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Author Topic: Boy am I crabby!  (Read 6015 times)

campbellmerlin

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Boy am I crabby!
« on: January 29, 2016, 11:43:14 am »
  It's been almost 5 years since my gamma knife treatment. I have the constant tinnitus which I expected,  complete hearing loss in right ear (also expected), off balance, dizzy, all of the above. But I am recently becoming very crabby with no patience for people (especially my 90 yr old mom. Being in small spaces with noise or continual talking drives me nuts. Can't go to restaurants because of background noise annoying me. Watching TV has become weird because if the actors have an accent I cannot understand them at all. Anyone have this kind of extra-special weirdness going on?
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CHD63

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2016, 12:19:10 pm »
Hi campbellmerlin .....

I did not have radiation treatment for my tumor, but welcome to my world!   :(

It has become a real exercise in patience dealing with these issues.  Every morning I get up and tell myself "Today you will not let these things bother you."  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  I do find that when I push through it and stay busy, it is better!

Thoughts and prayers.

Clarice
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Right MVD for trigeminal neuralgia, 1994, Pittsburgh, PA
Left retrosigmoid 2.6 cm AN removal, February, 2008, Duke U
Tumor regrew to 1.3 cm in February, 2011
Translab AN removal, May, 2011 at HEI, Friedman & Schwartz
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Nannybee

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2016, 05:34:30 pm »
Hi Campbellmerlin -
I'm right there with you! I'm coming up on 3 yrs post treatment and the tinnitus literally drives me mad. My husband has given up trying to understand why I'm so depressed and I've stopped looking to him for support. After all, I look fine from the outside & why can't I just get over it?

Dealing with the balance issues, constant distraction of the screeching inside my head and now a recent abrupt drop in my hearing has me questioning if life is worth living. Like you, I have stopped going to restaurants and parties. The closed captioning feature on TV is the only thing that allows me to watch TV.

Crabby would be a polite way to describe myself lately! I long for silence and find myself envious of the people close to me who can do normal things that I used to take for granted and can no longer do.
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AN 18x19 mm
3 meningiomas
NF2
AN treated with SRS April 2013
MRI Feb 2016 AN shrunk to 17 x 8 mm :)
Constant tinnitus in AN ear
Severe hearing loss AN ear

arizonajack

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2016, 05:41:13 pm »
Quote from: campbellmerlin on January 29, 2016, 11:43:14 am
Watching TV has become weird because if the actors have an accent I cannot understand them at all.

I have that problem. Along with that the dialog is often overshadowed by the background music or noises.

I mentioned that to my audiologist recently and she got me the Phonak TVLink to match my Phonak hearing aid in my almost good ear. The TVLink transmits audio from the TV directly to my hearing aid. The audio bypasses the TV's crappy speakers and the dialog comes over crisp and clear, even accents, and the background music and noise not as noticeable.

I've had it a few weeks now and it's been working great.

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3/15/18 12mm x 6mm x5mm
9/21/16 12mm x 7mm x 5mm
3/23/15 12mm x 5.5mm x 4mm
3/13/14 12mm x 6mm x 4mm
8/1/13 14mm x 5mm x 4mm (Expected)
1/22/13 12mm x 3mm (Gamma Knife)
10/10/12 11mm x 4mm x 5mm
4/4/12 9mm x 4mm x 3mm (Diagnosis)

My story at: http://www.anausa.org/smf/index.php?topic=18287.0

PaulW

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2016, 06:02:11 pm »
I have had the privilege of bad hearing and tinnitus and it getting better again.
I was definitely crabby with bad hearing and tinnitus.
Hearing can cause this crabiness. If you don't have a CROS hearing aid or by the sounds of it BiCROS I think it is worth investigating..


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10x5x5mm AN
Sudden Partial hearing loss 5/28/10
Diagnosed 7/4/10
CK 7/27/10
2/21/11 Swelling 13x6x7mm
10/16/11 Hearing returned, balance improved. Feel totally back to normal most days
3/1/12 Sudden Hearing loss, steroids, hearing back.
9/16/13 Life is just like before my AN. ALL Good!

PaulW

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2016, 06:04:28 pm »
If it's 5 years and you are still dizzy it maybe worth investigating Gentamicin treatment for your AN side which will permanantly disable your vestibular nerve on your AN Side.. Sounds like it's still working and remains upset
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10x5x5mm AN
Sudden Partial hearing loss 5/28/10
Diagnosed 7/4/10
CK 7/27/10
2/21/11 Swelling 13x6x7mm
10/16/11 Hearing returned, balance improved. Feel totally back to normal most days
3/1/12 Sudden Hearing loss, steroids, hearing back.
9/16/13 Life is just like before my AN. ALL Good!

Doc

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2016, 06:11:14 pm »
It’s always there, howling away in my left ear. The one I’m supposed to be 100% deaf in. I don’t think any of us can ever escape it, but I’ve learned after six years how to effectively ignore it. By the way, tinnitus is our brains playing tricks on us. Remember, we’re deaf in ’that’ ear.

Take Care  ;)

Doc
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Left-Translab July '09. Cyberknife Jan 2010. In Apr 2017, four more tumors found; three in the brain and one, 7cm long, on my spinal cord; it was surgically removed. It was cancerous, and so are the others. I've been receiving Chemo since June '18, and I'm still in treatment.

mcrue

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #7 on: January 29, 2016, 11:54:14 pm »
Quote from: Nannybee on January 29, 2016, 05:34:30 pm
Hi Campbellmerlin -
I'm right there with you! I'm coming up on 3 yrs post treatment and the tinnitus literally drives me mad. My husband has given up trying to understand why I'm so depressed and I've stopped looking to him for support. After all, I look fine from the outside & why can't I just get over it?

