As with most of the people here it's been a long, strange trip.....
In 2004 tinnitus appeared in my right ear for no apparent reason. My then Primary Care Doc was clueless. Luckily I was seeing a sharp ENT for an unrelated problem. He suspected an AN right away and, after some preliminary testing, referred me to a specialist. After confirming the AN we monitored for 5 years till it started growing anew. It was small, about the size of the tip of my little finger, and, not crazy about someone drilling a hole in my head, I opted for the Gamma Knife. Two and a half years later It started growing again. So this time it was trans lab surgery. The surgery was smooth and successful. As a result of the GK my vestibular nerve was shot anyway so I didn't suffer any of the post surgery nausea issues. There were only a couple post surgery issues (aside from the continued tinnitus). My balance is bad without something to focus on, so in the dark and among large crowds, I use a walking stick. The other issue is an intermittent thumping in my head when sleeping. It usually wakes me at least once a night, sometimes more depending on the weather. Movement makes it stop for a while, sometimes the rest of the night. All things considered, not too bad. The scar tissue has been consistent in size for the past 4 MRIs so now, 4.5 years after the surgery, it's time for the next step. I'm going to take delivery of a Phonak Cros hearing aid in week or so.
