Expert: Dina Q Goldin, Ph.D. - 4/7/2009

Question
Hi,I'm 26 years old. about 2 months ago i got a pain in my right cheek bone and under my right ear.. the pain felt like it spread to the left side of my face and then i had sudden hearing loss and severe dizziness for 2 weeks. i went to see a doctor 4 times who said i had wax in my ears!!!grrrrr  I finally saw a doctor who refered me to see a specialist, i had the hearing test which confirmed 100% hearing loss in left ear but my right ear was working fine! the specialist said that i will need an MRI scan to see if i have AC, ever sine i was told i may have a tumor i feel aching in my head and face sometimes (nothing major) but im not sure if i've just worried myself and its the stress thats causing the slight pains... Please please please please help me with some advice, i'm very worried.. Would it more likely be something else that causes hearing loss rather than a tumor? Or should i expect the worse news next week?? I've a 4 years old boy who needs his mummy.. :-(    Kind regards xx   p.s i've never suffered with any bad headaches before or ear aches it just seems bizarre.

Answer
A tumor does not mean cancer. Many tumors are benign, they grow slowly and are easy to treat, so there is no need to panic even if you had one. You don't even need surgery in most cases, with effective non-invasive radiosurgical treatments.

But it is also possible you have no tumor at all; it is impossible to tell what is going on without an MRI.  Please make sure the MRI is done with contrast, so the doctors can better see the various nerves, etc.  If possible, work with a neurologist to have your MRI results interpreted properly.