So, had another MRI yesterday which showed no change from September. I guess this is a good thing, although it doesn't explain what's going on. I guess I'm not a late sweller, after all. The hearing is still pretty much the same, and today I feel very clogged.
Teasely
What you're experiencing is probably in fact swelling after all. I talked with Dr. Chang a few days ago about post-CK swelling, and he said there are two types of swelling:
1. The type that shows up on an MRI as an enlargement of the tumor compared with its size pre-treatment, and
2. "Clinical swelling," in which the MRI shows no apparent change in size but there is swelling inside the tumor anyway.
The symptoms of both types of swelling are apparently similar.
The upshot of all this is that you probably shouldn't worry about another cause for your symptoms; this is probably caused by swelling and is temporary.
Dunno if this will help you or not, but it's worth mentioning how I combatted my own episodes of progressive hearing loss accompanied by fullness and loud tinnitus in the affected ear. These happened to me before I was properly diagnosed, out of the blue a couple times a year, for about 4 years. (Doctors originally thought I had an inner-ear infection called "labyrinthitis" and did not order an MRI for over 7 years after I began having vertigo attacks, etc.)
I found that I would have the hearing-loss/fullness episodes like clockwork on those rare occasions when I was constipated. Eating a lot of steamed leafy green vegetables would get things moving again and give me a big shot of Vitamin A, which some research has indicated is therapeutic for hearing. I also ate several large cloves of raw garlic immediately at the onset of symptoms, knowing that garlic has been shown to increase the respiration rate of cells and reasoning therefore that, since oxygen stimulates nerve-end growth, it might help get back some hearing. Anyway, I don't know if it was coincidental or not, but in each instance where I had a sudden acute "attack" of hearing loss and fullness in the ear, taking a mild laxative (such as prune juice), eating a ton of leafy greens and eating raw garlic restored my hearing about 90% of the way back to previous levels and completely reversed the fullness sensation within 24 hours. It also reduced my tinnitus about 98% in level, although only temporarily (it fluctuates in level now, higher on bad days and lower on good days when I get enough sleep and eat right). Again, I don't know if this was coincidental or not, but it worked for me every time over roughly six episodes of hearing loss/fullness/loud tinnitus. And since I've been eating really well and staying regular, I haven't had an attack of this sort for about 4 years.
I hope this helps you.
Best wishes,
Tumbleweed
