Could My Unilateral Tinnitus and Hearing Loss Mean Acoustic Neuroma?

Some Cliff Notes about my case:

- Have had tinnitus and hearing loss in left ear for the past 10 years at least; completely habituated to it
- Chronic ear infections as a child
- Hearing is better for a while after doing a Valsalva but the ear "clogs" back again slowly
- My mom also has unilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, no known cause

So around mid-November, my tinnitus spiked. I went to my family doctor, she said I had bubbles behind my eardrum and diagnosed glue ear; prescribed some Avamys (Fluticasone). I took it once a day and started wearing ear plugs and stopped using my ear buds. After about 10 days the tinnitus went back to my previous level and stayed that way until 4 days ago when it spiked again. Still spiking now.

Now I gotta admit I'm dumb and started using ear buds again when I started getting better. Not sure if it's the cause but surely can't help.

So I went to the audiologist with my son for some routine test and I mentioned my unilateral tinnitus and hearing loss and she was like "You HAVE to have that checked it could be acoustic neuroma."

So I'm like WOAH. Never even knew that existed and I guess I have all the symptoms. Freaking out now.

But she also said "Then again glue ear can cause a tinnitus spike and it can last up to three months so you're still in that window."

So now I'm freaking out about acoustic neuroma as I have all the symptoms of unilateral tinnitus and hearing loss although my balance is OK. Also my mom has the same tinnitus problem and I've had it for more than ten years so I guess an AN would have caused more problems by now?

What do you guys think about it?

Thanks for reading.

 

It's not likely and there are cases of neuroma without tinnitus, but I would still get an MRI to exclude it. Careful with the MRI as it can exacerbate tinnitus. Many cases of neuroma are treated successfully with radiotherapy.

 

@Seymour

When you say you started using earbuds, do you mean listening to music through them as in headphones? If this is what you mean then, it's my belief this is the cause of your tinnitus spiking. I keep telling people not to use earbuds, headphones, headset as there is a risk of the tinnitus spiking and becoming worse. Some people with tinnitus are not affected by headphone use but many are even when the volume is low. The tinnitus may not spike immediately when a person starts using headphones but the risk is always there.

Hope you start to feel better soon.
Michael

 

I suggest you go see a doc to rule it out. It's possible you have an AN, but it's quite unlikely (statistically speaking).

You should also do a hearing test, in particular with bone conduction testing. What you describe about your ear "opening up" after Valsalva and then "closing again" needs to be investigated, as you could have a conductive loss component that could be treated.

Good luck.

 

Yes exactly.

What is conductive loss? Sorry I’m a newbie. Also in that ear I kinda hear a bit like through a tin can. I find it strange that my hearing improves drastically for a few seconds in that ear after Valsalva and then goes back to crap. It should mean I still have the hearing potential somehow?

I thought people would say "Neuroma? Nah, there are way likelier causes of one-sided tinnitus."

Got to admit I’m panicking a bit. I’ve had this tinnitus/hearing loss for more than a decade though and so does my mom so it could be hereditary and not a tumor?

im scared.

 

@Seymour

Please Google conductive hearing loss there is plenty information there. I do know what it is but rather than go into a long explanation I think it's best you look online. The same applies to the other medical conditions you mention. I mostly deal with Noise induced tinnitus, because that is what I am familiar with.

I do understand your fears and concerns but try to calm yourself. Please click on the links below and read my articles after reading the post below.

When someone tells me they have habituated to their tinnitus or a read a post saying the same, then suddenly the tinnitus has spiked. It is usually (but not always) a result of being exposed to loud sounds or using: headphones, earbuds, headset. These are the most common causes of tinnitus spiking providing there is no underlying medical condition within the auditory system or elsewhere in the body that is causing the increase in tinnitus.

By all means have MRI and test done at ENT to rule out a medical condition causing your tinnitus spike. However, the fact that you have been using earbuds leads me to believe this is the cause of your tinnitus spiking. Headphones, earbuds, headsets are potentially dangerous for people with Noise induced tinnitus. Even if a person's tinnitus wasn't caused by exposure to loud noise, I still advise them not to use any type of headphones even at low volume, as there's always the risk that the tinnitus can spike and it may not always reduce to it's previous level.

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

What I don’t understand is I’ve had this condition for more than a decade and no doctor ever raised a red flag and I even posted here a few months ago listing my symptoms and no one said neuroma.

