Pulsatile Tinnitus from concussion

[linzbfc]

Hi, I'm new here. I banged my head falling on a pavement 10 weeks ago. Since then I have had post concussion syndrome diagnosed and while I've been dealing with the fatigue that caused I've not been paying much attention to the worsening noise of a pulse that I have. It started on the right hand side when I was resting on that ear,I thought it was the central heating or something! The past few days has seen a worsening of the intensity and I think it is starting to affect my sleeping. I have not had a diagnosis yet. Can those of you with experience please help by suggesting anything I can do for myself or what I can expect from the NHS?

[TriggerThumb123]

Hi there, I'm not an expert, I've only had Tinnitus for a month, in one ear. I went to the Doctors and, as my ears are now wax free and one no better, I've been referred to the NHS Hospital, but it's been over a month already and I know the average time for an appointment, here, is 27 weeks!! However they will prioritise cases with ringing in one ear and I'm lucky there is a good department. I am about to pay a large bill for an interview I had last week with a private doctor. It wasn't really necessary but he was very kind and helpful and reassured me nothing was seriously wrong. I am sure you have been carefully examined already. I'm also sure you will be referred to an ENT and hopefully the hospital will offer a number of options, including perhaps Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, after giving you an MRI, CAT scan etc. Please try not to worry as you may well lose the Tinnitus completely, as many do, but these people are less likely to post in Forums. There's some great posts on here from a chap called Michael from 9 months ago and lots of stuff about sound enrichment and white noise generators, by people with a lot more experience than me!! I just thought I'd reply and hopefully offer a bit if encouragement. As I write I can hear an incredibly loud buzzing in my ear but I know if I put the radio on and get into a story it something, it will be so much less noticeable. I'm also so lucky in that I refuse to hearte T at night. It reacts to external sound so I bury that head in the pillow! However you may well find a calming CD just below your level of T , may well send you off to blissful slumber, very quickly. This is known as sound enrichment, I believe. There's a lot of lingo to learn! All the best. Good Luck.

[Foxymum in reply to TriggerThumb123]

My own experience is different I have basically been told by my GP that there isn't anything that can be done for mine, I have pulsatile tinnitus and also a buzzing/ fire alarm noise

Also my mum is suffering as well she says it's like an engine noise and she has been told exactly the same thing basically go away!

It doesn't help that my own doctor suffers with tinnitus he said and just learns to live with it so he's not very sympathetic!

[Neal2017]

Hi,

There is lots of very useful info here and on the BTA pages on how to help cope / sleep with your tinnitus.

With regard to the NHS - Hopefully your GP has referred you to an ear, nose and throat clinic or hospital, who are then likely to send you for an MRi scan and go from there on the best treatment for you. It does take a while unfortunately though.

In my own experience I went to my GP about my tinnitus a year ago, I waited about 3 months for the first ENT appointment and then a couple of months for a scan. Then follow up appointments and additional scans have been a couple of months between each other also.

So here I am a year on from when I first went to my GP and waiting to go back to the ENT the week after next.

As a bang to your head caused yours I think I would keep pressing your GP to see if things can be speeded up for you.

I hope you get sorted out quickly and that the tinnitus won’t be permanent.

best wishes Neal

[Angela-H]

Hi lin, yes, michaelee’s posts are the bible for tinnitus sufferers. I hope that you feel better soon. Angela xx

[Hidden in reply to Angela-H]

Hi Angela.

You are very kind. I do put a lot of thought into my posts and I'm pleased when people find them helpful.

Hope that you are keeping well

All the best

Michael

[linzbfc]

Thanks everyone. I'm certainly going to look into the white noise for sleeping as I don't hear the pulsing much during my daytime rests because there is usually some other noise going on. I'm a bit annoyed as I've found out that I haven't already been referred for an ENT appointment. Apparently I was told to see my GP to get a referral during a long conversation on the phone when I was trying to find out why nobody had got back to me from the minor brain injury team as promised. I recall being very fatigued at the time and those people should have been aware of that. Which means another trip to the GP.

