Author Topic: Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?  (Read 7548 times)

arcteryx

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Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?
« on: March 11, 2006, 10:42:11 pm »
I have a 3cm AN and my only symptoms until recently were facial & tongue numbness (no hearing loss). Now I'm noticing increasingly loud tinnitus. I was hoping to avoid surgery until this summer (just better timing and Dr. said it was "safe" to wait), but I'm wondering if I'm risking my hearing by waiting so long. Does anybody know if tinnitus is a sign that hearing is deteriorating or at risk? Do most people who develop ANs lose hearing slowly or quickly?

Battyp

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Re: Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2006, 07:53:30 am »
I can only speak from my experience.  I started with tinitus as my original symptom.  I was told it was a viral ear infection, did a round of prednisone and told to wait it out.  In the 6 mos from that to diagnosis I lost 50% of my hearing.  I had some tinitus in my right ear which has gotten louder since my surgery, I recently had it checked and was told it is no different than the baseline hearing test done 6 mos prior.  They think it's from the bones in my head being messed with?  My tumor was 2.8 CM and feel in the 6 mos waiting period the tumor grew and that caused me to lose my hearing.  I've read and have been told that once you lose your residual hearing it will not come back ???

Have you had a baseline hearing test done so they can monitor how your hearing is doing? 


I lost my hearing slowly..one day just couldnt hear the dial tone anymore.

targa72e

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Re: Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2006, 12:46:14 am »
My original symptom was sudden hearing loss. The tinnitus did not start until about a month later and gradualy got worse over the next 2 months. I had my hearing re-tested at 4 months (I was sure that it had gotten worse) and found that my hearing had improved signifigantly (went from 80db loss to 50db loss) since then my tinnitus has gone up and down with no change in hearing. Probably worth getting your hearing re-tested just to make sure.

John


5mm, rt. side watching
5mm x 5mm watching and waiting

minnkris

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Re: Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2006, 12:01:01 pm »
Like Targa, I lost my hearing abruptly, but some has returned. The tinnitus fluctuates all the time. It seems worse when I'm driving home from work. Could elevation changes have something to do with that? I live in the foothills. Just curious what others might think.
8mm x 6mm AN left side
GK August, 2005

Joef

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Re: Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2006, 12:33:07 pm »


what surgery approach are you having done? .. and the "T" seems to freeze at the point of you surgery .. so whatever loudness your "T" is at surgery
 ... thats what it will stay .. at least for most 90% people.

4 cm AN/w BAHA Surgery @House Ear Clinic 08/09/05
Dr. Brackmann, Dr. Hitselberger, Dr. Stefan and Dr. Joni Doherty
1.7 Gram Gold Eye weight surgery on 6/8/07 Milford,CT Hospital

arcteryx

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Re: Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?
« Reply #5 on: March 14, 2006, 04:45:25 am »
What do you mean when you say "sudden hearing loss"?  Does that mean you wake up one morning and you're deaf on one side? Or, your notice your hearing deteriorate over the course of days/weeks?

I'm looking at retrosigmoid to try to save my hearing. It's hard to get the straight story, but I've gotten opinions from several well-respected neurosurgeons who have said that retrosigmoid is a very standard procedure with only slightly, if any, more risk to the facial nerve.  For me, I guess it's worth that tiny increased risk to try to have a tiny chance of saving my hearing.

This story really inspired me.  (Be sure to read the outcome at the end).
http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=803.0

ppearl214

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Re: Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?
« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2006, 09:49:09 am »
when I had my 2nd hearing test done last week, I commented to the audiologist about the tinnitus getting a bit "louder". She explained to me that the condition is based on nerve endings in the ear "misfiring".  I told her that I find mine to become louder/worse at night.  Not sure if daily fatique comes into play in my situation, but after a long, full day, I do find that the loudness and buzzing of it do enhance at night.

Does anyone else find one part of the day vs. another enhances their tinnitus?  I'd be curious on that one.

Phyl
"Gentlemen, I wash my hands of this weirdness", Capt Jack Sparrow - Davy Jones Locker, "Pirates of the Carribbean - At World's End"

minnkris

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Re: Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2006, 11:37:35 am »
Sudden hearing loss for me was in a matter of a few days. I thought I had an ear infection. I had just returned from a cruise and thought the dizziness was me getting my land legs back. But my ear started bothering me (with a headache) on Wednesday. By Friday, I was completely deaf in that ear (not really, according to the hearing test, but I remember picking up the phone and thinking the line was dead). That seems pretty sudden to me.
8mm x 6mm AN left side
GK August, 2005

targa72e

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Re: Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2006, 09:48:09 pm »
for me sudden hearing loss was normal one day, and 80 db loss the next. I was lucky in that I have a good friend that is a ent  who had me come in right a way. 9days from first symptom to diagnosis

john



5mm rt, side watching
5mm x 5mm watching and waiting

Battyp

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Re: Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2006, 10:47:11 pm »
Phyl my tinitus(mainly in the right ear, left ear surgery side is pretty steady)  is worse at night after the house gets quiet.  I think regular noises help mask it or the left side is louder and drowns it out trying to be heard.

Minnkis likes to cruise so after we visit her in vegas then she will have to come cruising with us :o)  I too had the phone thing..one day could hear it within 6 mos I couldn't..not sure when I lost during the 6 mos as I kept using my right ear as the tinitus was so bad it annoyed me on the phone.


Battyp

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Re: Is growing tinnitus a sign of going deaf?
« Reply #10 on: March 15, 2006, 10:52:25 pm »
OOPs I forgot what I was saying...

tar I had retro to try to preserve my hearing (and tumor size I was told this was my only option to better save my facial nerve)  I just had a hearing test and have totally lost what I had left before surgery.  At one point I thought it had gotten better and then diminished again.  If I had to do it all over again of course I'd want a non invasive procedure but I'd still go with retro.  My feeling was they could maybe fix it down the road if I had the ear bones, etc..intact.  Of course the tinitus is a whole different problem but I did read that if you lose your hearing and have tinitus they can do cochlear implants to help save your hearing but you have to lose hearing in both ears first.  Nice to know I have something to fall back on.