After a weird telephone call with my GP which wasn't very helpful, I wanted to see if anyone else experiences a whooshing noise in your ear which feels it goes to the sound of my heartbeat if that makes sense. It's starting to drive me nuts, I have had it since October, I know I have tinnitus, but this is an additional noise to this. It makes me dizzy, causing me to walk into things more than usual. Could this be linked to MS? It is in the right ear where the Optic Neuritis was worse, so wondering if it is all connected. Thank you for any help, it would be really appreciated.
Also, apologies if I have posted this on the wrong bit, it is my first time posting something.
Written by
Loveducks
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Silly question but has a practitioner actually looked in your ear lately. Phone calls can be great sometimes but someone might need to give you a physical exam and put a stethoscope on your carotid artery.. just to check everything out.. please let us know how it goes.. we are here for you
Thank you for taking the time to reply to me. It's not a silly question at all, but unfortunately for me I have a phobia of leaving the house, I see people as big germs, I developed this after having to shield for so long, (I know I sound nutty). It doesn't feel right which is why I approached the GP but he is new and wasn't really getting it. I may have to brave up and see if someone can come out to me, they do for the bloods, but I get myself so worked up, I'm just hoping they will. I looked up the carotid artery, so thank you, I do feel this is something I shouldn't ignore
I hear what you're saying my friend… gotta be really really tough. I was forced to retire because of my MS in the middle of 2021 but it was not before I worked for a year and a half in the pandemic.… In healthcare of course. I really hope you can get someone to come to you. I'll be sending really good thoughts your way
Thank you so much. I’m sorry you had to give up work, I stopped about the same time as you also. Ironically I worked in mental healthcare, I would never have thought this would happen to me, the brain is a powerful thing. I have stopped beating myself up now though for not working, we sometimes have just got to take care of ourselves, you can only push the body so much. I started doing puzzles that switched me off from everything and learning to listen to my body more. Sending good wishes your way too
Thank you so much.. it was pretty devastating to have to retire before I was “ ready” . I had worked over 34 years with the same group.. they were extended family. I was applying for disability after retirement and my lawyer encouraged me strongly to get off social media so I felt cut off at the knees from my former co workers.. it’s funny, you find out who your true friends are .. the ones that bother to text and reach out.. luckily everything went through with disability after 13 months. Now I am back on FB, I check it occasionally and feel like I have a “ healthier “ relationship with social media.
Hello,I lost my hearing in my left ear do to an ear infection years ago, and I also have tinnitus. I have found that whenever I am running a fever, have an infection anywhere in my body, or just not feeling well, I get the whooshing. I would keep investigating and yes, see an ENT if possible.
Yes l have what you call whooshing except for me it's 24/7. Although there are times it's more noticeable. I've been having that for 3 years and I've resigned myself to having it the rest of my life.
Hi, thank you for replying. Did your hearing come back? I am going to try and get someone to come out and have a look in my ear. It's making me feel so dizzy if I bend down. I have been dealing with tinnitus for years which I have since found is an MS link but this is totally different. I'm having to put white noise on just to be able to get to sleep. You have made me think as well, I did have a bad nose and chest infection and haven't really got over my last infection the beginning of November, so maybe it is just that, I do feel a bit under the weather still, thank you, I am going to pursue it more
No, I have permanent hearing loss, that's why I have the tinnitus. Yes, the dizziness comes from your middle ear where your vestibular system(balance) is. I loss that from the infection too.
I'm sorry to hear that. I will get someone to look in my ear, I'm not keen on antibiotics but if there is an infection then it makes sense to try and fix it
Hi, like yours it is permanent, only the one ear though thank goodness, I have the usual tinnitus in the other ear and weirdly it also tries to come in the left ear additional to the whooshing. I find it better sleeping on it, night time is worse as everything is quiet, I have found falling asleep to music helps of I have a Dyson fan that distracts me from it.
I have just taken my blood pressure, I hadn't though of doing that thank you, it all seems good. I am a bit concerned now though, due to the fact the whooshing is to my heartbeat, did you get your carotid arteries checked? Also sorry, do you ever get random sharp pains in your head? mine is the same side as the ear that is whooshing
I have had tinnitis in one year for many, many years now.My carotids are good and I have never had the sharp pains as you describe. I did had Lhermnittes sign on my neck by my ear with the tinnitis. My BP is also good.
