{"id":701727,"date":"2026-06-13T12:55:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T12:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/701727\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T12:55:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T12:55:11","slug":"woman-hears-ringing-in-her-ears-blames-stress-then-learns-terrifying-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/701727\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman hears ringing in her ears, blames stress\u2014then learns terrifying truth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Melony Aponte was just 20 when she first noticed subtle changes to her health\u2014symptoms she would later realize were early warning signs of a rare brain<\/a> tumor.<\/p>\n

At the time, she brushed them off. It would take five years before doctors identified the cause: an acoustic neuroma, a rare, noncancerous tumor affecting about one in 100,000 people, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD).<\/p>\n

Now 26, the Chicago-based woman has shared her experience with Newsweek, including the six symptoms she says she \u201cignored\u201d before her diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\"Aponte<\/p>\n

Aponte smiling while standing in front of a boat. Making a peace sign with her fingers in hospital.<\/p>\n

Early Symptoms Dismissed<\/p>\n

\u201cIt all began in 2020,\u201d Aponte said. \u201cI had mild hearing loss in my left ear and tinnitus but I brushed it off as I thought it may have been caused by listening to loud music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctors initially suspected a buildup of earwax and prescribed drops, but they didn\u2019t help. Another doctor confirmed earwax wasn\u2019t the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut nobody was worried so I wasn\u2019t either,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The early warning signs she experienced were:<\/p>\n

Mild hearing loss and non stop ringing in one ear\u2014given drops that didn\u2019t work<\/p>\n

Migraines that \u201cwouldn\u2019t go away\u201d<\/p>\n

Anxiety and Migraines Take Over<\/p>\n

Over time, Aponte began experiencing additional symptoms that appeared unrelated.<\/p>\n

In July 2022, she noticed changes in her mental health and cognitive function.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI started developing panic attacks and anxiety alongside horrible eating habits,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She was later diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, but she felt something still wasn\u2019t right.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething felt off but I kept putting it down to stress,\u201d she said, describing 2022 as an \u201cawful\u201d year.<\/p>\n

\u2018Eating Became a Chore\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Aponte\u2019s relationship with food also changed dramatically.<\/p>\n

She said she began to fear eating certain foods, believing they might \u201ckill her,\u201d and limited herself to \u201csafe\u201d options like pasta, chicken and rice.<\/p>\n

\u201cEating became a chore,\u201d she said. \u201cI turned into a germaphobe and thought every food was going to harm me so I only ate safe foods. I lost almost 40 pounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balance Issues and New Symptoms<\/p>\n

As the years went on, additional physical symptoms emerged.<\/p>\n

Aponte said she began to feel unsteady on her feet and developed unusual neurological sensations.<\/p>\n

Her later symptoms included:<\/p>\n

Walking with what felt like \u201ctwo left feet\u201d<\/p>\n

She also experienced body tremors and worsening panic attacks.<\/p>\n

Diagnosis After Hearing Test\"Aptone<\/p>\n

Aptone posing for a selfie while in hospital using a Snapchat filter. A recent photo, a year into her recovery.<\/p>\n

By the end of 2024, Aponte sought further help as her hearing problems persisted. She visited an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist and underwent testing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe symptom began during the coronavirus pandemic so my ENT said it could be a side effect from that, or a common flu or in a rare case, a brain tumor,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In December, she was diagnosed with asymmetrical hearing loss, meaning her hearing differed between each ear.<\/p>\n

According to NORD, an acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma) is a rare, noncancerous tumor that forms on the eighth cranial nerve, which connects the inner ear to the brain and controls hearing and balance. About 90 percent of people first notice hearing loss in one ear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was adamant that it was caused by COVID-19<\/a>,\u201d she said. \u201cI even tried to give myself benefit of doubt and thought my body was changing with age.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018The World Turned Upside Down\u2019<\/p>\n

On March 12, 2025, Aponte underwent an MRI scan. Two days later, doctors delivered the diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like the world turned upside down,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought my life was going to end. It was the size of a golf ball and pushing my hearing and balance nerve.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tumor measured 4.5 centimeters.<\/p>\n

The Road to Recovery<\/p>\n

On April 9, Aponte underwent a 13-hour operation to remove 99 percent of the tumor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had to leave a slither left to protect the facial nerve as the tumor was wrapped around nerves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She is now partially deaf in her left ear.<\/p>\n

Recovery was long and difficult. She spent two weeks in hospital followed by rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to relearn how to walk, eat, and literally do everything every day that we take for granted,\u201d she said. \u201cIt humbled me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life After Diagnosis<\/p>\n

Now more than a year after her surgery, Aponte says her outlook has shifted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe diagnosis has changed my perspective on life, this is part of my story and testimony,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She has also regained her enjoyment of food.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost part of my hearing but my tastebuds are stronger than ever,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Related Articles<\/p>\n

Start your unlimited Newsweek trial<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Melony Aponte was just 20 when she first noticed subtle changes to her health\u2014symptoms she would later realize…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":701728,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[303411,23413,97,303408,303410,11563,303409],"class_list":["post-701727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-acoustic-neuroma","tag-brain-tumor","tag-health","tag-melony-aponte","tag-national-organization-for-rare-disorders","tag-panic-attacks","tag-ringing-in-one-ear"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}