pulsatile tinnitus help

[Casperwalk]

Hi all, for a few months now I suddenly started hearing my heart beat in my left ear. Very loud and constant. Not actually sure why it started. Hard to get to sleep, sometimes wakes me up, and hard to concentrate. It gets even worse when walking around etc.. have an appointment with GP in a months time. Just wonder what the causes are and is it curable?, what should I expect the doctor to do?. Any help/ guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks

[Happyrosie]

if you haven’t done already, have a look at the Tinnitus UK website. It’s gives quite a bit of info about pulsatile tinnitus.

There are several posters on here who’ve mentioned PT and I hope one or more of them are further along the pathway and can post here for you.

[Upbeatmap]

Hi Casperwalk

PT can be caused by a variety things, some of which are potentially curable.

In my case, I was diagnosed with SSCD and eventually had 3 separate operations in an attempt to resolve it. Unfortunately, while the operations did improve some of the other symptoms, they didn’t resolve the PT.

Your GP should hopefully refer you to an ENT who will probably request an MRI as well as doing things like listening with a stethoscope to see if they can hear it themselves.

If you have private medical insurance, I would recommend you look for someone who at least mentions tinnitus in their bio. The first ENT I saw (privately) pretty much dismissed my symptoms but, luckily, my insurance paid for a 2nd opinion and the 2nd ENT diagnosed the SSCD immediately.

While it is more common to find the cause of PT than non pulsatile tinnitus, there are still many people (such as myself) who have to live with it. The good news is that, it does get easier to live with - it just takes time.

Good luck

[Sonnybee]

Hi there Casperwalk. I too, have pulsatile tinnitus. Like other tinnitus types, it has its moments, and goes up and down in volume, sometimes peaking for a week or so, then retreating to a lower level. Theres lots of blood flow around the neck, ears and head, so what your hearing is the sound of your body doing its thing . When we up our activity, the heart pumps faster, so the PT speeds up and appears to get louder. You've taking the right step by seeing your doc. They will check your ears, refer you to audiology (hearing test), ENT, and possibly send you for an MRI scan. A blood pressure check won't go amiss either. All these things will rule out obvious causes, like infections, blockages etc. In the meantime I would recommend some light sound therapy at night to get the sleep back on track, and some distraction techniques like CBT. I bought an excellent CBT book on amazon called Living Well With Tinnitus. If we stress about tinnitus, it appears to get louder, and we listen to it more. Frustrating, I know, but its true. Take care. It will improve.

[777john]

Hello i had that for a few months it was very loud when i had my ear against the pillow at night, not too bad during the day but it did stop, that was about a year ago and it has not come back so i am sure yours will stop as well. I do have something similar to that now, but its not my heartbeat, this is coming from my head and is like a whooshing sound, it gets louder the faster i walk, it comes and goes but its not too bad, best of luck.

[Skywalker300]

Hi,Please get your blood pressure checked as this could be Hypertension related especially as it gets worse for you on exertion. At bedtime listen to music, podcasts or read etc upto feeling drowsy as this helps distracts from the silence which allows tinnitus to be unbearable.

I have PT too & understand how you are feeling, take care and best wishes Lorraine

[DownUnderInAus]

Hi. I have had PT in my left ear for four and a half years, and regular tinnitus in both ears (louder in the left ear) for three and a half years. I have had two carotid artery ultrasounds, a head and neck MRI, a Petrous CT Scan of the ear / head, an MRA and an MRV (both of my head and neck and with contrast dye). I have seen three ENT's and have had several diagnosis's including SCCD (google that one), a left dominant jugular artery (significantly more dominant than the right jugular), and a curved vertebral artery. I guess they don't really know. Fortunately I can only hear the PT in quiet settings. I hear the regular tinnitus (a constant hissing) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.