Top Tips For The 'Watch & Wait' Brigade!

[Mickey]

Way to go Derek! You have been very helpful in my journey with AN. I have been following your footsteps And every once in a while taking a few on my own to achieve our goals W+W. Hopfully this can be helpful to others who read posts on W+W Brigade to maybe find a good solution without doing any harm. Thankyou, Mickey

[Mickey]

Hi W+W buddies! Well I got my results from Jun. 26 MRI... A lesion measuring 5mm in diameter and 13mm in length. Last MRI 2yrs. approx. 6mm X 1.2mm, sounds to me at least "stable". Have to remember this MRI was done in a new machine. All other news in report good! Well all in all feeling good, I`m gonna celibrate this 4th of July weekend... God bless my AN friends, Best wishes, Mickey  P.S. next MRI 2years.

[Derek]

Great news for you and for us Mickey ...and just reward for your perseverance and commitment to W & W. Keep up the good work and enjoy your celebrations.

Best Wishes

Derek

P.S. I trust the 1.2mm was a 'typo' lol 

[Sheryl]

Great news Mickey - nice to have lots of company in the W&W brigade.  Going for my yearly MRI with hubby (who also has a brain tumor - meningioma) on July 24th.  Luckily the hospital has three MRI machines and we can be done at the same time and then see the doctor for results - AHH togetherness!!!

We were told that you don't need a different machine, hospital, or technician, that you can get "technical" differences even on the same equipment, etc.

Sheryl

[Derek]

Hi Sheryl...

Very best wishes to you both on the 24th and looking forward to some more great news from you! 

Best Regards

Derek

[Mickey]

Hi Sheryl! TY... Looking for good results for you and your hubby... My wife goes around the same time as me also. Couples who MRI together stay together! lol  Best wishes, Mickey

[LisaM]

Congrats to Derek & Mickey on your great news!  Sheryl... fingers crossed for good news with your MRIs on the 24th!  Sending you small, shrinking thoughts!

[Jackie]

Hi everyone in Watch and Wait and all of you Aner's who have had intervention, just want to congratulate Mickey, Derek and Lisa for their great MRI results!! So very happy for you and I hope that great news continues far into the future! Keep up the good work!

Sheryl, good-luck to you and hubby on your MRI's.
Sorry this is late but I haven't been on the forum for awile! Believe it or not I kinda forgot about mine! Hahahahaha NOT!
Blessings to all,
Jackie

[LisaM]

Ok... I've had a momentary setback...  Two weeks ago I was swimming with my daughter.  She accidentally shot water from a squirt bottle straight into the AN ear.  Then I was diving underwater, going to the bottom of the deep end when I felt a great deal of pressure in my head.  I panicked and quickly went up to the surface.  That night at about 9:30 I had an attack of sudden hearing loss with that very full feeling in my ear.  The next morning I went to House first thing.  They cleaned my ear of some wax and wrote a prescription for steroids.  Steroids make me feel psychotic so I really didn't want to take them.  I went to my acupuncturist and I went to another ENT Dr.  Both western medicine docs prescribed steroids and also an antibiotic.  And they related that the swimming incident was of no significance (I disagree with this).  I did three acupuncture treatments and decided not to do the steroids.  This I felt was very risky and I really hoped that I was making the right choice.  Thankfully my hearing returned after a few days.  The ear has continued to feel a bit raw and very sensitive.  The ENT doc told me that I had a great deal of inflammation in the ear nose throat area.  In early June I got some sort of upper respiratory bug from my daughter that has left me with a bit of congestion that is hanging on... this is most likely the source of inflammation or perhaps an allergy.  Still looking into this.

The acupuncturist told me to rest and take it easy explaining that we all have inflammation but our bodies repair this inflammation while we sleep.  When this attack happened I had also just returned from a stressful and exhausting 12 day trip and was sleep deprived.  Another symptom of concern was  a twitch on my lip and chin, also on the AN side.  Hoping everything returns to normal soon.  I am humbled.

[Derek]

Hi Lisa...

My rational response and being totally objective, is to analyse the salient antecedent facts pertaining to your current situation. Firstly you apparently contracted a respiratory virus only a few weeks ago which is still dominant and which has been confirmed by an ENT specialist as inflammation in your ear nose and throat tracts. It is possible that the inflammation has been aggravated whilst swimming / diving and further exacerbated via the pressure of the water entering your ear as a result of the incident with your daughter's squirt bottle thus causing your temporary hearing loss which fortunately has now returned. Lastly and by no means least, I do believe that your recent exhausting 12 day trip and sleep deprivation has added to your stress which could well be the underlying cause of the twitching to your lip and chin. It is well documented that undue stress can result in such inadvertent twitching. Albeit I am not medically qualified Lisa, my take on the facts as you describe lead me to believe that your symptoms are not related to your AN.

Hopefully a course of anti-inflammatory medication will sort that problem and an early MRI scan should put your mind at rest that all is well and that you can get back to 'normal' and continue in W & W 

Do keep us updated.

Best Regards

Derek

[Mickey]

Hi Lisa! Sorry to hear of your temporary setback.  These ears of ours are very sensitive.  I`m very careful to most things I do because I feel having this AN makes me more apt to have problems with them.  I use ear plugs and cotton when ever I think necessary (noise water etc.). Pamper them with nice music, learned thru nueromnics sessions and actually soothes them. Put a heating pad around neck shoulders and ears also. I`m sure that with your healthy lifestyle, time will heal your back to normal... Wishing you the best, Mickey

[LisaM]

Greetings alll... I am happy to report that my hearing has come back.  Hallelujah!  It is possible that the  temporary hearing issue had nothing to do with the AN but there is no real way to know.  I've picked up a new symptom of dizziness which may or may not be AN related.  The dizziness occurs mostly in the morning when I go from a prone to upright position.  My next  MRI is in November.   Derek and Mickey thanks for the support.   Sorry for the long  pause in responding.  I feel good and optimistic once again with my wait and watch status.  May the ANs get smaller and smaller... but slowly so the nerves don't shift and cause new problems.  Blessings to my fellow wait and watch brigaders!  Fingers crossed for good news in November.

[Derek]

Hi Lisa...

Good to know that your hearing has returned and that you are back in good spirits on the 'watch & wait' track. Hopefully your recent episodes of dizziness are not AN related and that you get some great news from your forthcoming MRI scan in November. Do keep us posted Lisa.

Best Wishes

Derek

[LisaM]

Thanks Derek!

[MG]

Hi! I am a new member. I found out I have an AN that is small, not quite a centimeter. I started having balance issues and dizziness along with ear pressure and some pain. I noticed my hearing in my left ear was affected and  had some ringing in the ear. I had an MRI and went to see a specialist at Shands in Gainesville. Luckily, he said I could wait and watch and have another MRI in a years time. I have so many questions so that's why I thought I should join the forum. I have read so many stories about AN's and it's very frightning to me. I have been noticing some  little things going on and wondering if anyone else has these, such as a funny taste in their mouth. I have noticed this for many months before I even had other symptoms. Has anyone had hair loss? I am just wondering. Maybe these things don't have anything to do with AN's. It is so stressful but I am trying hard to be positive. I would appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks alot!  MG