My tinnitus could be a brain tumor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had acoustic neuroma a while back and unfortunately this rare tumor is becoming more common. To answer your Q, I think an MRI with contrast (this is key) would be useful

Thank you. I get one tomorrow. OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ENT about very sporadic ringing in one ear and had perfect hearing test results. Should I go back and insist on an MRI? They mentioned nothing about an acoustic neuroma possibility, only that it might be some fluid imbalance.

That's what they told me initially. I'd get a second opinion. Well, I got three opinions and they were still all wrong, but I should have gone to a specialist like an otologist or a second ENT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are awfully far down the path of thinking you have a tumor when there is no specific evidence of that.[/quote

I see you have an opinion on my actions and did not answer my question. You can just move along.

OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are awfully far down the path of thinking you have a tumor when there is no specific evidence of that.

I see you have an opinion on my actions and did not answer my question. You can just move along unless you have any sort of useful answer to my question about how others can be helped in the future with better diagnostics.

Unless you think it works best to only help patients once they are partly deaf?

OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope my experience gives you some reassurance. I had mild tinnitus for a few months followed by sudden complete one-sided deafness. My MRI turned up no acoustic neuroma. It sucks to lose hearing but I was relieved to not need surgery. What I learned from my ENT, audiologist and the FB support groups I joined is most people do not have a tumor but they do have to investigate. Generally it remains unexplained and is chalked up to a virus or auto-immune issue. Like you, most people seem to get bad advice from their PCPs before finally making their way to an ENT. It is considered a medical emergency to lose hearing and quick intervention with oral steroids and injections can on occasion restore it. In my case, I was seen immediately but my hearing didn’t return.

Thank you. I was given steroids but I’m almost done with those and nothing is different.

I’d be fine with having the neuroma, because at least it could be removed and prevent further damage.

I’d rather have the neuroma and be deaf in one ear than have Meniere’s and go deaf in both ears.

Removing the neuroma can cause complete hearing loss, particularly if the tumor is large. My husband has known about his neuroma for years. The bundle of nerves it sits on controls facial muscles, hearing, and balance. The current plan of action is watch and wait. He gets an MRI every year to see if it's growing. He is slowing losing hearing in his right ear and has had tinnitus for awhile now.

Since surgery can pretty much kill off all remaining hearing in that ear, he's waiting until it becomes absolutely necessary. There's also the risk that it damages the nerves that control the facial muscles and balance which would just compound the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ENT about very sporadic ringing in one ear and had perfect hearing test results. Should I go back and insist on an MRI? They mentioned nothing about an acoustic neuroma possibility, only that it might be some fluid imbalance.

You could ask but my DH was sent for an MRI to check for a neuroma because he had a slight hearing loss in one ear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are awfully far down the path of thinking you have a tumor when there is no specific evidence of that.

I see you have an opinion on my actions and did not answer my question. You can just move along unless you have any sort of useful answer to my question about how others can be helped in the future with better diagnostics.

Unless you think it works best to only help patients once they are partly deaf?

OP

There is a very high chance that you don’t have a tumor. Good luck with the MRI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ENT about very sporadic ringing in one ear and had perfect hearing test results. Should I go back and insist on an MRI? They mentioned nothing about an acoustic neuroma possibility, only that it might be some fluid imbalance.

You could ask but my DH was sent for an MRI to check for a neuroma because he had a slight hearing loss in one ear.

As a woman, no ENT ever has suggested an MRI to check my hearing loss in one ear.
I suspect OP my also be a woman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ENT about very sporadic ringing in one ear and had perfect hearing test results. Should I go back and insist on an MRI? They mentioned nothing about an acoustic neuroma possibility, only that it might be some fluid imbalance.

You could ask but my DH was sent for an MRI to check for a neuroma because he had a slight hearing loss in one ear.

