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Sudden hearing loss for 2nd time in AN ear

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Ric:
Hi all,
I was diagnosed with 5mm AN in Right ear in Feb.  after a sudden hearing loss that got better with prednisone.  Last Tues. night I went to a concert in the park with my family, and there was a band playing.  I could tell I lost my hearing half way through the 2 hour concert.  I was not wearing ear plugs.  As a result i have little to no speech discrimination in the right ear and am back on prednisone, I don't know yet if it is helping.  I know the concert had something to do with the loss b/c it was so sudden and I was having no problems in the hearing until the concert.  I know loud music is not good for hearing but my doctor never told me to be careful of wear ear plugs etc..... have any of you experienced this type of thing? and what exactly should I be doing or NOT doing to avoid further loss.  I am still trying to decide on how to treat my AN, with surgery middle fossa or radiation and it all depends on my current level of hearing.  This sudden loss which i feel is my own damn fault has me so upset!!!!!! Should i have know better? I did not think music would effect a tumor.  Now I'm wearing  ear plugs when i dry my hair or am around for 4 year old, or any potentially loud environments.  This also makes me think that if my hearing is THIS fragile surgery will hold a much greater risk of hearing loss for me than most.  Of coarse I will discuss this with my Dr. but also wanted to put it out there to all of you to get an answer. 
Thanks
Ric

Boppie:
Ric, I doubt doctors believe that a concert is harmful to your ears.  How many other people were there hearing the music?  Your AN just happened.  You might help your hearing to heal by wearing protection.  But that's not a sure thing.  The only concerts I ever went to were the symphony.  I think the tumors are the luck of the draw. 

I lost my hearing over a long time but never noticed a symptom of the profound loss until one day I couldn't hear my wall clock ticking.  This doesn't help you but I do know the feeling of loss and the anger I felt about not getting in to see the ENT earlier.  All ANs look white and bright on an enhanced MRI, but it is not known where the thing is actually pressing down nor how involved it is with the hearing nerve itself. 

Since your tumor is so small why not go ahead with CK treatment and try to salvage?

Do you still have some word recognition when the hearing isn't acting up?  My approach would be to salvage hearing soon if just for the direction locallizing and some help with summation. 

BB:
i didn't go to a concert, but did have a few times when my hearing just turned off in my AN ear.  In a few day's it came back.  My doctor told me it could do this due to the AN.  He told me it might come back or it could be a big drop in my hearing due to the AN.  My hearing did return. At that time I was on wait and watch. I did lose my hearing due to surgery.  Hope this is of some help to you.  This is only my experience, each person is different.  Hope all goes well with you.  BB

neal r. lyons:
Hi Ric.   I experienced a sudden hearing loss on the r. side a few years ago and was somewhaat in disbelief.   My mistake (hindsight) was doing nothing about it, although I cannot say how significant not addressing the loss may have been.  I am certain that the loss was and is due the acoustic neuroma which I am going to have removed this Friday(Translab approach) at the House Ear Clinic in LA.  My tumor, however, is 2.6x2.8, which is at the cutoff point in size for potential radiation therapy.  Since the tumor has impacted the tigeminal nerve and the cerebellum(and likely the brainstem) I have opted to remove it.  Since yours is much smaller you have the luxury of watching and waiting, and or exploring other options.
     I started with the MediFocus Guide on Acoustic Neuromas(Medifocus.com,Inc)  You can send for a copy or get it online.  Certainly ther is a wealth of knowledge to be gained on this web.  Best of luck to you!  Neal
     See you folks on the other side!  I"m about to take my first Phisohex shower and hop a plane to start my trip to LA.  Will have a little fun in the sun before Friday!   
     My hearing has diminished with time.  I used to be able to hear a telephone conversation albeit mostly garbled in my right ear and can barely discern a sound now.

Ric:
Hi,
Just an update on my sudden hearing loss.  My doctor thinks I have some Meniers type of thing going on (can't remember what he called it) as a result of the AN, and the loud music exacerbated that.  My hearing has come back some with prednisone.  But with that said, he also thinks my ear is very fragile as I am having more symptoms with a small AN than one would expect.  I have a hereditary hearing problem of some sort as well, All members in my family wear hard of hearing.  So I think the chances of hearing preservation with middle fossa are lower than 50%.  Dr. Jackler originally gave me that number and Brackmann from HEI said 60% and that he did not see a difference between AN folks who have had a lot of fluctuation in their hearing and those with out fluctuation.  He made it sound as easy as pie, and he said he has not had cases of chronic headaches with the middle fossa approach, but it seems some of you have had that problem.  The headaches scare me more than anything other sideeffect of either radiation or surgery.  I just can't make a decision.  I know I will at some point lose my hearing and am willing to accept that.  Oh what to do?
Ricki

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