Other Symptoms

[RC18]

I was diagnosed in early January, 2018 with a 13 mm AN.  My first symptoms were some tinnitus and SSHL about 7 years ago.  However, last year (mid-2017) some fullness in the ear (in addition to further hearing loss in the left ear) came about in addition to some of what the doctors described as "disequilibrium."  I also had some of what I call "eye strain" (preference to have less light and general discomfort).  We sought and received multiple opinions from several of the finest neurosurgery teams with the joint conclusion that we should "wait & watch" at least until the next MRI in about a month from now.  My overall symptoms have been sporadic, although lately my dizziness, eye strain and ocular migraines have become more frequent.  I am 63 years "young," physically active (i.e. running, hiking, cycling, weight training, etc.) and still work far more than 40 hour weeks.  In all the vast amounts of literature that my wife and I have read, the webinars we have watched, and the forum dialogues we have viewed, there does not appear to be much about continued dizziness, eye strain, and/or migraines.  I am wondering if anyone else has experienced much of these symptoms? 

[leapyrtwins]

Tinnitus isn't a symptom of an AN, although some people with ANs have tinnitus.

Fullness in the ear and hearing loss are both fairly common symptoms, as are balance issues (because often the AN lies on the balance nerve).  The fullness in my ear went away post-op.  My hearing loss became permanent, which honestly can be very depressing.  But I opted for a BAHA implant and my depression no longer exists.  Typically during surgery the balance nerve is cut, but you have 2 so the balance nerve on the other side "takes over" and your body adjusts. 

I haven't heard much about eye strain, but I do know that lots of people have temporary double-vision after AN surgery (I did).

Watch and wait is a good option - especially @ your age because AN's typically grow slowly.  But that said, if you find yourself with more symptoms or the ones you currently have become worse or more frequent you should seek treatment sooner rather than later.  Also, it's important to monitor the growth - or lack thereof - with regular MRIs since occasionally an AN will grow faster than normal (mine did). 

Of those people who are post treatment, the biggest "issue" I hear about is migraines, but everyone is different.  I've heard a lot of people who had the retrosigmoid surgical approach complain of migraines, but I had retrosig and have never had a migraine.

Like a lot of things in life, everyone's AN experience is different.  No one can really say that you'll encounter.  They can only tell you possibilities.

Jan