PP here. I’m a woman…hmm. What is slight hearing loss by the way? Mine really comes and goes maybe once a week or every two weeks? Lasts for less than a minute each time. I have to admit, I don’t think the ENT asked me any of these questions so I wonder if I went to a bad one

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope my experience gives you some reassurance. I had mild tinnitus for a few months followed by sudden complete one-sided deafness. My MRI turned up no acoustic neuroma. It sucks to lose hearing but I was relieved to not need surgery. What I learned from my ENT, audiologist and the FB support groups I joined is most people do not have a tumor but they do have to investigate. Generally it remains unexplained and is chalked up to a virus or auto-immune issue. Like you, most people seem to get bad advice from their PCPs before finally making their way to an ENT. It is considered a medical emergency to lose hearing and quick intervention with oral steroids and injections can on occasion restore it. In my case, I was seen immediately but my hearing didn’t return.

Thank you. I was given steroids but I’m almost done with those and nothing is different.

I’d be fine with having the neuroma, because at least it could be removed and prevent further damage.

I’d rather have the neuroma and be deaf in one ear than have Meniere’s and go deaf in both ears.

Removing the neuroma can cause complete hearing loss, particularly if the tumor is large. My husband has known about his neuroma for years. The bundle of nerves it sits on controls facial muscles, hearing, and balance. The current plan of action is watch and wait. He gets an MRI every year to see if it's growing. He is slowing losing hearing in his right ear and has had tinnitus for awhile now.

Since surgery can pretty much kill off all remaining hearing in that ear, he's waiting until it becomes absolutely necessary. There's also the risk that it damages the nerves that control the facial muscles and balance which would just compound the problem.

How old is your husband? I was told watch and wait is a good protocol for older people with acoustic nueroma

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ENT about very sporadic ringing in one ear and had perfect hearing test results. Should I go back and insist on an MRI? They mentioned nothing about an acoustic neuroma possibility, only that it might be some fluid imbalance.

You could ask but my DH was sent for an MRI to check for a neuroma because he had a slight hearing loss in one ear.

As a woman, no ENT ever has suggested an MRI to check my hearing loss in one ear.
I suspect OP my also be a woman.

New pp and female. I experienced sudden partial hearing loss in one ear while on vacation and I’m sure I got medical intervention too late to improve the situation not knowing at the time how critical it was. I was at the beach and thought I had just gotten water in my ear. I did see an ENT when I returned who cleaned out my ear and told me to see if that helped. It didn’t and then he did the injections and gave me steroids which also didn’t work. He did send me for an MRI to rule out an AN which I don’t have. I have permanent partial heating loss with some tinnitus and the ENT thinks it was caused by a virus.

[Anonymous]

OP, what did your MRI find?

[Anonymous]

Hi OP. I’m sorry you are going through this. I have some hearing loss and tinnitus that I’ve had for several years but it’s only become a serious problem in the last 2-3 years. I had an MRI and all the tests but they all came back negative. MRIs are costly and time consuming so I suspect drs are reluctant to order them but it did give me peace of mind.

Have you considered hearing aids? I am looking at them right now, mainly because of the tinnitus. The audiologist told me she had patients who had it so bad that they were suicidal but the hearing aid helped a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an ENT about very sporadic ringing in one ear and had perfect hearing test results. Should I go back and insist on an MRI? They mentioned nothing about an acoustic neuroma possibility, only that it might be some fluid imbalance.

You could ask but my DH was sent for an MRI to check for a neuroma because he had a slight hearing loss in one ear.

PP here. I’m a woman…hmm. What is slight hearing loss by the way? Mine really comes and goes maybe once a week or every two weeks? Lasts for less than a minute each time. I have to admit, I don’t think the ENT asked me any of these questions so I wonder if I went to a bad one

I would go to another doctor for a second opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, what did your MRI find?

I do not have a neuroma or infarction or hydrocephalus.

What I likely do have is a dysautonomia. I think my issue is due to low blood flow to the brain / auditory nerve. My other symptoms are in line with POTS or orthostatic hypotension, and my relevant symptoms go back to my teen years before they had a name for POTS.

PS: Tinnitus may be caused by the brain creating phantom sound due to loss of hearing. Google dorsal cochlea nucleus or see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3402636/