Brain tumor ??
March 18, 2010 | 30,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Olaf Stephan
About 3 weeks ago I experienced pressure in my ears. Afterwards, I had a buzzing noise in my left ear. It buzzed all night long. The next day I went to the emergency room, where nothing could be done. The following day I went to the ENT specialist. He conducted several tests, including multiple hearing tests and a test for an acoustic neuroma, and everything was okay, he said. The buzzing also improved, but about a week later I started experiencing neck pain, shoulder pain that extended into my arm. Since last Sunday, I have been having headaches in the forehead area and the top of my head. It feels more like pressure. Daily. Sometimes my left arm and leg feel like they are falling asleep or tingling, and sometimes it happens lightly on the right side. I hardly hear the buzzing anymore, but I feel like I hear a very high-pitched noise, which doesn't really bother me. Nights are actually the best.
Do I have a brain tumor??
Dear Inquirer,
From the description of your symptoms, there is initially nothing to suggest the presence of a brain tumor. It seems to me that a complex problem in the ENT area is most likely. You have been experiencing fluctuating ear noises for about three weeks, which are more or less constantly present, known as tinnitus. The earlier the therapy starts here, the more favorable the long-term outcomes. These ear noises cannot be objectively identified with technical means, only the patient's description is indicative, however, a complete ENT examination, possibly including a sinus X-ray, should be carried out initially. The symptoms in the shoulder-neck area primarily suggest a problem originating from the spine (i.e. from the cervical spine), which can lead to sensory disturbances in the arms and hands due to nerve irritations, and an association with headaches is not uncommon. However, these diagnoses cannot be solely derived from the description of the symptoms, a physical examination and possibly imaging diagnostics (e.g. X-ray) are always necessary, usually performed by the general practitioner. As mentioned, your symptoms are not necessarily typical for a brain tumor, but if you have concerns in this regard, an MRI of the head (which is also done without radiation exposure or contrast agents) can likely exclude a tumor in the area of the head with a high degree of certainty. Your general practitioner can refer you to a radiology practice equipped for this and will surely be happy to advise you.
Best regards, O. Stephan
