What caused your AN ?

[Sue]

No to just about everything on your list, except that since I'm 60 (egad), 15-20 years ago I'm sliding into menopause.  I never smoked anything, light drinker, no major head injuries, nobody in my family has this that I've ever heard of...."Just one of those things...just one of those crazy things...."

[marystro]

Head trauma - no
Family AN history - no
Cell phone - heavy user for 10 years (talked so much that phone became hot at times; now I use speaker or ear piece)
Estrogen - 3 years estrogen patch use since hysterectomy (fibroids)
Stress - lots (but I am Type A)
Nuclear - worked in a nuclear fuel rod manufacturing facility (office only) for 6 years
Smoke - no
Diet coke - no
Healthy - always
Exercise - due to cholesterol check, I started regular exercise almost the same time when my first symptom was noticed a year ago
Diet - healthy food (my cholesterol went down 40 points through diet and exercise then bang! I got diagnosed with AN - go figure!)

FYI - My reputable high tech co-worker friends in my company which develops and sells wireless technologies all said the whole phone is an antenna and that the industry protects the issue heavily.  And yes, they all said radiation comes out of the phone.

Bottom line: I believe our body's hormonal balance changes when you are stressed out.  Then when exposed to undesirable environmental factors, abnormalities fester.  My mom always said I don't eat balance diet and not cook nor eat enough herbal food.  Back to the ying-yang cause.

[Boppie]

I posted a question about panarex images of the head in the General Category.  I guess it belongs here.

[Captain Deb]

I had dengue fever in 1981, sort of like malaria, and is mosquito-borne. The natives call it "break-bone fever, cuz your joints hurt like he**!! Laid up for about 5 days with fever and delerium a month to recover. Had to quit my skipper job and everything! Hmmmmmm.
Capt Deb

[okiesandy]

Gosh, it has been a long time since I have looked at this thread. Way back in January someone ask about the Kansas City Acoustic Neruoma survey and what the web site was it it is:  www.anakc.org  these are very interesting surveys. I keep intending to drive North an go to one of thier meetings. I think they only meet quarterly. They have a very good web site. Worth goingi into.


Sandy

[antoinette]

In my case, Jeof, I strongly believe it was a car accident, rear ended while stopped at a crosswalk, projected 2 car length away sreaming.
All my symptoms stared then or shortly after, and off course, they were confused with the accident outcome so it took another 7 years to get an MRI aimed at the inner ear.
That was 1990, I had kept this AN so long, it was ok with me to keep it longer. it has never stopped growing, slowly, It is now in the CP angle, free to go and not restricted by the bone of the iac. Next year, I will have another MRI in August.
It gave me enough time to learn all there is, and to know where I wish to have it "done", HEC, off course!
antoinette

[chelsmom]

I have been thinking if Chelsea ever had a head injury but can't think of any.  What she did have was a very long period of strep throat and eventually her tonsils removed when she was 5.  This is all in the ENT area.  I have been wondering if there was a connection between this and mutated schwann (sp) cells.  Her Doc believes that his tumor was very old.  Probably older than 10 years.   She hates artificial sugar, doesn't smoke, drink coffee, listen to music too loud (although she has gone to a few concerts), doesn't drink but does use the computer a lot and used to use my analog cell phone years ago.  Who knows.  If it turns out to be connected to cell or cordless phones or artificial sweeteners, this world is in big trouble.

[suelay]

I have been thinking someone should do this, so I'm not surprised that one of you folks already had. 
Head injury--yes--concussion snow skiing several years ago--out for awhile, then fine
nutrasweet--gracious plenty
cell phone--even more.

[Larry]

This has to be one of the more interesting threads on this board. I am fascinated by the variations of "trauma" that we have all had and trying to link those with our AN's. There really isn't too common a theme that we could say - hey - 40 people have had this that the other but only one item is common. Be good if we could spot this but my reading of this thread doesn't really point to any one item - what a shame. haven't put it all in a database but maybe i will print all the threads and try an put a database together to see if something highlights. Something to do whilst on the plane to the U.S next week.

