can anyone tell me how long they had to wait for a possitiv A.N. please

[joanne8]

hi, i have to wait about 2 weeks before i am going to get any answers, is this usual. or is it with persons showing an, do they  get  the results there  and then to see a specialist,or are you just told,   that you have A.N. then  have a follow-up appointment or does take a while for them to get back to you.

any personnal stories about how you were told after could be helpfull to me.

many thanx Jo. x

[kiwi]

Hi Joanne

I got told I had an AN by my retiring specialist by phone and then got sent to another specialist 5 hours drive from me 2 weeks later to get answers.  It was not a good time,  told you had a 4cm brain tumour and left to search the net for answers.  Luckily I found this site and by the time I saw my new specialist I already new what he was going to say, except for the part where he said that I had a very good chance of having facial paralysis.  A hard pill to swallow.

Jacqui

[CHD63]

Hi Jo .....

You are probably going to have many different answers to this one.

In my case, I went for the MRI (with contrast) thinking it was just to rule out an AN (I had had an MRI ..... without contrast  ..... a year earlier).  I left the imaging facility thinking my doctor would be notified quickly if I had an AN and would let me know equally quickly.  When I did not hear anything within 48 hours, I relaxed and waited until my follow-up appointment with my ENT, which was two weeks after the MRI.  I went to the appointment by myself, wondering what was causing my symptoms since it must not have been anything serious.  I was totally shocked when the doctor walked in and said "Well, you have a large acoustic neuroma."  (Actually it should have been considered medium at 2+cm.)  The reasoning ability of my brain shut down and I think I asked some questions but I have no remembrance of what or what the answers were.  I was emotionally numb and walked out of there in a daze with a piece of paper stating which doctors were being contacted for treatment referral for me.

Word of advice:  take someone with you to your follow-up appointment to listen, take notes, ask questions, etc.

Best thoughts.  Clarice

[tenai98]

Hi Joanne
I had gradual hearing loss and was referred to an ENT for testing...when I failed those test (loss not age related) they sent me for an MRI....as I went to a private clinic, I was able to view the images at home before seeing the ENT.  It was clear from the images that something was not right on the left side of my brain.....so I searched brain tumors and came upon this site...so I knew of the tumor before it was comfirmed by the ENT.
Joann

[joanne8]

thankyo jaci. how long waes it before you got the phonecall , also i had an M.R.I. done with no contrst, as the portable cabin i had to go to did not have that sort of facillities.
thankyou Jo. x

[joanne8]

Thankyou everyone, i know we all find out in different way`s but im thinking that because it was done without contrast then the pics must of looked ok,  although i did get a bit paranoid as the nurse walked me back over to the hospital where as she not anyone else, she probably just a nice nurse or needed to go that way, lol, but i did go quite dizzy as they put me in the scanner, the radiologist was lovely, she just said we got some really good picures, so im pleased about that.

best wishes Jo. x

[kiwi]

Hi Joanne

It took a month before I even got an MRI, 2 days for them to phone me another 2 weeks to see a specialist and three months till surgery.  The most difficult part for me was the two postponements of surgery which added another 6 weeks of nervous waiting and it took another month for them to organise my surgery for my CSF leak.   Wait, wait , wait is makes you a nervous wreck and the stress of it all is terrible.

Jac

[jaylogs]

I had to wait 4 days from the time I saw my ENT to the time I went for my MRI to when I heard the news...so that's pretty quick!
Jay

[leapyrtwins]

My experience.

I had the MRI with contrast, figured it would show nothing and pretty much forgot all about it.  I was completely surprised when my ENT (who ordered the MRI) called me a few days after it was done to tell me there was "something" in my ear.

When I pressed him, he claimed he had no idea what it could be and he also claimed that he had no idea how large it was when I specifically asked him    This from a doctor I'd known for over 28 years.  He quickly referred me to a neurotologist - and a damn good one at that.

It was only when I got a copy of my MRI and the radiologist's report that I saw the size of my tumor and first read the words acoustic neuroma.  The radiologist also speculated that it could be a meningioma.  Both these terms sent me scrambling to my medical dictionary. 

Things pretty much depend on the facility you had your MRI at, but most times if the results show an AN - or anything else out of the ordinary - your doc contacts you fairly rapidly.

Jan

[lori67]

Joanne,

It's just going to depend on how busy the radiologist is and how busy the doctor is.  If the radiologist is able to read it and get the report to your doctor relatively quickly, then as long as the ordering doctor isn't really far behind in his workload, you should hear pretty quickly.  I didn't have to wait long at all, but the imaging facility I went to was brand new and didn't have a full patient load yet because no one knew it even existed, so the radiologist was probably sitting around with his feet up waiting for something exciting to happen.  ( I guess that was me!).  Chances are, you'll hear from them sooner than the 2 weeks one way or the other.  They usually just want to cover their butts and not promise to get back to you in a day when they aren't positive they'll be able to do that.  I wouldn't read into it too much if I were you.  Worrying about it won't change the results - it'll only give you grey hair and high blood pressure!     And no one needs that!

Lori

[joanne8]

Thank`s lori, that is so true, you have amused me, i am trying to keep busy, but then i get reminders with the balance prob`s , i know you have all been where i am at present.

Love and best wishes Jo. x

[Kaybo]

My case was a bit different because the size and the life threatening element...I had my MRI one evening and the Dr., himself, called me at work the next day.  I was in Houston the next day and was scheduled for my operation before a week's time.  I assume that the "quick" timeline was due to the fact that the tumor was SO large that my brainstem was totally displaced to the side of my head instead of the middle.  Obviouly, if you didn't hear ASAP, that is not anywhere near the case for you!  WHEW!!  Even though my case was pretty extreme and I kind of had a rough go - I am FINE now and have a WONDERFUL life.  AN's are scary and change your life but definitely NOT the end of the world!!   

K   

[Adrienne]

I live in Canada, so that changes things.  It was a week after my MRI that I got the results, and 10 weeks after that before I could even speak to a specialist (agonizing).

[LisaP]

Hi,


My next MRI is on October 25th in Boston at the Mass Eye and Ear.  My MRI is at 8:00, I will find out the results the same day when I meet with the doctor at 10:00.  Wish me luck that I receive good news of no growth and continue to W&W.

thanks

LisaP

[Jim Scott]

Joanne ~

I know you've probably read enough answers to your question by now but I wanted to add my response, for whatever little it may be worth to you. 

I received a call from my PCP approximately 2 days following my MRI scan.  He called me at 7 P.M. via his cell phone and explained that the MRI, which he had ordered expecting me to have some kind of 'sinus condition' to explain my loss of taste, showed an acoustic neuroma.  "A big one", as he put it, and "too big for GammaKnife".  I muttered affirmatively but really had no idea what he was talking about.  He explained that the tumor (scary word!) was very likely benign but was causing all my symptoms.  Within hours I had haunted the internet seeking explanations of 'acoustic neuroma'.  By the next day, I understood what the MRI scan had showed and what I had to consider.  My PCP had already scheduled a consultation appointment with a local neurosurgeon, who I did see but I ended up hiring a different neurosurgeon who did a fantastic job. 

In your case, two weeks seems an awfully long time to wait.  I trust that you'll hear something long before then, although as other posters have pointed out, there are a lot of variables and if the MRI shows nothing, there won't be any urgency to contact you.  Of course, that would be a good thing.

Jim