acoustic neuroma is growing.

If you have had your second MRI, and if it reveals a very slow growing acoustic neuroma, and if the concert was eight months ago, and it would take 3 years for the tumor to grow to its current size, then that would indicate that the acoustic neuroma had started long before the concert. 

Your ENT might be able to give you an idea, based on the growth rate of the tumor and its current size, approximately when your acoustic neuroma began.  And, if it was well before your concert, then you would know that the two events are not related.

Unfortunately, without knowing the size of your tumor, the growth rate of your tumor, and the date of your concert, none of us on this forum would know if there is a connection with the concert or not.

While loud noises can be connected to tinnitus, I have never heard of someone developing an acoustic neuroma to a concert before, but that does not mean that it could not happen.  Yet, I would be slow to blame the concert until I had further information.

Best wishes on your journey!
Don

[swissguy]

Hello,

I wished to thank you all for your kind answers.
I'm sorry by the way that the X-rays had those consequences.

I'm surprised it could be the only identified origin as you said Judyette, cause I didn't have more X-rays than anyone in my country. And I probably got the last ones when I was a child.

To answer to your questions Don, I was to this concert 4 months ago and the neuroma was diagnosed 2 months after the concert.
The neuroma was very small in this first MRI, which could even more make me think it was its beginning. As I said, I also never had any symptoms before the concert.
I have no clue about the growing, as I hadn't got any second MRI.
Despite all these facts, the doctor told me it wasn't related with this concert.
As someone said, I will probably never know the origin. I lately tried to reflect a little less about it and to simply adjust to my situation. But of course, it will be ever hard to think sometimes that one music night could have caused it...

By the way mwatto, I read a lot of posts before in this forum. And I thank you all for your contributions.
I remembered I read one of your messages somewhere. You said your tinnitus reduced (probably with some melatonin help). Could I ask you how long and which daily dose did you take?

[mwatto]

Hi there I just take 2 mg a night. Mine is compounded sublingual natratroche but I have had liquid also L watched a video by a professor on melatonin and he said that Source Natural and Solgar good brands. I know here in Australia there is also a few now OTC for over 55s. I also read that CO Q10 in its active form ubiquinol can also help tinnitus. It is irritating I know- but its not an ear problem its neuro inflammation. So boswellia may also help or simply 1 mg diazepam at night now and again. White noise (at night) helps the brain select over tinnitus and also music - I listen to all day. Also check your blood pressure as this can also be a factor.

[swissguy]

Thank you very much for your answer, mwatto.
How long did you have to take 2mg of melatonin to notice your tinnitus fading away? (if it did?)

By the way, for the people who would read this topic some day, with the same interrogation, all the experts told me it couldn't result from a concert or any loud noise exposure.
Despite it, I'm still extremely skeptical considering the way it happened. The size also means it just started now (except if it started before and never grew from 1 mm, which would be a huge coincidence).
As many articles mention some loud noise cause, I'm a little bit surprised that my doctors told me all the opposite.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19289391/
https://www.bswhealth.com/conditions/acoustic-neuroma
https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/163/4/327/103732
https://oem.bmj.com/content/66/7/480
...

I could mention many more.

[mwatto]

Hi Apologies I did not read this until today..I took it for about 3 years. Now I take full spectrum CBD and I am also on 0.25mg LDN (low dose naltrexone) which is also an anti inflammatory. Mine is compounded with PEA as a filler. I dont have tinnitus.