AboutDina Q Goldin, Ph.D. Expertise Information and advice for Acoustic Neuroma patients who would like honest patient-to-patient interaction about their symptoms or about treatments and related medical procedures. If you are unsure if your experience is "normal", or are wondering whether your information is complete, feel free to ask.
Experience I am an Acoustic Neuroma patient and the founding editor
of the Acoustic Neuroma Patient Archive (http://www.ANarchive.org).
Question Last night all of a sudden my ear started to twitch on the left
side ear lode area.I soon had the side of my face feeling kind of
numb,(cheek area surrounding ear lobe area) from the lobe area
to the left top side of of my head.
It was moderately painful,and a very hard throbbing of the
vessels arond the side of the face near the temple area was
evident.
I distinctly felt outward sort of pressure as if I felt like grabbing
my ear lobe and pull outwards on it..There also was a distinctive
sensation that my whole head felt very heavy in general, and
could not be supported firmly by the neck.As if my head was
being pulled downwards.It was definately a sort of headache that
I was feeling on the inside right side of the head:
I was very concerned.My husband gave me two Panadiene
tablets..It did settle down a bit after twenty minutes...I did sleep
well,no dizziness or any other symptons,but can still feel
remnants of the event this morning...which seems to be
manageable at this time. Your opinion would be greatly
appreciated, regards
Linda Papa- age:early 40's No other medicial conditions;Fit:
Answer Dear Linda,
Your symptoms do not sound like an Acoustic Neuroma. However, their one-sided nature and the combination of three different problems at once indicates a strong possibility of either a tumor or a vascular problem in that area. I would suggest seeing a neurologist or a neurosurgeon, to be referred for an MRI. If the MRI finds anything, please make sure to consult with radiosurgeons for a second opinion. Perhaps there are treatments which will allow you to avoid surgery and to reduce your chances of having treatment-related complications.
