When people hear the words “brain tumor” they automatically think cancer. Fortunately, brain tumors of any kind are relatively rare, and many are benign.

Even benign tumors can still cause health issues if they become large enough to press on the brain or on nerves leading to the brain. Fortunately, non-cancerous tumors tend to grow quite slowly, and in some cases are best left untreated as long as they do not cause problems.

The most common type of benign brain tumor is an acoustic neuroma (AN). It grows deep inside the skull near the brain stem. Although actually located outside of the brain itself, it presses against the brain and nerves. It is non-invasive, meaning it will not penetrate the brain itself, and it will not spread to other locations. Acoustic neuromas are found in all races and, in most cases, they are not hereditary, relatively uncommon.

Common symptoms can include loss of balance and constant ringing noises in one ear. A large tumor may cause facial twitching, headaches and lack of sensation in parts of the face on the same side as the tumor. These problems are caused by the tumor pressing on cranial nerves that carry signals to and from the brain. Some patients, especially with a small tumor, may not experience any symptoms at all, and only discover they have an AN when an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imagery) or CT (computerized tomography) scan done for some other reason, such as a head injury or headaches, reveals the tumor’s existence. And the symptoms vary based on the size and location of the tumor.

Unilateral hearing loss is a frequent indicator of an AN, and results from the tumor blocking the acoustic nerve, preventing sounds from being carried from the inner ear to the brain. Since the nerve is blocked, a conventional hearing aid is ineffective. An acoustic neuroma often is diagnosed only after a patient develops unexplained and occasionally sudden hearing loss in just one ear. Other less common symptoms include dizziness, headache, nausea vomiting, sleepiness, vision problems.

The treatment includes :
• Surgery
o Goals of surgery are to remove the tumor and prevent paralysis of the face. Preserving hearing is more difficult. If a tumor is removed when it is very small, hearing may be preserved. You cannot get back any hearing that is lost before surgery. Large tumors usually result in total loss of hearing on the affected side.
o Large tumors may also press down on nerves important for movement and feeling in the face. These tumors can typically be safely removed, but the surgery often leads to paralysis of some muscles of the face.
o Extremely large tumors may also press on the brainstem, threatening other nerves and preventing the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid. This can lead to a build-up of fluid (hydrocephalus), which can increase pressure in the head and can be life-threatening. Goals of surgery in these cases are to treat the hydrocephalus and relieve pressure on the brainstem.
• Stereotactic radiosurgery, a form of radiation therapy
o The goal is to slow or stop the tumor growth, not to cure or remove the tumor.
o Radiosurgery is often performed in elderly or sick patients who are unable to tolerate brain surgery.
o Sometimes during brain surgery to treat acoustic neuromas, not all of the tumor can be safely removed, and some of the tumor must be left behind. Radiosurgery is often used after surgery in these cases to treat the tumor that remains.
o Radiosurgery is only appropriate for small tumors, so that radiation damage to surrounding tissues can be minimized.
o Like brain surgery, radiosurgery can sometimes result in paralysis of the face or loss of hearing.
• Observation
o Since these tumors usually grow very slowly, small tumors that have few or no symptoms can be safely watched with regular MRI scans and left untreated unless they grow dangerously.
o Very often elderly patients will die of other natural causes before small, slow growing tumors show symptoms.
Outlook (Prognosis)

An acoustic neuroma is not cancer. The tumor does not spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body, but it may continue to grow and press on important structures in the skull.

Possible Complications
• Brain surgery can completely remove the tumor in most cases.
• Most people with small tumors will have no permanent paralysis of the face after surgery. However, about two-thirds of patients with large tumors will have some permanent facial weakness after surgery.
• Approximately one-half of patients with small tumors will get back useful hearing in the affected ear after surgery.
• There may be delayed radiation effects after radiosurgery, including nerve damage, loss of hearing, and paralysis of the face.

*Note*Information above is by self-reading from internet. For further information, ask your doctor.

Oh, today is a very tiring day. I’ve got nose bleeding since last night. Actually since last Sunday. It was a very hot day. I was driving back from Kajang around 10pm and my nose bleed while driving. Had to stop my car at the side of the highway.

Last night, I slept after having my bath, woke up around 1am and realised that I had not done my Isyak prayers. Just as soon as I finish praying, blood started coming out of my nose. Habis telekung bertompok-tompok kena darah. After cleaning up, went to bed. Around 4am I was awake, felt like sneezing, and there you go, the blood is out again. And it kept running down through my nose. I stained the bedsheet, my pillow and while running to the bathroom, I managed to marked the floor too with blood. I had a bath at 4am in the morning, and basically putting my head under the cold shower until the bleeding stop. And of course I had to clean the mess at 4am in the morning.

An this morning, I got my nose bleeding again while driving to work. Banyak hassle lah. Drove back home, got myself changed and brought extra clothes and tudung to office. And I thought that will be the last of it, but I was wrong. I had another one during lunch time while talking with my officemate. One of them rushed to the shops to get ice, and I had to wet my hair and put the ice around my nose until it stop.

And now my nose feels very hurt! Time go to for another round of check-up soon. Nose bleeding is not something new for me. I have got it since I was very young, around 4 years old. And I am kind of used to it. But the hassle, oh, cleaning & washing after it happens…. I hate that part. And it seems that it runs in the family. I know my cousins have the same problem too, and my niece now, Nurin, does get nose bleed from time to time. But the last time I went for check-up and surgery, the doctor said is due to the hot and dry weather or my body is very heaty. I have got the blood vessels in my nose to be numbed, but it lasted for about a year of free hasle,that’s about it. And the cost is not cheap.

Oh dear…….. I hope tonight I can sleep without interuptions.

Yes, I am one of the people in this world who are obese. I read this one article last night about obesity and it reminded what my doctor told me every time I went for my medical check-up. He will say “Cik Aida, you ni kan, tiap kali datang, semua saya test semua ok, blood pressure you dah stable, your sugar level is okay, your cholestrol pun okay, satu ja tak okay, and that will be your weight……”

Sigh…… I was a big size since I was a small child. I think it developed sometime I was 4 years old. I don’t blame anyone except for myself. My cravings for food is too much. But after reading the article last night, it made me thinking….. until I felt asleep and had a bad dream about it. So I’ve decided that I need to do this ,a mission for myself. And if I fail again, ouch……

To those who knows me well will understand why I said ouch…. I have been telling myself, okay, let’s start exercise, let’s start dieting, let’s control your food intake, let’s start to loose weight, but come the weekend, huhuhu,the food fiesta starts for Aida Yurani. And what will this time around be any different from the previous attempts? I can’t be blaming my faktor persekitaran? It was never his fault that I ate a lot. The discipline and the effort has to come from me, myself and I, nobody else. And with friends around me already started their gym session, fitness schedule, dieting with all sorts of style, even my elder brother pun dah slim down, why can’t I????

Good luck Aida Yurani! No more obese ok?