Author Topic: MRI scheduled - vertigo, tingling brain, muffled ear and balance issues  (Read 3137 times)

joviality

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I’m sure the regulars on this forum are tired of these, ‘here are my symptoms’ posts, but I’d really appreciate input on my situation.

Last weekend, I woke up in the middle of the night on Friday very dizzy. It went away fairly quickly that night but on Saturday night the same thing happened and I also ended up throwing up. The dizziness lasted a lot longer that night and stayed when I closed my eyes as well. Prior to those episodes, I have never had vertigo. I have continued to feel off balance over the past week but not all the time. My head will feel a little off balance randomly in one moment and then fine the next. This makes me question whether there are really issues to be concerned about  or if I’m just making a bigger deal about it than needed. At some times I will feel perfectly fine. I went to my primary care doctor and, through the questioning process, I mentioned an issue I’ve had off and on with my left ear over the past few months. Very randomly, sound in my left ear will become muffled and then it will kind of pop, similar to the feeling of air pressure changing. I never think too much of it when it is happened because it goes away really quickly and I have always assumed it was due to air pressure changes. I’ve even thought of asking people next to me in some situations whether their ears also popped.

During the appointment, the doc completed an eye tracking test and noticed a minor 1 beat of nystagmus. The only other odd thing I’ve noticed over the past few months is a random tingling feeling over my head, as if someone is running a cold ice cube over my brain.

My doctor recommended an MRI and one has been scheduled for this coming week.

Question: If you have been diagnosed with an AN, do you feel perfectly fine on some days and have symptoms on other days? Before my doctor mentioned it, I had never heard of an AN.

Thanks so much for you input...
« Last Edit: November 23, 2019, 02:35:29 pm by joviality »

IggsB

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Re: MRI scheduled - vertigo, tingling brain, muffled ear and balance issues
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2019, 11:52:29 am »
I had no other issues other than muffled hearing on the left ear, that I felt was relieved with decongestants, so when my ear doctor suggested an MRI last year I blew it off.
I had my physical this October and when I told my doctor she encouraged me to still get the MRI.  It was only about $120 out of pocket. 

Long story short, I am having surgery for AN removal on 12/9, as the tumor is about 2.5 cm. Get the MRI!


james e

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  • 72 years, 1.7cm, trans lab Mar 2010, BAHA 5
Re: MRI scheduled - vertigo, tingling brain, muffled ear and balance issues
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2019, 03:38:19 pm »
My first AN was discovered 10 years ago and it started out just like yours except I never had a chilling felling on my head. Vertigo would come and go. Some days were perfectly normal and life was good. Then I noticed when I stopped at a stop sign and looked back and forth for traffic I started getting vertigo. Then my parrot started saying "what did you say?" and that is when I noticed I was having a difficult time hearing.

Make sure your MRI is with contrast and I pray you don't become one of us.

Patti

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Re: MRI scheduled - vertigo, tingling brain, muffled ear and balance issues
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2019, 05:07:35 pm »
I hope it is nothing serious. The only symptoms I ever had were headaches. It wasn't until my ear lost hearing all of a sudden that I was diagnosed. But I always remember that one time, for one day, many years before diagnosis, the right side of my face was numb. I never mentioned it to anyone.It seems like people with the smallest tumors can have huge problems and those "lucky" ones with big tumors don't even notice until it it really big. You never know which way you will go until you have that MRI. Keep us posted and best of luck!
4 cm AN removed 12/2000
subsequent brain swelling
removal of part of cerebellum
face, scalp,tongue numbness and partial paralysis
no corneal sensation and no tears-frequent eye issues
cognitive issues
Regrowth (3.1 x ..86 cm) treated by SRS on November 6, 2015

joviality

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Re: MRI scheduled - vertigo, tingling brain, muffled ear and balance issues
« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2019, 10:22:39 am »
Thank you all for your input and for sharing your AN stories. I really appreciate it. My MRI with contrast was completed yesterday afternoon and I’m now playing the waiting game on results. IggsB, I wish you the best of outcome for your surgery and that you have a great recovery...


jami

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Re: MRI scheduled - vertigo, tingling brain, muffled ear and balance issues
« Reply #5 on: December 01, 2019, 09:26:49 am »
hi Joviality,

Glad to hear that your MRI with Contrast was taken care of so soon, fingers crossed re: the results.

My symptoms were facial numbness, so it was a totally different entry point. But it turned out that my years of balance issues were NOT age, and it was an AN. Vertigo only happened a few times after the surgery, and quickly went away.

I do work with someone who has struggled a lot with vertigo due to inner ear issues, and we have compared symptoms a few times. Some were very similar.

Anyhow, lots of luck!!

Jami
Jami
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5/17/18: 2.7 x 2.2 x 2.1cm
8/12/18 right retrosigmoid craniotomy @UNC
8/15/18: 1.0 x 0.4 x 0.4 cm
3/04/19: 1.0 x 0.8 x 0.5 cm
4/23/19 Cyber Knife treatment
10/23/19 0.7 x 0.3 x 0.8 cm