ANA Discussion Forum
Treatment Options => Radiation / Radiosurgery => Topic started by: theshawn65 on October 22, 2013, 03:31:03 pm
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OK, so it's on tomorrow at 12:30pm, Thursday at 12 and Friday at 10am. (Prayers appreciated!)
I will post more info daily as I relay my experiences and gather more info. I don't have full 3D size info but believe I will acquire that tomorrow. AN was at 2.2-2.4cm at largest point and varied 0.1 cm between 3 doctors (including the two below) who looked at my first MRI scans.
Treatment at Precision Radiotherapy in West Chester, OH (just north of Cincinnati). Dr. John Breneman and Dr. Ron Warnick (Mayfield Clinic) partnering on my treatment and mapping. The dosage is going to be 6 Gy per day.
Starting to get more nervous than I thought as it approaches! :) Taking a 6 day regiment of steroids starting tomorrow morning (methylprednisolone). 6,5,4,3,2,1 daily dosage.
If anyone has questions just fire away, I'm not thinned skinned nor is any question off limits. I will be posting costs as well afterward. So thankful for this place during the last few months as I researched options and made decisions.
Anyway....I'll be back!
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Good Luck!
I want to say try not to be nervous. You've done your research, consulted with doctors and made an educated decision but, easier said than done!
I'm looking forward to your detailed reports on each days events.
Oh and thanks for responding to my pm.
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Thanks kejac.
OK then, so first treatment is over with and I'm back at work. No real issues, treatment seemed pretty short, maybe 25 minutes in the mask. Mask isn't bad, it's not what I would call "fun" but it's really not bad either if you just close your eyes, relax and focus on breathing slow and steady. Felt weird that something was actually happening even though you cannot feel anything. I may be hearing a bit higher level of tinnitus in my right ear but I'm not sure if it's real or stress induced, otherwise my head feels a bit tired but nothing major or anything that would cause me to not do anything I normally do.
Started my steroid prescription this morning with two and just took another at 1:15 and don't feel any different so far. Found out my Friday appt was moved to 8:45am and I'll meet with my two Dr.'s afterward so I should have more info then.
So, so far it's "move along nothing to see here" at the moment. I'll post updates as things come up.
God Bless
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Its the beginning of the end for that little guy.
One down, two to go.
Good update, sounds like everything went well.
Good luck tomorrow, keep us posted.
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My Thoughts and Prayers are with you! Be confident you're in good hands and focus on your breathing.....you're on your way to recovery and possibility!
Stay very well.
P.
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:) Thank you for your post. I do hope your treatment goes well. Please do keep posting regularly so we can track your progress. I am waiting for Linac treatment myself and your courage and preparation to share you experiences are very encouraging.
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OK so round two started right at 12pm today, was walking out of the treatment facility at 12:22 and actually felt better today than yesterday. I think the stress of the first day influenced that and knowing what to expect going into today helped calm me down even more. The 2nd day the mask is even less of an issue and for people who like sleeping with heavy blankets because they like the feeling of weight on them, that's what the mask kind of feels like on your face. Sure it's a bit more pressure than that, but you can see out of it and breath just fine. I would advise using the leg triangle to put your legs over and the soft ring you can hold with your hands across your stomach, very comfortable. If the machine wasn't moving you around occasionally and noisy you could fall asleep imo lol. Yes, even with the mask on I could fall asleep I believe.
Drove to work, picked up lunch on the way back, no nausea or anything. Tinnitus is the same as yesterday, still seems just a tad higher than before treatment but well within being a non issue having learned to live with it. No issues with the steroids to this point and no side effects I can report.
Overall pretty darn good, actually was working and forgot I'd actually had treatment today for awhile.
Thanks for the well wishes, I'll report back tomorrow after my final zapping and discussion with doctors. God speed y'all.
PS- The machine I'm being treated with is the Novalis Shaped Beam BrainLAB http://www.precisionradiotherapy.com/fact_novalis.html. This facility also has the Varian TrueBeam and TomoTherapy Hi-Art Helical machines.
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Anytime you can forget about your tumor or treatment for a little while is a good thing.
One more to go.
Thanks for the updates.
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Yes, forgetting is good and will hopefully get easier but in some respects I hope to never forget what it felt like dealing with it all even if treatment works and I'm fine for the next 30+ years.
Anyway, last zapping this morning, everything according to plan as the previous two days, no hiccups or side effects experienced as of yet outside of the slight increase in tinnitus volume. Steroids haven't caused any issues so far either.
