Tinnitus Started After Work, No Clear Cause — Should I Have an MRI to Check for Acoustic Neuroma?

[MarkCrawford1966]

Hi folks. I'm a 55-year-old male from Ireland. One day, about 6 weeks ago, my tinnitus started after work. I've never had tinnitus before. So I went to an audiologist to check for earwax which he found I had very little to none.

I have also taken a hearing test with the results showing I had good hearing and a similar level in both ears.

At the end of the conversation with the audiologist he happened to mention a thing called an Acoustic Neuroma which he said is rare and really nothing to worry about...

But here's the thing, I am now worried.. Kinda worried about the unknown now. The only way I can find out about the Acoustic Neuroma is to pay for an MRI so I can stop worrying and this will reduce my stress levels and may help with my tinnitus.

Do you folks think this is a sensible move or am I overreacting?

I look forward to your advice on this matter.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[billie48]

Hi folks. I'm a 55-year-old male from Ireland. One day, about 6 weeks ago, my tinnitus started after work. I've never had tinnitus before. So I went to an audiologist to check for earwax which he found I had very little to none

I have also taken a hearing test with the results showing I had good hearing and a similar level in both ears.

At the end of the conversation with the audiologist he happened to mention a thing called an Acoustic Neuroma which he said is rare and really nothing to worry about...

But here's the thing, I am now worried.. Kinda worried about the unknown now. The only way I can find out about the Acoustic Neuroma is to pay for an MRI so I can stop worrying and this will reduce my stress levels and may help with my tinnitus.

Do you folks think this is a sensible move or am I overreacting?

I look forward to your advice on this matter.

Thanks,
Mark

Welcome to the forum. I checked Yes only because there is no "maybe" as a choice. I did the loud MRI to check for acoustic neuroma not because of my tinnitus but because of sudden hearing loss. Yes the ENT also said it is rare but since it is covered by our government medical insurance in Canada he just ordered one such test for me. He didn't even bother to ask me back so I guess it is nothing. It is quite rare. If you can afford it and feel that it can give you peace of mind, it may be worth it. Or you can wait a bit to see if your ringing will fade over time.

Take care. God bless.

 

[LukeYoung]

I assume it's high frequency hearing loss. Same as heaps of us with "normal hearing".
They only check up to 8 kHz which is half of what humans hear...

 

[MarkCrawford1966]

Thanks bud. No, it's more a low constant rumbling noise. I'm new to this thing so might not be great at describing noises.

...can't even do a quote reply correctly.

 

[LukeYoung]

Thanks bud. No, it's more a low constant rumbling noise. I'm new to this thing so might not be great at describing noises.

...can't even do a quote reply correctly.

Any other symptoms or just rumbling?

24/7?

 

[MarkCrawford1966]

Wife said to mention to the forum members that in September 2021 I had my 2 lower wisdom teeth extracted which ended up a nightmare because they were both badly impacted. Both took nearly an hour each to get out which left a lot of trauma around the extracted area.. What do you guys reckon? Any relationship to my tinnitus?

 

[MarkCrawford1966]

Any other symptoms or just rumbling?

24/7?

Sometimes I lose appetite and my ear feels "full" most of the time.

 

[LukeYoung]

Sometimes I lose appetite and my ear feels "full" most of the time.

A lot of us get the ear fullness, sometimes a sign of damage. But really hard to say. There can be many causes of tinnitus unfortunately.