Dealing with the balance issues, constant distraction of the screeching inside my head and now a recent abrupt drop in my hearing has me questioning if life is worth living.

I feel you. Tinnitus can certainly be life changing, especially for those who experience Tinnitus at a  "catastrophic" level.
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5/19/2015 - 40% sudden hearing loss + tinnitus right ear

6/26/2015 - AN diagnosed by MRI - 14mm x 7mm + 3mm extension

8/26/2015 - WIDEX "ZEN" hearing aid for my catastrophic tinnitus

12/15/2015: 18mm x 9mm + 9mm extension (5mm AGGRESSIVE GROWTH in 5 months)

3/03/2016:   Gamma Knife - Dr. Sheehan

PaulW

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2016, 01:30:51 am »
Tinnitus = crabby
Single sided deafness = crabby
Balance problems = crabby
Hearing loss in non AN ear = crabby
Hearing aids can help mask tinnitus, allow you to hear on your AN side with a CROS hearing aid. And improve your hearing with a BICROS hearing aid on your non AN side.
Vestibular therapy can help with balance. But if it gets unmanageable a gentamicin injection into the ear drum may possibly be the answer.

Hopefully if you tackle each of these problems you may be less crabby
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10x5x5mm AN
Sudden Partial hearing loss 5/28/10
Diagnosed 7/4/10
CK 7/27/10
2/21/11 Swelling 13x6x7mm
10/16/11 Hearing returned, balance improved. Feel totally back to normal most days
3/1/12 Sudden Hearing loss, steroids, hearing back.
9/16/13 Life is just like before my AN. ALL Good!

arizonajack

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2016, 10:57:30 am »
Quote from: PaulW on January 30, 2016, 01:30:51 am
Tinnitus = crabby
Single sided deafness = crabby
Balance problems = crabby
Hearing loss in non AN ear = crabby

You left one out:

Getting old and having other things go wrong = crabby.  ;D
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3/15/18 12mm x 6mm x5mm
9/21/16 12mm x 7mm x 5mm
3/23/15 12mm x 5.5mm x 4mm
3/13/14 12mm x 6mm x 4mm
8/1/13 14mm x 5mm x 4mm (Expected)
1/22/13 12mm x 3mm (Gamma Knife)
10/10/12 11mm x 4mm x 5mm
4/4/12 9mm x 4mm x 3mm (Diagnosis)

My story at: http://www.anausa.org/smf/index.php?topic=18287.0

Echo

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2016, 08:41:37 pm »
Hi Campbellmerlin,

Wow can I relate to you - crabby especially with your 90 year old mom!

My 90 year old mom has been loosing her hearing for the past 3 years and it is now quite severe.  I am 61 and have been wearing my Phonak BiCros very successfully for the past 2 years.  You would think that watching me adjust to wearing a hearing aid would motivate her to try one as well.  Can you imagine how crabby I got when she told me last month that she doesn't think she's old enough yet to start wearing a hearing aid!  Yup...crabby comes with the territory some days.

Cathie
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Diagnosed: June 2012, right side AN 1.8cm
June 2013: AN has grown to 2.4 cm.
Gamma Knife: Sept. 11, 2013 Toronto Western Hospital

arizonajack

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #11 on: February 01, 2016, 12:34:31 am »
Quote from: Echo on January 31, 2016, 08:41:37 pm
Hi Campbellmerlin,

Wow can I relate to you - crabby especially with your 90 year old mom!

My 90 year old mom has been loosing her hearing for the past 3 years and it is now quite severe.  I am 61 and have been wearing my Phonak BiCros very successfully for the past 2 years.  You would think that watching me adjust to wearing a hearing aid would motivate her to try one as well.  Can you imagine how crabby I got when she told me last month that she doesn't think she's old enough yet to start wearing a hearing aid!  Yup...crabby comes with the territory some days.

Cathie

Let her wear yours for a couple of days.  ;)
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3/15/18 12mm x 6mm x5mm
9/21/16 12mm x 7mm x 5mm
3/23/15 12mm x 5.5mm x 4mm
3/13/14 12mm x 6mm x 4mm
8/1/13 14mm x 5mm x 4mm (Expected)
1/22/13 12mm x 3mm (Gamma Knife)
10/10/12 11mm x 4mm x 5mm
4/4/12 9mm x 4mm x 3mm (Diagnosis)

My story at: http://www.anausa.org/smf/index.php?topic=18287.0

james e

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #12 on: February 02, 2016, 04:40:06 pm »
Crabby is a choice. I will not comply.
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ANGuy

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Re: Boy am I crabby!
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2016, 09:10:31 pm »
Quote from: james e on February 02, 2016, 04:40:06 pm
Crabby is a choice. I will not comply.

Well said!
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Diagnosed June 2014 1cm AN at 47 years of age.  Had fluctuating symptoms since 2006.    6 mos MRI (Dec 2014) showed no growth, MRI  in July 2015 showed no growth.  MRI Jan 2016 showed no growth.  MRI Aug 2016 showed no growth.  I'm gonna ride the WW train as long as I can.
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