How everyone find out they had an AN?

[thecakes]

 I remember walking to work and not being able to stay on the sidewalk.  Standing in line to punch out and  for some reason falling back and then thinking I was a nerd, and wandering why I did that.  Things like that for 6 or so years before I went to see a doctor.{never a headace though}  I had a sudden loss of hearing and a cold numbing feeling in the back of my tongue.  So off to the doctor I went.  He said to close your eyes and try to walk.  I could'nt do it at all.  It made me terribly dizzy.  If I only would of tried this at home I would of known there was something wrong.  the cakes...I had a reason for being so clutsy.

[teasely]

I had a headache on my right (non AN) side for about a week.  My doctor offered an MRI, just to reassure me that it was nothing.  Well, it was something, but every doctor says my AN was an incidental finding.  I had no symptoms except for a slight distortion in my left ear in a loud room.  After the diagnosis, I did feel fullness in my ear, but I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed it otherwise.  The weird thing is that I became convinced that I did have a brain tumor (of course I was imagnining the worst kind).  I kind of feel like the headaches were a little sentinel that I should get stuff checked out.  So, chalk me up to dumb luck!

[ppearl214]

stumbled onto it... had MRI for one reason, they found 2 other reasons (my AN and Chiari)... go figure, eh?

[dowdog]

How does everybody write that little postscript at the end of their postings that tells the size of their AN and how they had it treated? 

[Captain Deb]

I was one of the lucky ones. I went to my GP with ear fullness, hearing loss and occaisional migraines and he ordered a hearing test the next day followed by an MRI the following day. What is up with these docs who won't MRI people with the most obvious symptom--unilateral hearing loss. It doesn't cost them anything or inconvieneince them in anyway!!

Another goody--saw on network news yesterday that 42% of American workers have no health insurance--more than double from 1997.  This is a national crime.

Captain Deb

[Gennysmom]

Dowdog,

If you go to your profile page and edit it and put the information under "signature".  It's so helpful to have that, I'm so braindead most days that if it's there, then I know I'm not asking the same questions over and over. 

[Sue]

I went in December 2004 to have my ear cleaned out, because I had a little buzzing going on in there and I thought I probably had wax build up. My husband has that problem, so it made sense to me that was the cause.  Turned out not to be the case. Then I developed the fullness in the ear (it needed to be "popped") and the muffled/echo crud of partial hearing loss. My doctor sent me to the ENT.  He pooped around with allergy solutions, put tubes in my ears, and finally sent me for a CT scan. It might have been found then, but he didn't order it with dye contrast. I was told I "had no tumor". HA HA  Before that I'd had the hearing test and it showed that my hearing had declined in that ear. It wasn't until I experienced facial numbness and told my family doctor that I was sent to a neurolgist and she oredered the MRI, with dye contrast.  This was just this last March 13, that I learned what was happening to me. I just had, on 4/18 Gamma Knife radiosurgery to nuke it to kingdom come. I am 60 and since my AN wasn't pressing on anything vital or extra large, a non-surgical approach was probably best for me.  I think being young and strong helps to get through brain surgery!  I don't know how long I'll be visiting this site, but it has been a comfort to "talk" to other people and to get some encouragement on this journey none of us ever thought we'd take.  I told somebody it was kind of like the Road Runner Cartoon. If ya all remember that one. The railroad track is empty for miles and miles and miles, and the Coyote takes a step - BLAM. I sometimes feel like the Coyote....

[GM]

Because of my job (prior military...USAF), I was required to have annual hearing exams (I worked around aircraft...helicopters).  Everyone I knew had some form of tinnitus from working on the flightline, so that wasn’t a real shocker.  I did have a couple of “strange sound� days where the tones on the telephone when you dialed a number sounded weird…but I just threw cotton in my ear and pressed on thinking it was an ear infection.  But one year I kept failing my hearing test for my left ear.  I had a band of hearing that just wasn’t there anymore and it was found during my hearing test.  I scored almost exactly…three times in a row (failed the test with same exact results). 

