Hearing Loss in One Ear and AN in the other?

[WiscWahe]

I noticed significant hearing loss in my left ear in August of 2012.  February 2013 I finally had it checked out.  They found significant hearing loss in my left ear and stated that I should have an MRI done.  Like a typical 40 something male I put this off until May 2012. That is when they found an acoustic neuroma in my right ear.  That is my good ear. In the mean time I had developed a significant buzzing in my left ear (the one without the growth). The growth in my right or good ear is at 3mm.  I had a second MRI done a few weeks ago.  They determined that the AN had not grown. My doctor is stating that it is unlikely that the significant hearing loss in my left ear is unrelated to the growth in my right ear.  My doctor wants to remove the 3mm AN from my right or good ear to prevent the nerve from becoming damaged if the tumor continues to grow.

My question is, can you have an AN in one ear that effects hearing and buzzing in the opposite ear. 

I am thinking of having the 3mm growth removed in an attempt to preserve hearing in the "good" ear. Assuming that insurance will cover it.

Thoughts?  Thanks for your input.

Stefan

[arizonajack]

can you have an AN in one ear that effects hearing and buzzing in the opposite ear. 

Well, you can certainly have a hearing deficit and tinnitus in the non-AN ear but I'm not so sure that it relates to the AN.

I have had tinnitus in my left ear (non-AN side) for about 10 years and for the last couple of years have had about a 15% hearing deficit in the high frequency range. Neither of those issues have anything to do with my right side AN that eliminated my hearing on that side.

I am thinking of having the 3mm growth removed in an attempt to preserve hearing in the "good" ear.

Good idea.

A 3cm AN is about 3/4 of the size of a golf ball in a very tight space in your skull. It could affect adjacent nerves (and hearing) even if it doesn't grow.

 Assuming that insurance will cover it.

Never assume anything about insurance.

Read your policy.

[Nannybee]

Stefan,
Is the AN just 3mm, not 3cm? There is a huge difference. 3mm is very tiny, about half the diameter of a pencil eraser. Any treatment, especially surgery may result in complete loss of hearing in your AN ear, so be very careful if that is your intention.
NB

[WiscWahe]

To clarify the growth is only 3mm.  The doctor is making the suggestion to remove it in an attempt because he feels there is a greater need (and acceptable risk) to save the hearing in my AN ear since my non-AN ear is so bad.

Thanks for the replay so far.

[arizonajack]

Oops, misread that.

3mm is small enough to monitor for a bit, as long as nothing else is happening on that side.

[Tisha]

Well, I just highly doubt that the loss in your bad ear is due to the tumor in your good ear.  Just doesn't sound right to me.  I had loss in my non-AN ear, they think due to a virus, when I was 37.  It wasn't bad at first, but through the next decade kept worsening until it was highly suggested a HA would help...which it did.  Then 2 years after I got my HA I found out I had an AN in my perfect hearing ear (arrghhh).   

I strongly strongly advise you not to have surgery for a 3 mm AN.  I remember my neurotologist told me if anyone wanted to perform surgery on my perfect hearing ear to remove the tumor to get up and run.   Mine was 1.7 cm....so quite a bit larger than yours.   I think you should go see another doctor or two.  I'd also find a neurotologist, not just an ENT.   There's always a gamble to watch and waiting.   If it were me I'd go and have my hearing checked out every 3-6 months to make sure it is staying the same (and of course an MRI as recommended by the doctor).  the moment there was any change in my hearing, I'd start researching my options. 

Radiation would probably stop the growth, but there are still side effects with that.  One of them was I got tinnitus in my perfect afterwards.  But please...you have all the time in the world right now to investigate.

Tisha

[TJ]

You are having exactly the same that has happened to me.  In 2008 I had "sudden hearing loss" in my left ear.  They did the MRI and found the AN on the right side.  Having lost a lot of hearing in my left ear I was concerned about have surgery.  When found the AN was 5mm, I was on "watch and wait" for 2 years.  The went to 1.2cm so the doctor said it was time to do something.  Since I was concerned with additional damage to my right ear I had CK in Nov 0f 2010.  I have lost additional hearing on the right side, but wear hearing aids in both ears that compensate.

TJ

[coinman]

I was told by my doctors that I would lose all hearing with an operation. That was part of the reason I went with radiation, even though I have significant hearing loss in my AN ear. Please go to another doctor and talk to a surgeon. I was misdiagnosed for two years until my wife (yes my wife she didn't like what the doctors were telling me for two years. I was going along with what I was told),  made an appointment at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Jefferson found the AN immediately. Many ENT's do not have much experience with AN and I went to what I though were some pretty good doctors. DONT RUSH.       

[leapyrtwins]

My question is, can you have an AN in one ear that effects hearing and buzzing in the opposite ear. 

An AN in one ear generally only affects the ear it's in because it's in the IAC (inner ear canal) on that side of your head.  In other words, if your AN is in your right IAC it will affect the hearing in your right ear; it's pressing on the hearing nerve in that IAC.  If your AN is in your left IAC it will affect the hearing in your left ear.

As far as "buzzing" goes, it sounds like you are referring to tinnitus.  Tinnitus isn't related to your ears; it's literally all in your head.  It's basically noises that your brain is perceiving; not noises that are actually real. 

Jan

[leapyrtwins]

I was told by my doctors that I would lose all hearing with an operation.

That depends on the size and the location of the AN - and on the type of surgical approach that is used.

Translab approach typically results in complete hearing loss; retrosigmoig gives you a better chance of saving your hearing; mid-fossa gives you the best chance.  That said, not everyone is a candidate for all 3 types of approach; it depends on the size and location of the tumor.

For example, I have retrosigmoid and ended up SSD (single-side deaf) because my hearing nerve was wrapped around my AN.  In order to remove the entire tumor, my docs had to sever my hearing nerve.  If my AN was smaller - or in a different location in my IAC - I might have kept my hearing. 

[leapyrtwins]

To clarify the growth is only 3mm.  The doctor is making the suggestion to remove it in an attempt because he feels there is a greater need (and acceptable risk) to save the hearing in my AN ear since my non-AN ear is so bad.

If your AN is only 3 mm, why would your doctor suggest surgery?  3 mm is small.

Have you talked to anyone about radiation?  If so, what did they say about the possibility of saving your hearing?  If not, you should talk to a doc who does radiation. 

Not knocking surgery at all (had it myself) but you should explore all possibilities before you decide on treatment.

[WiscWahe]

The issue comes down to how much hearing I have lost in my non-AN ear. To date we have not been able to determine a cause.  He is recommending the middle fossa procedure since that has the highest probability of saving most hearing in my AN ear. From what I have read you don't want the thing to impact the nerve by growing further.

As of right now I am waiting to schedule surgery.  The doctor I am seeing has positive reviews and tried at U of Iowa with one of the the doctors.  I trust him.  But then again a second opinion would not hurt.

I am currently scheduled for two types of tests: (1) Electrocochleography (ECOG) and (2) Electronystagmogram (ENG)/Videonystagmogram (VNG). The first is to the auditory system.  The second is to test balance. I am hoping, albeit naively, that I will learn something more about the hearing loss in my non AN ear.

Thanks for all the responses.  I am finding this to be a great source of information, support and level-setting.