Could this be GCA?

[merril]

Does anyone have ringing in their ears on waking? I think I hear bells although that fades soon after. As a newbie with as yet unconfirmed PMR I hope it doesn't too daft!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Tinnitus can be a symptom of GCA, yes:

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk....

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/314...

concludes:

Symptoms of eighth nerve dysfunction are present in over half of patients with GCA. Recovery with steroids was predicted by concurrence with headache in terms of both timing and location. It appears that eighth nerve involvement, especially acute hearing loss, is a not infrequent feature of GCA and often responds well to steroid therapy. Clinicians should enquire about these symptoms when evaluating a patient for possible GCA.

Key Points• Deafness is a frequent presenting feature of giant cell arteritis.• Vertigo, tinnitus and loss of balance are also often reported by GCA sufferers.• Steroid therapy is more likely to relieve these symptoms if they are ipsilateral and concurrent with headache.

Visual symptoms are more common at or soon after waking - which suggests the same could apply to ear symptoms too.