So…I was referred to ENT, where they performed a bunch of tests.  The doc came up with inconclusive results.  So from there I was sent to see a specialist, who decided to do further tests and have an MRI.  I found that I had lost 90% of the balance function in my left ear…and didn’t even know it.  My right ear had compensated.  The MRI showed it…plain as day. 

So for me I really didn’t have any warning signs.

Gary

[Kathleen_Mc]

Erin: For many years I suffered major headaches and insomnia, was not properly "worked up" by a neurologist and treated as "psychosomatic" for a number of years. When I lost the feeling in the left side of my face I was sent to another neurologist who thought I had MS and it was through testing for this the AN was found. My symptoms (that I was aware of) severe headaches, insomnia, numbness of the cheek area of my face along with some other things that I think may have been related but aren't typical AN symptoms. When the testing was done a high percentage of hearing loss was noted but I was not aware of this (didn't use the phone on that side etc. so hadn't noticed and I thought everybody had trouble hearing in bars!).
Kathleen

[SuzeAN]

We found mine July 2005, but it was in Oct 2004 that I went to the doctor because I had a "buzzing" in my left ear.  The doctor suggested a hearing test, then the audiologist after seeing slight hearing loss suggested that my doctor set me up for an MRI to just make sure that every thing is ok because "tinnitus on one side may sometimes be indicative of an acoustic neuroma, which most likely you wouldn't have, its very rare...."  and that was the first time I heard the term acoustic neuroma.

 I put off having my MRI, because I thought I probaly had tinnitus because I was always around loud music for years (worked in the music industry), but then I was getting odd headaches, only on one side, sorta felt like when you have a ponytail for too long or a hair clipped up too long.  Mentioned this to my new doctor when I went for a physical and he sent me for MRI....and here I am today...

Had CK 10/2005, feeling really good, tinnitus a bit louder and headaches only when I am overtired, or stressed (like when my husband invites 16 people over for a "BBQ" and gives me one day notice!)    :0

[Battyp]

SuzeAn shame on husband!

Funny we were neck in neck with complaints and diagnosis.  I'm bummed I didn't get an option of ck..was told mine was too big at 2.5 (  Funny how treatment options vary by states. 

[Mark H]

I'm still in the process of waiting and watching to find out if I do have AN's. If so, they're bilateral. They are still so small (2mm as of Jan. MRI) the Dr's aren't sure what they are even though they call them AN's when we talk. I had an ENT do a hearing test in Jan. too, right side is way less than left, which is about normal. Left side is also the loudest as far as my tinnitus. Last year my Dr sent me to another place for a hearing test, I think it was aboutthe same result as in January. They called me a couple days ago and asked if I wanted to comein for another exam. I'm pretty sure I've lost some hearing on the right side since the ENT test in Jan., but I've been putting off seeing if I'm right. Part of me doesn't really want to know, but since they called me, and it's free, I'm going to go in next Tuesday and see if there's any change.   
Mark

[Battyp]

FREE    Heck I'd go too!

[Mark H]

BP,
yep, free is my favorite price. It's not a bad test either. They do the normal tone stuff, picking voices out of background noises, and a few others, but I didremember what thay are. With the headphones on I find it pretty easy to hear voices in background noise, in real life at work I have real trouble. 
Mark

[Jeanlea]

I noticed that I heard less in one ear than the other when I was on the phone.  I went to a local doctor who had me take decongestants.  I didn't really pay much attention to it.  Two months later I decided to see my local ENT.  He had me take a hearing test.  I had a 12% hearing loss in one ear.  He told me he wanted me to get an MRI to check for a tumor.  When I read his report afterwards he had noted that the MRI was to check for an acoustic neuroma.  I also had the contrast done.  At this point in time I was still unaware that there was any problem.  I figured he was just being safe.  Next thing I know the doctor is calling me and telling me that I have a benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma.  He made an appointment for me to see an AN doctor two days later.  I feel impressed that he found it so quick since I doubt he sees very many in our small town.  Surgery was a month after that.  Recovery has been another matter...

Jean