Spoke with both the neurosurgeon (Dr Warnick) and radiation oncologist (Dr. Breneman) this morning before my final treatment. They said I'll have another imaging in 6 months otherwise just let them know if anything crops up. Dr. Warnick said a small percentage have some facial tingling or numbness after a couple months but it's not the norm as most don't experience anything.
Feeling normal other than a little tired otherwise and if this works will be thrilled I didn't choose surgery.
Found out the dimensions were 2.2 x 2.2 x 2.3cm which is quite symmetrical compared to some and no cysts of any kind. The volume was 4.72cm Which Dr. Warnick explained was more important than the actual dimensions because when they check it in 6 months the measurements could be exactly the same but the volume could actually be decreasing so if you just go by the dimensions you won't have the whole story.
After all insurance billings are complete I will post the cost structure of each process and final total cost, both gross and net to me.
I'll be back periodically to report on issues or non-issues until the 6 month checkup. Otherwise as of now I'm pleased with my decision to this point, knowing it's still early of course but with both Doc's reiterating a 90% success rate the percentages are in my favor. Pic of me in mask below.
God Bless,
Shawn
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t130/theshawn_photos/Novalistreatmentphoto10-2013_zps74727d56.jpg) (http://s159.photobucket.com/user/theshawn_photos/media/Novalistreatmentphoto10-2013_zps74727d56.jpg.html)
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Nice picture!
Congratulations on completing your sessions and wish you symptom free while that thing dies off.
Now we wait...
Thanks for letting us follow you through your treatment.
Anyone seeking the same type treatment will benefit from your postings.
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OK, so I'll be approaching the 6 month date soon. I will be posting the cost structure of my treatment with all insurance cost sharing and ultimate costs should you not have insurance. Personally, the facility I chose for treatment (Mayfield Clinic/Precision Radiotherapy) could not have been better outside of Dr. Warnick having a bit of an elitist attitude sometimes common to doctors. Dr. Brenemans "bed side manner" was great and very calm and reassuring. All other people I dealt with were great as well.
Just a guess I would say the overall cost of my 3 fsr novalis treatment probably amounted to around 25-30k if you have no insurance, but, that includes pre treatment MRI's and meeting with 3 different doctors before deciding on my course of action.
Up to now I have not experienced anything out of the ordinary, post treatment I was a bit tired for a few days but the steroids did not cause any side effects and the radiation to this point has not caused any side effects outside of things I might attribute to normal AN life experiences of some rare very light facial tingling/numbness to this point. Tinnitus is pretty much the same as before now.
I will relay the outcome of future MRI outcomes as they happen. Basically zero change to my life's normal day to day operation as before I found out I had this stupid thing. Honestly, while I am pretty asymptomatic as far as AN tumors go (outside of tinnitus/hearing loss), I actually feel blessed knowing I have it. There is something about knowing this thing is there that helps me appreciate life more now. Considering how much worse others have it in life through out the planet, having an AN tumor isn't fun, but contextually is not as bad as I thought when I first saw the MRI image that scared the crap out of me.
I'll be in touch. God speed y'all.
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Update: Nothing major to report, the last month or so I've experienced a bit more frequent twitchy feeling in my right eye, not often maybe couple times a week but you can't see any twitching in the mirror even though if feels like it is. So it can't be or isn't that bad imo. Also last few weeks I've experienced some pain in my right ear, nothing major, a dull ache of sorts at times that is different from anything else I've experienced to date.
I'm hopeful this is the AN swelling a bit from treatment reaction that's causing it but my follow up MRI isn't until May 23 so I'll find out then and let ya'll know.
Outside of that it's been "move along nothing to see here". No change in my hearing from what I can tell by my own testing methods of covering my left ear to check or calling the local weather line and putting the phone to my right ear. I still have serviceable hearing there I hope not to lose if this treatment works.
I will also be posting the cost structure in the next couple days for people to compare to their own or for those with higher deductibles or no insurance.
God speed y'all
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Thanks for the update! It appears as if you're doing great. This is very encouraging as well as informative for those considering radiation treatment.
Your diligence in posting and keeping the site updated is appreciated. Please try to continue keeping us updated. Thanks.
Jim
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OK so here is my AN medical expense breakdown, hope it helps someone else gain info on the costs of treatment here in Ohio at the Mayfield Clinic, UC and Precision Radiotherapy in West Chester, Ohio. My two Dr. were Dr. Ron Warnick and Dr. John Breneman partnering for my treatment. Maybe I should make this cost breakdown it's own thread? Hope it's not too hard to follow!
