Reading between the lines

Phil (my husband) and I went to pick up the films and letter at Dr. W's office first. I went up to the receptionist's window and said my name and that I was there to pick up my MRI. The receptionist handed me an oversized envelope and said "good luck" in a hushed voice. I could feel her and the other woman behind the counter look at me the whole time as I made my way to the door. It was quite an eerie feeling. I asked Phil, "There must really be something wrong with me - did you see how they looked at me? Like I was going to die or something!" Phil, in his usual calm and collected manner, replied, "No, they're just not used to dealing with things besides earaches and allergy shots."

We got down to the building lobby, and I opened the letter from Dr. W to the Georgetown doctor and read it. I'm a "pleasant 26-year-old" presenting with unilateral tinnitus and hearing loss...MRI shows what could be a 1.5 cm acoustic neuroma...etc.

My hands are shaking a bit as we hail a cab to take us to Georgetown Hospital.

(In the interest of full disclosure, this post was actually written on 1/28/09.)

A surprise phone call at work

The day after the MRI, Dr. W called me at work. He launched into an explanation about cranial nerves and how a wart-like thing can grow from them. As he was explaining all of this, I thought to myself, "I need to listen to this carefully. If he's telling me all this stuff, it must be what I have." Dr. W said that during his residency in Canada, he saw a lot of people treated for this condition with radiotherapy, but that here in the U.S., most people have surgery to remove it. He also said that I would need to see a different ENT who specializes in this "thing," and asked me if I would rather go to Georgetown or Johns Hopkins. I told him Georgetown since I live in D.C. He said that he would call the other doctor's office to work on getting me an appointment.

Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out exactly what was wrong with me. He never called it an "acoustic neuroma," and based on his explanation, I thought it would be something easy to remove by going in through the outer ear. Only after I Googled "wart on nerves in ear" did I find out what I was in for. I went outside to call my parents, and my mom answered. She was as startled as I was but told me to not freak out too much until I met with the other doctor.

Dr. W called me back a couple of hours later to tell me that he got me an appointment with the doctor at Georgetown Hospital for two days later. That was slightly alarming because it was so immediate. Was this thing really a lot worse than I understood? I was supposed to stop by his office before I went to Georgetown to pick up the MRI films and a letter from him to my new doctor.

(In the interest of full disclosure, this post was actually written on 1/28/09.)

MRIs are a nice way to relax

I went in for my MRI (with contrast) today. Wasn't quite sure what to expect, but everything was fine. It was rather relaxing listening to the clicks, hums, and other rhythmic sounds the machine makes.

(In the interest of full disclosure, this post was actually written on 1/28/09.)

Don't you think an MRI is overkill?

I got a letter from the ENT today, asking me to give him a call. I do, and he tells me that he's going to mail me a prescription for an MRI. He doesn't say anything about what he thinks may be wrong, only that the unilateral hearing loss means that an MRI is the next step in figuring out the problem.

I called my parents and ranted about how an MRI seems ridiculous. I mean, I just have some ringing, and I can't even tell that I have hearing loss. I doubt an MRI is going to do anything. I decide to wait a couple of weeks before making the appointment.

(In the interest of full disclosure, this post was actually written on 1/28/09.)

Press the button when you hear the sound

I went for my first-ever hearing test today. I guess I've probably had one or two while I was growing up, but this one seems like the real deal. I go into a soundproof booth, and then the testing guy puts microphone things in my ears and hands me a button. I press the button when I hear the beeps, which range in tone and volume. Then he says a word and asks me to repeat it. The test doesn't take very long, and he shows me the results: I have hearing loss in my left ear, but my right ear is fine. On my way home, I got somewhat upset, thinking, "Of course I can't hear EVERYTHING, the ringing is in the way! Which came first, the hearing loss or the ringing? Are they connected? I don't understand what's going on."

(In the interest of full disclosure, this post was actually written on 1/28/09.)

Something just isn't right

I finally decided to go to the ENT. The ringing hasn't stopped, and so, for my peace of mind, I am going to get it checked out. Dr. W is young but seems to know what he's doing. He instructs me to go for a hearing test.

(In the interest of full disclosure, this post was actually written on 1/28/09.)

Do you know an ENT?

I went to my new endocrinologist today (diabetes doctor). At the end of the appointment, he asked if there was anything else I had questions about. I told him about the ringing in my ear, and he said it wouldn't hurt to get it checked out. He gave me the name of an ENT in the same building.

(In the interest of full disclosure, this post was actually written on 1/28/09.)

What is that sound???

I've been noticing that I have a ringing sound in my left ear lately. I am slightly concerned because I don't think I've been exposed to any loud noises that would cause this.

(In the interest of full disclosure, this post was actually written on 1/26/09.)