My Uncle and Father both had a similar type of sound. I strongly recommend you have your carotid arteries scanned for blockage if you have not done so recently. It cant hurt to rule this out. Best of luck.
Thank you. I did have a blood cholesterol test done, over a year ago which came back good. I guess a lot can change in a year and I have been under enormous stress. My problem is I can't step foot in a surgery let alone a hospital. I'm trying baby steps with things, but shielding for so long has caused a lot of physiological issues which I am getting help with, but I have been diagnosed now with agoraphobia, which I would never have believed if you had said that to me pre covid, but it makes things so much harder, I tend to just get on with things myself, but I'm not going to lie this is bringing up a red flag with me, so somehow I am going to try and get it checked. Thank you so much for your time in replying, it is appreciated.
Thank you, I had never heard of that but I did Google it and it definitely does relate to that. Due to the reasons for that type I am going to try and get someone out to me to check the ear and neck pulse, so thank you so much
The only time I had a whooshing sound in my ear was after having a bad ear infection that traded ears when I was about 16 or so. Have you tried a ear specialist?
Thank you, I have a phobia and don’t leave the house. I am going to try and get someone to come out to me to have a look in my ear, fingers crossed they will
A couple months ago I started with a constant ringing. It always the same high pitch, all the time. I have no idea what is causing unless it's stress/anxiety that started the same time.
Hi, I get that as well, the ringing is intermittent, I also get a humming noise, for ages I was convinced it was the boiler and couldn’t understand why no body else was hearing it 😂I have only just discovered it can be linked to MS. I think you are right though about linking it to stress, mine is off the chart at the moment so trying to meditate. I sometimes play music low so I can fall asleep or a white noise helps. If it’s constant with you have a little research as there does seem to be a little help for it now. I remember a ENT specialist saying to me put up with it for as long as you can until it becomes a real issue. Hope that helps
I've been more anxious than stressed. My anxiety is off the charts! My dr doubled my meds and I'm meeting with someone online who is giving me pointers on how to cope.
My anxiety is bad and online therapy does help. Just make sure you have a good rapport with them, it’s so important for it to help you. We are all different, I had one and it just wasn’t working for me, so I restarted with someone else who was brilliant. Have you heard of tapping? The least obvious is below your thumb and index finger, I do this when I feel my anxiety is taking over and my daughter bless her bought me an anxiety crystal bracelet for Xmas. Hope you start feeling better soon x
Hello Loveducks, Yes for me! I also have tinnitus and sometimes it almost is faint; other times annoying hum. I go to sleep with “smooth jazz “ music playing softly. Boney James, David Benoit , any artist with melodic tones. It works for me, along with Zzz Quil to help me get to sleep.
Hi, I know that hum only to well, as I said to someone else for ages I thought it was the boiler 😂I will try a bit of jazz thank you, but hopefully also going to try and get someone to have a look in the ear as it feels very warm today, I think I have a bit of pain in it but where I have stronger pain elsewhere it isn’t something that is bothering me if that makes sense? It’s just constant with the sound of my heartbeat but so grateful it’s just in one ear, someone mentioned on here pulsatile tinnitus which I think it may be. Once again thank you for taking the time to reply
So welcome my friend. I hope you can get some relief! I saw a ENT a few years ago and he prescribed these somewhat pricey vitamins; Lipptofabaniod (I know I spelled this wrong) - didn’t help!
I have a bit of tinnitus and whooshing every now and then. My 'thing' is that I hear either music or talking (far away-like) Everytime I go to bed and just start to relax. Years worth. Doctors and people thought I was nuts! I decided on a whim to Google it.
Musical ear syndrome (MES), musical hallucinations also known as musical tinnitus, is a disorder where patients experience musical hallucinations, such as singing or melodies …
After skipping part that it could come from Schizophrenia......
What are musical hallucinations caused by?
Musical hallucinations have been linked to multiple associated conditions, including psychiatric and neurologic disease, brain lesions, drug effect, and hearing impairment
I am not broken!
