Wow, it's really interesting to read all these and see how different each one is! Mine, too, was very gradual...started years ago with just an "off" feeling, like a little lightheadedness, went to dr., he found nothing in my ears. I've had dental issues for the last 10 years which is too long a story to go into but basically, I thought my tinnitus was from dental work! An ENT checked me out and said I just needed hearing aids. (I didn't get them) When my new dentist was putting on a crown, she had used light novacain....oddly, from that day, I had the numbing sensation in my mouth and couldn't taste on that side. When I told the dentisit, she was baffled, she said that never happened before and she said I should wait to have any more dental work done til I figured that out. I was convinced for a while that she had hit a nerve when she put the novacain in and waited to see if the feeling would come back, which it did not. One day, I was in the building of a ENT who I know personally and decided to just stop by and ask him if he he could help because things seemed to be getting worse and it was getting more uncomfortable. They made an appointment, he suspected an AN right away and ordered an MRI and the rest is history. Reading all these entries helps me to see why this takes so long for us to find....because the symptoms are sometimes so vague and slow growing and can be so different, depending on size, location, etc. For each of us, it's been such a different journey! Sorry this got so long
Anyways, I hope you find out what is going on soon and keep us posted. Best to you:) mcihelle d.