My AN Medical Expense breakdown:
*First MRI with and without contrast that discovered it:
$895.86 - paid out of pocket to PDI Dayton
$229.37 – paid out of pocket to Kettering Network radiologists
*First Office Appt, Surgeon Dr. Ravi N. Samy:
$412 – minusUnited Healthcare insurance adjustment of $73.09 =
$238.91 paid out of pocket or HSA
*First Office Appt, Surgeon Dr. Ronald Warnick:
$475 – minusUnited Healthcare insurance adj of $222.03 =
$252.97 paid out of pocket or HSA
*First Office Appt, Radiologist Dr. John C. Breneman:
$438 - minusUnited Healthcare insurance adj of $183.70 =
$254.30 paid out of pocket or HSA
At this point after meeting all three and praying about it plus discussing with wife I decided on 3 FSR radiosurgery.
*CT Scan at Precision Radiotherapy: 10/7/2013
$1836.00 – minus United Healthcare insurance adj of $1032.32 and Ins payment of $642.95 =
$160.73 paid out of pocket or HSA
*Dr. Breneman consult/special treatment:
$784 – minus United Healthcare insurance adj of $418.28 and Ins payment of $292.57 =
$73.15 paid out of pocket or HSA
*MRI at UC Health West Chester Hospital 10/7/2013:
$3475 + $268.95 (Other/Misc?) – minus UHC insurance adj of $1079.95 and Ins payment $1571.02 =
$1,092.98 paid out of pocket or HSA
$82.72 of misc bills paid out of pocket or HSA
*UC Health: 10/8/2013
$470.00 Trtmnt planning Complex
$312.00 Special Treatment Proceedure
Total $782.00 – minus UHC insurance adj of $403.82 and Ins payment of $302.82
$75.63 paid out of pocket or HSA
*UC Health 10/11/2013
$680.00 Therapeutic Rad simulation aided field setting 3D
$1472.00 Treat Devices, design & contr; complex
$736.00 Basic Rad Dosimetry Calculation
Total $2,888.00 minus UHC insurance adj of $1490.52 and Ins payment of $1117.98 =
$279.50 paid out of pocket or HSA
*UC Health 10/25/2013
$1973.00 one or more lesions, entire course no to exceed 5 fractions
- minus UHC insurance adj of $1019.22 and Ins payment of $763.02 =
$190.75 paid out of pocket or HSA
*Precision Radiotherapy 10/11/2013
$1336.00 3-D radiotherapy plan including dose-volume hisograms
$2192.00 Treat devices, design & constr;complex
$920.00 Basic Rad dosimetry calculation
Total $4448.00 minus UHC insurance adj of $2372.28 and Ins payment of $1660.58 =
$415.14 paid out of pocket or HSA
*Precision Radiotherapy 3 FSR sessions:
$4168.00 stereo bod, per frac 1 or more lesions 10/23/2013
$4168.00 stereo bod, per frac 1 or more lesions 10/24/2013
$4168.00 stereo bod, per frac 1 or more lesions 10/25/2013
$ 180.00 continuing med rad physics consul 10/25/2013
Total $12674.00 – minus UHC insurance adj of $6765.22 and Ins payment of $4735.03 =
$1598.89 paid out of pocket or HSA
Total out of pocket/HSA expenses paid:
$5840.90
So, all in all not cheap if you have a high deductible plan like me, but not stupid expensive like I've seen some quoted around here. Adding up all expenses = approx $32500 with no adjustments or reductions of any kind. I believe those without insurance could get treatment for much less than $32k from these doctors imo.
I'll be back after my May 23rd follow up MRI to give updates as well. God speed ya'll.
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OK, so a bit over 7 months since my 3 FSR LINAC treatments and had my follow up MRI May 24th. About 3 weeks before the MRI the pains I started to experience in my right ear morphed into some annoying headaches and the occasional pain in my ear that had me saying "Ouch!". As someone who rarely encounters headaches I don't deserve, this was highly annoying to me. I avoid medicines unless absolutely necessary so I broke down each day for two Advil for about 8-9 days either in the morning or at night (a few days both) which did help.
