Another Newbie...with a Question...

[oceantracks]

First off great forum!

Also, I don't expect anyone to diagnose me here...but I am wondering about something I can't seem to find an answer to on the web.

I'm 60, and as music producer for years, am under headphones playing music pretty loud on a daily basis in my studio.
That said, I've never had any real tinnitus problems other than the occasional ringing everyone gets.

But about six weeks ago I started getting high pitched ringing in my right ear, just after having a bad cold. Doctor said ear looked a little inflamed, gave me antibiotics, the cold went away, the ringing didn't.

Finally went to an ENT, who said the ear looked fine, and his ears rang too. He introduced me to the remote possibility of AN, but said to wait and see if the ringing continued. Well, it has. I spoke with him on the phone yesterday and he said "Well let's do a hearing test." I immediately got worried, having read up on this whole subject, and he said "I'll let you know when to worry."

So I'm scheduling a test.

I've pretty much talked myself into thinking I must have this, even though many musicians suffer tinnitus, mainly because it's only on one side.

But I am wondering if there could be any other causes of ringing on one side? (Hoping against hope). I must say along with the ringing, sometimes I do feel some other things, slight fullness, etc. Doctor said that could be anything. I've always had "crackling" and crunching in both ears when I swallow and some mandibular joint crunching on that side, but it's never caused any pain. The ear doesn't hurt, it just rings, and sometimes feels odd along with the ringing. Not good, I know, I know...

I have had no dizziness, headaches, or any other symptoms other than ringing, and my hearing even in the ringing ear seems fine. I still seem to be able to hear the most minute details of the music I am working with daily under headphones, though I definitely am playing everything at a lower volume, as higher volumes seem to irritate the symptoms now.

Thanks for any info, and I'll be sure to let everyone know what happens after the test.

Tom

[CHD63]

Hi Tom and welcome to this forum .....

The fear of having an acoustic neuroma is very valid.  That being said, it is very unusual for tinnitus to be the only symptom when having an AN.  In fact, I never had tinnitus until after I had surgical removal of mine.  I am not a doctor, but I do know that the definitive way to know whether you have one or not is via an MRI with contrast (very small ANs will often not show up on a CT scan or MRI done without contrast).  If I were in your situation I would probably insist on an MRI (with contrast) to ease my mind, if nothing else.

I hope and pray you do not have an acoustic neuroma, but this forum exists to provide support and care for those who may or may not have one.

Thoughts and prayers.

Clarice

[james e]

I'll throw this out for comment. Medical students are taught that if they hear hoof noises, think horses, not zebras! Your only complaint is tinnitus. Only 2 or 3 people per 100,000 have an AN. If you had some of the more common symptoms, then your doc might have ordered an MRI. But instead, he planted the AN thought in your head, and I think he made a mistake to even mention it to you.

Over a period of time, you may develop some other symptoms, and he can monitor your case, and he might begin to hear some zebras, but still not mention the AN. At some time, he may have enough symptoms to order the MRI, and at that time he can confirm your condition. If you have a tumor he can discuss it with you, and if you do not a tumor, he can explain the good news to you, and that he did not want to alarm you about the possibility of a tumor.

I had a hole in my heart...a PFO...did not know about it, and it caused me to have a stroke. I had a surgery and my heart is healthy. A PFO can be discovered with testing, but the doctors will not close the hole until AFTER you have a stroke...the surgery itself might cause you to have a stroke, so they just hope the PFO will not cause you to have a stroke. 28% of the people that have that type of stroke die from it. A friend of mine found out she has a PFO, found at a heart hospital. They will not close it, and she is living in fear.

Now your doctor has planted the seed of a brain tumor, and he has no symptoms other than tinnitus. To put you at ease, he has to do an MRI. A hearing test will only test your hearing. In my opinion, your doctor has handled your case very badly. He should have talked to you about horses, built a history, and let the tests do their talking. He is very premature with AN discussion. He might be a great ENT, but I would never alert my patient about the possibility a brain tumor unless I had something to back it up. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

James

PS: Demand the MRI and put yourself at ease!

[Jim Scott]

Hi, Tom - and welcome.

Tinnitus is definitely a problem but hardly a certain indicator of an acoustic neuroma.  In his previous post (#2) James pretty much stated what I was thinking so I won't belabor the points he made, specifically that your doctor didn't do you any favors by bring up the possibility of an acoustic neuroma, minus any verifiable evidence.  I concur with James and his advice to request an MRI - with contrast - to rule out the possibility of an acoustic neuroma being the source of your unilateral tinnitus.  Even though I suspect the MRI won't indicate an acoustic neuroma, if it does, we'll be here for you.

Jim

[leapyrtwins]

Only way to tell if you have an AN is with an MRI - preferably with gadolinium contrast.

Tinnitus isn't necessarily a symptom of an AN - and there are those of us (like me) who had an AN, but never had tinnitus.

Jan