And all of a sudden everyone tells me to get checked for neuroma lol

 

If you have noticed a change in your tinnitus ie: it has spiked/increased then there is a reason for it if it's bothering you. The correct person to see is a ENT doctor so tests can be carried out on your auditory system. If there is no underlying medical condition that has caused the spike/increase in your tinnitus. Then it's likely the cause is from earbud use. In that case you need to be referred to a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis management and treatment, as an ENT doctor does not normally treat tinnitus.

Michael

 

I know my mom’s tinnitus goes up and down in phases.

I will see an ENT. My best friend is actually a hearing therapist lol

He told me neuroma would be very unlikely as it’s a rare cause.

 

It's often suggested when tinnitus is only in one ear

 

Even after like 15 years?

 

Neuromas don't always grow, they can stay stationary, so one might have a neuroma that is stationary or growing very slowly. A friend of mine found he had one with a MRI while looking for something different. Who knows how long he had had it?
It remains unlikely that your case is a neuroma but I understand why a doctor might want to rule it out
EDIT also, often tinnitus spreads to the other ear after a while. It's interesting that yours didn't and this might be one reason to check

 

I had a brain MRI a few months ago, would that have picked up an AN?

 

Never heard of tinnitus spreading. For all I know I may have tinnitus in the other ear too but it might be drowned by a louder tinnitus on the other side.

Also worth noting that I had chronic ear infections in that ear as a child.

I admit your posts are making me anxious lol

I had depression last year and I’m going back to work in two days so pretty nervous about adding neuroma to my troubles.

 

@Seymour, given your history, it seems like a cholesteatoma would me more likely than an acoustic neuroma. Maybe ask your doctor to rule that out with a CT scan.

https://www.healthline.com/health/cholesteatoma#causes

 

It remains very very unlikely

 

Doesn’t seem that likely as I never had any discharge or feeling of fullness or pain and my infections occurred as a small child. I think my last one must have been 25 years ago.

 

I had a brain MRI a few months ago, would that have picked up an AN?

 

OK so I did some research and it seems that neuromas are diagnosed through brain MRI.

Last summer I complained of dizziness and weird tingling so my doctor sent me for a brain MRI to look for anything suspicious although her main suspicion was hypochondria.

I had read about MS so I was freaking out.

My MRI came back clean as a whistle. No lesions, no spots, no nothing. Doc said it was normal as can be.

If I had a neuroma would it have shown on the MRI or do I need a specific ear one or something?

 

Hi Michael,

my mom just told me she had stapedectomy in her 30’s. She thinks it’s otosclerosis and says our family on her side "Just have bad ears" and half her aunts and uncles have one-sided hearing loss and tinnitus. She says we’re wired that way.

Stapedectomy seems related to conductive hearing loss that’s why I’m telling you about it.

 

Well, that's exactly what I said to you:

That is exactly why I suggest you go do a hearing test, in particular to check bone conduction. You may have otosclerosis (like me). Tell your doctor about your family history of otosclerosis: it should tell your doc about what tests to run next.

Also, your doc will probably suggest an MRI to rule out the AN. I went through all of that.

 

Hey Greg! Thanks for replying.

I did have a brain MRI last summer. Wasn't specifically looking for AN but just any abnormality and it came up completely clean. I guess that would have detected an AN if it was the cause of my symptoms for the last 10+ years?

 

Hey Greg! Sorry to bother you again.

Do you think my having a brain MRI a few months ago makes it even less likely that I have AN?

 

I don't know, actually, but I wouldn't think it matters. Even if it's less likely, wouldn't you want to rule it out?

 

Yes absolutely. My thinking was more along the line that since I’ve had these symptoms for like 15 years, and a brain MRI a few months ago, that if I had an AN they would most likely have picked it up as the symptoms are old and not something that popped up after the MRI.

you think that makes any sense?

 

Maybe, but it's hard to quantify the variation in probability due to this.

I've learned to take imaging interpretations with a grain of salt. Half a dozen doctors all agreed that my CT was "uneventful" before I finally found one that saw a key clue.
Even if they didn't find anything in your brain MRI, they may not have been focusing on the areas that would help them spot something.

Because of this, I would agree that it's a positive that they didn't find anything in the brain MRI, but I don't know that it would change my perception of risk that much.

 

So basically it makes it a bit less likely than if I had no brain MRI, but I should still make sure?

 

It's up to you. If I were in your shoes, I would.
What did your doc recommend?

 

I haven’t seen an ENT yet. I’ll make an appointment. Audiologist too.

I asked an MRI tech I know just out of curiosity and here is her answer:

"They wouldn’t have missed it. They would have to be an idiot. It’s one of the main things the radiologists would be looking for. If they did miss it, you’d be rich because you’d be able to sue the pants off them. They didn’t miss it."

Lol.