tinnitus and acoustic neuromas

[Diane Hofstetter]

Hello Chuck,

Thanks for sending the note about your personal experience with the acoustic 
neuroma to pianotech.  It is so much more effective at getting the message 
out when someone with the actual experience speaks up!

These are some of the issues I try to bring up in my classes on hearing at 
conventions.  My first audiology professor stalked up and down the room 
shouting at us "THIS is our job, you guys!  THIS is our job! ".  For it is 
often the person giving the hearing test who first is alerted to the 
possibility of an acoustic neuroma.

That is one of the most important reasons to get an annual hearing test (not 
a SCREENING, a TEST--and most people don't know the difference between the 
two.)  That is one of the topics of my talk at Kansas City:  just what 
should a hearing test consist of?

Its surprising the many ways our hearing is tied up with our whole life and 
health.
Kind regards,
Diane






Diane Hofstetter




----Original Message Follows----
From: <soundsgreatmusic at sbcglobal.net>
Reply-To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org>
To: <info at alliedpiano.com>, "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Subject: Re: tinnitus
Date: Wed, 16 May 2007 13:53:36 -0500

Dear List,
I've been reading the posts about tinnitus with great interest and I need to 
make you all aware of one additional possibility that many don't think 
about. For more than 10 years, I had been led to believe that the occasional 
hearing and balance anomalies I was having resulted from Menieres Disease 
and there was nothing really to do about it. As it turned out, it was not 
Menieres, but was an acoustic neuroma which had grown so large that it was 
no longer safe to treat it with radiation and surgery was the only option. 
The thought of BRAIN TUMOR was terribly frightening as was BRAIN SURGERY! I 
now do pretty well hearing only in mono but the nerve noise on the affected 
side resulting from the removal of my inner ear structure is constant...but 
predictable. No crickets or ringing, just hiss. Kinda like old fasioned too 
many generation duplication tape hiss.
Moral of the story, if you have hearing problems, see a doctor or two and 
check out all the possibilities.
Regards,
Chuck
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Ruth Phillips
   To: pianotech at ptg.org
   Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 11:42 AM
   Subject: tinnitus


   A very big thank you to Diane Hofstetter for raising the question of 
hearing problems,

   and answering questions.  What a tremendous resource for our trade and 
PTG.

   I have also been writing to her about a buzzing sound that came on after 
an evening

   of live opera recently.

   The website someone (I'm sorry not to remember who) posted, www.ata.com, 
was very

   helpful.  Gene Nelson also wrote not to accept a conclusion that it can't 
be helped, and

   thank you Gene, I was glad to hear it.

   I'll be seeing an ENT Friday and will write with the results.

   Ruth Phillips

   info at alliedpiano.com