Since the MRI I've experienced less pain as the days went by and haven't had near the headaches or ear pain and no Advil for the last 4 days. An uncommon twitch by my right lower lip has occurred about 3 times the last couple weeks that I could actually see, but some mouth exercises for a few minutes and it went away. Tinnitus is about the same but I believe it's a bit higher and I do believe my hearing has lost a bit if I was a betting man. Otherwise no balance issues or facial weakness of any kind.
So finally I get to the MRI result! Good news the MRI shows quite a bit of necrosis but the tumor has swelled, which he believes is causing the new symptoms. Would be nice to know HOW quickly the tumor swelled (slowly over the 7 months or accelerated the last couple?) but I guess we'll never know. Dr. Warnick said the necrosis looked like what he'd expect from a successful treatment. The new symptoms did have him wanting me back in 3 months to make sure the tumor had plateaued and wasn't going to have me take any steroids now. He said if my headaches could be controlled with occasional doses of Advil no need to go there unless more symptoms developed or the MRI in 3 months showed more swelling.
Here's a small pic of the MRI slide that shows the tumor at what I believe looks like it's biggest point and you can see quite a bit of darkening, not just a big spot in the middle either. I need to find out what it swelled to though, can't believe I didn't ask. I will continue to post updates as new things happen or new info is gathered! God speed y'all ! If anyone has questions please fire away or message me.
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t130/theshawn_photos/ANimage5-23-14_zps22e22159.jpg) (http://s159.photobucket.com/user/theshawn_photos/media/ANimage5-23-14_zps22e22159.jpg.html)
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Thanks for sharing your update - it's so interesting to compare notes (with pictures!)
I'm at 8 months post radiation on a similar machine - 4 FSR and I'm jealous as
my 6 mos. MRI didn't show any necrosis yet, only swelling of approx 4mm. But the good news is I'm starting to feel so much better, so I think the worst is over. It's interesting that your doctor prescribed steroids right away. Mine wanted me to wait to see if I had any severe symptoms, like sudden loss of hearing, which I didn't.
You are so lucky you didn't have balance problems - that's been the hardest to deal with.
Looking forward to the next updates...hopefully good news from here on...
Ruthie
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Wow, Shawn, that's expensive treatment!
I'm not unaware of US treatment costs having experienced 'em directly myself but I'm glad we Brits aren't faced with bills when we're already under the stress of the condition we share.
Good luck with further necrosis of your tumor and best wishes for improving health.
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Yes Ruthie, it is interesting how different all our experiences with this tumor are.
My doc didn't prescribe any steroids other than a 5 day regime during my actual treatment. He said unless I experienced further side effects no steroids were necessary at the moment. Glad to hear you're feeling better after treatment!
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Yes Keith it wasn't cheap, but compared to the surgical alternative it was! lol
Thanks for the well wishes, may yours do the same.
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Thank you so much for your post. I too had treatment on the Linac machine, treatment finished late January. All seemed to be going well, but over the last month or so I have started getting headaches and a few balance issues. Also tinnitus and hearing has worsened. Like yourself, in the past I rarely have got headaches and have only had one sick day off work in the last 21 years (and then I wasn't sick!). Your post gave me comfort that worsening symptoms, months after treatment has finished, are not necessarily a bad sign. I am going in to see the ENT doc next week, hopefully a scan as well. Fingers crossed! :-\
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^^^
Sorry to hear about the worsening symptoms, My headaches/earaches are gone as of now and I've felt back to normal the last couple weeks with no issues outside of the occasional facial tingle (a couple the last weeks) that didn't last long. Tinnitus is back to it's normal volume.
Good luck and Godspeed on your next MRI, may you see the darkening areas that indicate tumor cell death and the eventual waning of your symptoms as the swelling max's out and it slowly starts to shrink. I hope and pray they end up temporary like mine seem to have been.
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Shawn,
Thank you for this write-up. I am two days out from having my AN treated at Precision Radiotherapy with Dr. Breneman also. This is a very encouraging thread and I feel blessed to have stumbled across it today.
John
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Excellent John, that is what this place is about! I hope your treatment is a success and you experience what I did with them. :)
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Friday's treatment went well, as expected. Great staff from Dr. Breneman to the check-in ladies.
Now it is a 6 month wait for my first follow-up MRI.
John
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Update post: I would start a new thread but believe those new here (or even not so new) need a beginning to end continuous thread documenting post treatment experiences.
It's been almost 3 1/2 years since my treatment and 2 yrs since last post and so far....so good. I had updated MRI a couple weeks ago that Dr. Warnick looked at, and without requesting an in person meeting said the tumor was smaller (how much I'm not sure) and for me to do another audiogram now and follow up MRI in 18 months. Whoo hooo! Over last 2 year I've had no new symptoms and my tinnitus is better.
