Hello Group. My name is Ernie, and in about 8 hours I will officially be diagnosed with AN.
My MRI results say:
A 1.3 X 0.8 CM mass in the right cerebellopontine angle extending into the internal auditory canal consistent with vestibular schwannoma. I think I have read nearly every thread there is here on this site in the last 12 hours
![Smiley :)](https://www.anausa.org/smf/Smileys/classic/smiley.gif)
. I guess it's probably time to get some sleep soon before my appointment. I sure feel better about going to my ENT appointment armed with the knowledge I have gained by reading all your posts!
Some background for you. About 6 months (could it be a year?) ago, I started to notice some hearing loss in my right ear. I have had a long history of temporary hearing loss due to wax buildup, and ear drops followed by flushing with warm water has always corrected the problem. Well, this last time, it didn't correct for my right ear. I repeated the process but got no more wax. Strange, I thought, but dismissed it. About 2 months ago (or is it 6?) I noticed a ringing in my right ear. Great, I thought. Now I'm getting an ear infection. The ringing persisted, but with no pain. Over time, the ringing increased in intensity, and is now at the point where I can't ignore it. It pretty much overpowers any background noise I have on, and when I do find myself in a noisier environment, the ringing gets so loud that when I get to a quiet place, it's amazingly loud.
My AN is considered small by most standards, but I don't yet know the growth rate. I have had vertigo, but no numbness or facial problems. It's funny that after reading so many posts here, I find a lot of people concerned (and rightfully so) about complete hearing loss in one ear. For me, if that meant stopping the ringing, I'd be all for it.
Thanks for being here for me and everyone else who comes here looking for support!
Ernie in Tampa Florida