Just what the heck is it?
Vagal Schwannomas are considered a Brain Tumour. They are "usually" rare, slow-growing tumours and reported to occur in patients between 30 and 50 years of age. VAGAL refers to the vagus nerve which is the 10th cranial nerve. This nerve is the only nerve that runs from the brain all the way down through the body. The vagus nerve controls the working order of all the organs of our bodies and how the skeletal muscles work. Also controls the heart, espophagus and pulmonary functions. The ability to swallow and the affected vagus nerve side will affect the vocal cord on that side.
The size of the tumour may also affect other surrounding nerves such as the 7th-12th cranial nerves which present other complications.
Importantly I must state that my own vagal schwannoma (and 2 other peoples as well) was mistaken for a "carotid body tumour" at first.
Schwannoma tumours can grow anywhere in our bodies off of other nerves that affect our bodies differently depending of the nerve of origin... let me explain.
A schwannoma tumour is benign 99% of the time and is a nerve sheath tumor composed of Schwann cells, which normally produce the insulating myelin sheath covering peripheral nerves. The tumor cells always stay on the outside of the nerve, but the tumor itself may either push the nerve aside and/or up against a bony structure (thereby possibly causing damage).
What does this mean in my terms? All the nerves in our body has a covering (myelin sheath) that looks like little pillows. When some of these pillows decide to go wild, they overgrow and begin to push aside other nerves, arteries and push them up against bone structures causing nerve damage. Keep in mind, nerves control all aspects of our body so any damage to them will be damage to whatever part of the body that nerve runs.
Neck and head Schwannoma tumours make up 10% of all head related tumours.
A vagal schwannoma makes up only 2.5% of that 10%. So yes, rare.
I have taken reasonable care to ensure that the information contained on these pages is accurate. I cannot accept liability for any errors or omissions or for information becoming out of date. The information given is not a substitute for getting medical advice from your own GP or other healthcare professional.
The size of the tumour may also affect other surrounding nerves such as the 7th-12th cranial nerves which present other complications.
Importantly I must state that my own vagal schwannoma (and 2 other peoples as well) was mistaken for a "carotid body tumour" at first.
Schwannoma tumours can grow anywhere in our bodies off of other nerves that affect our bodies differently depending of the nerve of origin... let me explain.
A schwannoma tumour is benign 99% of the time and is a nerve sheath tumor composed of Schwann cells, which normally produce the insulating myelin sheath covering peripheral nerves. The tumor cells always stay on the outside of the nerve, but the tumor itself may either push the nerve aside and/or up against a bony structure (thereby possibly causing damage).
What does this mean in my terms? All the nerves in our body has a covering (myelin sheath) that looks like little pillows. When some of these pillows decide to go wild, they overgrow and begin to push aside other nerves, arteries and push them up against bone structures causing nerve damage. Keep in mind, nerves control all aspects of our body so any damage to them will be damage to whatever part of the body that nerve runs.
Neck and head Schwannoma tumours make up 10% of all head related tumours.
A vagal schwannoma makes up only 2.5% of that 10%. So yes, rare.
I have taken reasonable care to ensure that the information contained on these pages is accurate. I cannot accept liability for any errors or omissions or for information becoming out of date. The information given is not a substitute for getting medical advice from your own GP or other healthcare professional.