I procrastinated on MRI follow up for about 1 year as forking out $2,000 out of pocket because of high ded HSA plan wasn't a "want" in life lol. But after that time and the wife's bugging I relented, plus about a month or so ago I experienced some eye twitches (not that I could see but just feel) and some slight headache/ear ache stuff. Nothing major and could have been psychosomatic for all I know, knowing I needed/wanted to do a follow up and was procrastinating. (btw those symptoms have disappeared post MRI...go figure! lol) I did some local research and found a place that did it for $950 out of pocket. Brain scan/with and without contrast at a place called PDI that has some various locations but not all do brain scans so you'll have to check. Mine was on a 20 yr old Hitachi 3Tesla open mri machine, your mileage may vary....it's the same place I used when we found the tumor. http://www.pdidiagnostics.net/locations.....If you don't have to worry about cost or prefer newer technology, I would say compared to my other scans done 2 yrs ago at the hospital, the hospitial scans seem clearer. Maybe the technicians skill helps or hurts I'm not sure but next time I may pay more to get more detail. Just FYI.
Anyway here is latest pic of image at largest point I believe. http://s159.photobucket.com/user/theshawn_photos/media/3-2017%20AN%20image_zps40wcx8qx.jpg.html
Comparing to my last one it looks like there is an indent on the left side of the tumor that wasn't there like it is now. I am supposed to get another audiogram to test my hearing, but I can make this claim without one. I have not lost any hearing and sometimes if feels/sounds like I may be gaining a little bit back....When seeing my ENT after treatment (the last time I will go to this guy btw (DO. Adan Fuentes), as his FIRST comment after hearing I didn't choose surgery was "Did they tell you radiation can cause cancer?"....to which I replied, yes, but statistically it's insignificant....but hey thanks for the supportive comment ahole....He referred me to Dr. Ravi Samy (his surgery training mentor) who also said my tumor was too big for radiation treatment at the time, so I don't think he liked me NOT choosing surgery or his mentor. I guess some surgeons aren't unbiased enough to see the benefit other treatments provide. They get paid to cut though, they don't get paid not to....and remember they are humans, not gods you can't question. If they don't like questions find someone else. It's your body/brain/tumor and life...not theirs.
Anyway, get off the soapbox Shawn....After his office did my audiogram and it actually showed slight improvement (he actually claimed it got worse but I remembered the number from the first one and KNOW this one was slightly higher) he said "Hmmm, you still have some usable hearing on that side maybe a hearing aid might help, and keep it stimulated." Sell me a hearing aid after being so sweet about me not choosing surgery?? Awww thanks doc, but I'll pass.
But his comment about stimulation got me thinking. If a blind persons hearing is better than ours because it compensates for their blindness, why couldn't our dominant ear do the same to compensate for our AN ear, possibly making it easier for our AN ears nerve to atrophy slowly? I don't know....but nerves can regenerate right? I decided to experiment and put an ear bud in my AN ear hoping stimulation would halt or maybe even improve my AN ears hearing over time. So a few times a week while at work I do this and listen to random weather channel videos continuously while working on things I can without listening necessary. I can't scientifically say my hearing is better, and I'll find out at next audiogram, but now some videos I have to turn the volume down because it's too loud (when it's maxed out) where 2 years ago I HAD to max out the volume to hear some things and never had to turn it down for being too loud. One thing that hasn't majorly improved though is speech recognition on my AN side, while I think knowing sound IS coming from that ear is better, knowing what's being said isn't much better. However, if I hold the other ear bud a foot from my left ear all of a sudden I can hear very well what's being said, just the slight ability to hear in my left brings what's being heard in my right into "focus."
If I'm giving TMI folks my apologies, I'm one of those who prefers too much info when making decisions. I'm not sure I'd know how NOT to want to build the watch! lol.
Cliff note version: Yes that probably ages me... :D
3.5 yrs after my treatment things are well, the tumor is smaller and I wait another 18 months before next checkup. No new symptoms, tinnitus is better and I think my hearing may have slightly improved and is definitely no worse.
Fire away with any questions.
Shawn
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Shawn,
Thanks for the update. It's a good story for radiotherapy. And congratulation on a great outcome.
You should get the written results of all your hearing tests. This will tell you how it is varying with time. I'd be interested in the results. (I get mine done monthly and have been graphing the results.)