Some day, I will tell you about my phantom smell issues
OMG, I can't believe I have found someone the same as me. I had never heard of MES, I have had that on and off for years. You just live with it, I've only reached out regarding my whooshing noise, because it is loud and constant but hopefully can get that sorted.
It is only at bedtime, music or people talking, I'm always asking my husband, can you not hear that music 😂
I get the phantom smells as well, my nose man has told me it's quite rare. I can't believe I have found someone else, because you really feel you are going nutty. We are not broken, we are special lol. I'm so glad I joined this site
Hi Grammyshay I have had the odor problem off & on for a couple of years now. I smell a smokey smell & start looking for what is burning. My husband use to be the one looking for it now my sister is the one helping me look. Reading this helps me know it is not just imagined but also not real in the since that the house or fields are not on fire. Thank you so much.
Not imagining it. I used to live in a apartment complex and my daughter always said that the hot dog smell at 3 am was one of the. 20 years in our home now and they cannot blame it on that now. lol
It's weird isn't it? I actually get what you mean with that as well. It's not all the time. I had optic neuritis which is how I found out I have MS and sometimes wonder if it's due to that flaring up maybe or it's just going to be one of those weird things there is no explanation for x
It was so lovely when grammyshay mentioned this, it was good to know I'm not the only one going mad. I have the burning as well, I'm constantly getting everyone to check just incase, it's a nightmare, but I have learned to laugh about it. My nose man said it's quite a rare thing. I have been doing a saline nose wash that seems to help a bit. It's worse when I get a nose infection
I learnt something from something on the TV, a sleep therapist. She said to start from the bottom and say I love my toes and work the whole way up to your head and back down again, in the beginning it can take about 5 attempts but it is getting quicker. I do still put my Dyson on which was originally bought by hubby for my hot flushes, it has become such a good friend to me, I bet Dyson would never dream it's other uses lol, but it has a timer as well and nightmode, so it's just enough white noise without disturbing hubby. I also learnt the other day, Alexa can whisper 😂
Mine is perfume and cigarettes, but the worse one recently was gas, I had to keep checking I had turned everything off, nightmare!!! Ooh, I would much rather hotdogs and popcorn 😂it's been so lovely talking to you, I wonder how many more are out there like us??? 🥰
My Mom, sister and I all have MS, my Mom gets migraines and the whooshing sounds. Her doctor told her it is a type of migraine but she usually only gets whooshing when she’s stressed or sick, it also makes her very nauseous and dizzy. I get the phantom music during the day and conversations at night. It’s always low volume so I can’t really tell what’s being said. I used to wake my husband to ask what he said not realizing he was asleep and hadn’t said anything.
Hi GreatDanekids, I used to do the same thing. We have a holiday park near us, I was constantly saying to my husband, can you hear that music and he would really concentrate trying to hear bless, but it took a long time to realise it's all in my ears. Same with the talking, can't quite hear what they are saying, it's so weird isn't it? but so good to know it's not just us. I feel for your mum with the migraine, I only feel a bit nauseous if I'm trying to bend down, but the dizziness is an issue, I walk into things as it is, but my balance is really off now, if anyone could see, they would probably think I was drunk😂 I'm hoping this whooshing to my heartbeat is a temporary thing, everything crossed
Exactly, don't just remember me lol. My husband and I actually argued over it, as the ducks had to be put away and I was adamant it was raining, to the point I was saying maybe it shows more out of that window and not the one you are looking through 😂 you can imagine how that went down, good job he is used to me with my nutty things , it so becomes the norm I don't really think about it anymore, but maybe I should look it up at some point 🥰
I heard music when I was in the hospital with a uti I thought it was coming from the next room over , I heard it all day long and songs i liked which was surprising too me, I ask my husband if he could hear it and he couldn't. I then closed my ears with my fingers and I could still hear it. That's when my anxiety went thur the roof and stayed that way until I found out it was caused by the uti I was so glad. it went away when the antibiotics kicked in.
I also had the burning smells . it smelled morn like cigarettes to me. Stange
I remember that feeling, putting my hands over my ears and still hearing it!! It does seem worse when there is an infection with the smells, I hate the cigarette smells, wish it was more pleasant like fresh bread lol
I think there are more of us than the medical profession realises.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Life update
Convo with my neurologist about Ocrevus.