Laz

[Volley]

I see this thread had been going for quite a while.  I'm new here having been diagnosed with an intracanalicular acoustic neuroma, 3.5 mm. in size.  I had an MRI in January '06 that was negative except for "mucosal thickening of the petrous apex", which is part of this area of the head.  Anyways, my sore throat and earache symptoms have continued along with new burning and tingling of my face, so I asked for another MRI and that is where they think they see a possible acoustic neuroma. 

I'd like to propose that acoustic neuromas could be caused by bouts of severe viral infections.  In the last couple years I've developed very painful "canker" sores in the left side of my mouth back at the juncture where the upper and lower jaw meet.  I call them canker sores, but I know they are probably aphthous ulcers or some type of herpetic ulcers.  Nonetheless, they are viral-like.  This started about a year and a half ago when I was under a great deal of stress because my husband was having colon cancer surgery (completely cured, thank God).  Now I have an acoustic neuroma?

Please weigh in if you remember any recurrent viral episodes before the AN diagnosis.  My symptoms include facial burning, sore throat feeling every few weeks, ear ache with sore throats, burning earlobe and full feeling in ear.  No perceived hearing loss.  I am just starting my journey, so I'll be posting one of those looong "I'm new here" posts soon that will include other symptoms in my shoulder and chest.  I'll be asking if people ever had symptoms that far from their head with their acoustic neuromas.    'til then....

[Joef]

Bump ... there has been some recent questions about habits that cause AN's ... this is an olde but a goodie thread ...

[Obita]

The AN was my third wierd medical problem.

#1 - Guillian Barre - a rare nerve disease (side effect of the swine flu shot) I couldn't walk into the hospital but walked out a week later after mega doses of steroids. 

#2 - Avascular Necrosis in my hips/shoulders (side effect of the steroids used to cure the Guillian Barre)   Total hips done Aug. and Oct. of '04 - shoulders on hold, don't want any more surgery!!!   

#3 - The AN

? Good one to bump up joef - Kathy

ps:  I think I mentioned on a earlier thread that I grew up very close to the Mpls./St. Paul International Airport.  My brother is convinced that our wierd family medical problems could be from jet fuel being dumped on our neighborhood a few times a year.......it was nasty and it took days to dissipate.  Brother, testicular cancer.  Sister, ovarian cancer & thyroid tumor.  Brother, pituitary tumor.  My twin sisters are the only ones that have never had anything medically wrong.

[Joef]

How long was Gillian Bare before the AN ? I wonder if you had the AN then ...

for me, I can trace back symptoms almost 20 years before my AN .. I had a very slight ringing in my ears I would notice only when trying to sleep ... of course got steady louder over the 20 years... about 15 years ago I noticed a loss of hearing .. no big deal for me then .. and the real clincher .. I would get a twitch in my forehead once it a blue moon lasting only a sec or 2. and that was 15 years ago!! about 5 years ago, I noticed my balance was not what it once was ... I thought it was the first sign of age ... I quit smoking ... and that helped a lot ..  and then 2 years before .. I noticed numbness .. I tought it was a tooth problem ...FINALLY I went to my GP and he sent me for a MRI --- and now you know the rest of the story

[Obita]

Hi Joe:

I had Guillian Barre in 1978 or 1979.  The tinnitus I ignored started about 2001 or 2002.  I never had any type of MRI or CT.  They used EMG to diagnose the GB.  I had not thought about this years but getting the diagnosis for GB was as hard as getting one for the AN.  I could not walk without much effort and my arms, hands, legs and feet felt like they were on fire.  Must be anemic they said, maybe MD they said, maybe it is in your head they said........well, we have ruled out everything else, on to a neurologist......two seconds after I tried to walk for him he said:  I think you have Guillian Barre, lets do an EMG........man was I ever naive back then.  Of course it was neurological.....

Kathy

[okiesandy]

I am intrested in how long you took the steroids and how much taken to develop the hip problems. I have had heavy doses of steroids 6 times in less than two years for my autoimmune inner ear disease. Now I am on them at low dosage forever. Also how long after taking them did you develop the hip problem?

Sandy