Also, the latest MRI image is not as clear as the previous one. Can you get it on disk? (One good thing about the disk is that it usually comes with a viewer that has measurement tools on it so you can make your own measurements. On the largest axial view, measure the diameter in line with the otherwise straight edge of your cerebellum and perpendicular to it, but excluding the intrameatal part. To measure the height you'll need the other view.
Something to keep in mind when getting an MRI is that you want fine slices; 1 mm or less is perfect. If the slices are say 3 mm apart you may easily get the maximum or be up to 1.5 mm away from the maximum diameter, so looking for small size differences is difficult.
For your previous MRI image of 3 June 14 post, I would put your tumor size at 2.2 x 2.3 cm, which really is no different to your signature figures.
I agree with your statement that all doctors are biased towards the treatment modality that they specialize in, even to the extend that ENTs will recommend translabyrinthine surgery as the best method in your particular case and neurosurgeon will recommend retrosigmoid surgery as the best method in your particular case. They'll say it's too big for radiosurgery, but then when you see the radiosurgeon he'll say it suitable for radiosurgery. They can't all be right.
If only there was a MD that got several million a year to be an advocate for conservative management we'd have all bases covered.
I'm a believer that auditory stimulus is a good thing to keep hearing. While at work I listen to a video while working with an ear bud in the AN ear. The belief is that the cochlear and nerve will not be assisted, but the cochlear nucleus (which is part of the brainstem) will get redeployed (neuroplasticity) if it is not stimulated. I'm now doing what I call sound therapy where some pure tones are listed to for an hour a day. At my next hearing test I'll see if those tones improve, get worse or stay the same.
I think speech recognition on your AN side will improve if you listen to people speaking in a video to your AN ear only. This will train your brain on what the words now sound like.
Thanks for sharing.
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Hi Syd,
Thanks, yeah the image isn't as clear partly because its a cell phone pic of the image on a computer screen. However this time the images were blown up 2.4x for some reason and don't seem as detailed anyway. My next image I will find a newer machine and request the smaller splicing. I was kind of annoyed this time after getting home and looking at the images, not as clear and the splicing wasn't as thin so it showed about 3/4 slices of the tumor and another 12 of the rest of my head. For some reason the CD software crashes on my work computers after looking at a few images but my home laptop has no issues....I'll try to get a better image posted.
Yes, all doctors have biases....which is why getting multiple opinions on our tumors is important. Just going with the first one, especially if they haven't dealt with hundreds/thousands of them can end in decisions you regret later. It is easy to give the doctors too much clout as we're trained from childhood to look up to them, but I just kept thinking "this is my head, my tumor and my life these doctors are making opinions or suggestions about, so it's ultimately MY decision...not theirs"....and were they in the same position, they'd be deciding too and not putting it all in the doctors lap.
Glad to hear you practice the ear bud stimulation too, I think it helps and believe more should use/try it.
Thanks for your thoughts.
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Great to hear you are doing well Shaun.
Just some comments on hearing. The hearing tests don't measure everything which can make your ability to hear a little subjective..
One thing many people with ANs have is an inability or reduced ability to hear sound volume.
So quiet sounds are of a similar volume to loud noises. The result of this is you may test very well in the hearing tests. But the moment you get into a noisy environment the volume is so low in comparison to your good ear you essentially become deaf on youn AN side.
The other problem that arises is your speech recognition may be great at low noise levels, but as volume increases the sounds you hearing becomes distorted making speech recognition worse.
If you have this problem, you also lose directional hearing when the back ground noise levels are high.
I am nearly 7 years Post radiation now. Had a hearing test last week. My hearing has fluctuated a lot but appears to have settled in the last 2 years. My worst test was 12 months Post CK. speech recognition 0% and -90db loss at 1KHz and a PTA of -60db. At 2 years I was back to 100% speech recognition and PTA of -17db. (Normal Hearing) 7 years on, speech recognition is 70%, I have normal hearing up to 1KHz and reduced hearing after that.. PTA is currently -32db. Apparently my AN ear is similar to the average 80 year old man. There is a study somewhere, that shows the rate of hearing decline after radiation is the same as the decline from aging from about 5 years post radiation.
So if you had the hearing of a 70 year old prior to radiation, and 5 years later, radiation added 20 years worth of hearing loss, you would have the hearing of a 95 year old.
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Thanks Paul, and thanks for your thoughts and input on hearing....good points.