I'm also worried that I made have worsened the pulsing by doing neck stretching exercises. Is that something that is possible?

[Boss1]

Hi linzbfc, this is of interest to me. I have Pulsitile Tinitus and balance issues starting 18 months ago. Have been all over the country trying to get a proper diagnosis and the nearest I've got to a diagnosis is Dr Dasgupta in Sheffield whom I saw privately who I do recommend. I feel off my bike 2 years ago and fell on my head but all the weight went on to a particular tooth! It didn't knock the tooth out, surprisingly but the tooth on the left side of my head took all the weight. There was no real damage noticed then but the pulsatile tinnitus started a few months afterwards......makes you wonder..?

Vanessa

[linzbfc in reply to Boss1]

Hi Vanessa, I'm in Sheffield as it happens so I might eventually get referred to him on the nhs which sounds hopeful. Is yours noticeably on one side ? Mine began on the opposite side to my bump. Fortunately it has calmed down over the past few days. It is quite a common side effect of concussions that you end up with tinnitus so hopefully the GP will take me seriously tomorrow. I can actually hear the pulse coincide with the heartbeat symbol on my fitbit and the sensation of my heart beating too of course. I hope you've got back to cycling. I have managed to, if I'd had my bike helmet on when running for the bus I might not be in this position now. Did you get concussion ? How is your balance affected ? Are you dizzy ? I've lost the dizziness but have a very slight stagger ( I don't think anyone else can perceive this ) which makes me stutter slightly when I start walking. It's like my brain and left leg aren't quite talking properly to each other. Also I feel slightly nauseous a lot of the time. I think all of this points to damage in one ot both ears.

[Boss1 in reply to linzbfc]

Hi Linzbfc,

Apologies for late reply. I didn't get concussion straight away but 48 hours later I had speech problems. I couldn't finish my sentences when I knew what I was going to say which was very alarming. Lasted about 10 mins. I got scanned for a possible TIA at stroke unit as I also have blood disorder which means I'm at risk of a clot but everything was fine apparently. A few months later the pustitile tinnitus began very slightly and got worse with dizziness and I need more effort to keep balanced. You are very fortunate to be in Sheffield as Dr Dasgupta is the best person in the country when it comes to specialising between ear and brain! (not just one or the other!).

I have suffered for nearly 2 years now. Saw Dr Dasgupta in May who suggested Dr Osei-Lah in Portsmouth as nearer to me (they trained together) who was wonderful but tests were inconclusive. Just seen a neurologist down hear in Exeter but MRI clear. All a mystery but I'll be going back to Sheffield shortly as Dr Dasgupta understands it which is very complicated to explain here....just to say...go and see him!

[NicBTA Partner]

Hello and welcome to the British Tinnitus Association forum.

Do feel free to ask any questions, I hope that you find this a helpful and supportive place to help you manage your tinnitus.

Pulsatile tinnitus - and especially any condition which arises from a head injury - should always be checked out with your GP. It's likely to have been triggered by a change in the blood flow, and that could mean something is amiss. On the plus side, if the tinnitus has a physical cause, once the cause is sorted, the tinnitus should improve.

We have some resources that you might like to check out in addition to our home here:

tinnitus.org.uk

/pulsatile-tinnitus - should be your first stop. Then for management techniques our site takeontinnitus.co.uk might be helpful

Helpline 0800 018 0527 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm) (outside the UK you can call [phone])

Warmest wishes

Nic (BTA Communications Manager and Forum Administrator)

[linzbfc]

Thanks. My GP sent me for an ECG today and suggested I was anxious ( hmmm, no, I have had a bang on the head ! ) and I should keep a diary of symptoms for a week. I'm not entirely sure why I needed an ECG but it's a start and at least I can document all the post concussion symptoms together.