Can pulsatile tinnitus affect external sounds?

[XyZed]

Hi. I've posted here before about my pulsatile tinnitus, which was diagnosed by a specialist. It affected my right ear, where I could hear a pulsating dull thudding sound in sync with my heartbeat. (I had an MRI scan, which didn't find anything). After some months it gradually abated and I virtually forgot all about it.

But now I have suddenly developed problems in this same ear, which although different, is still related to my heartbeat. I've tried researching my symptoms, but all that comes up is pulsatile tinnitus. So I'm posting in here just in case it could still be related to pulsatile tinnitus in some way?

These new sounds that I am hearing are 100% modulated by my own heartbeat, and they are definitely external sounds - and not in my own head. If I cup my hand over the affected ear these sounds totally disappear.

7 days ago I suddenly started noticing a relatively loud pulsating white noise (like the roar of the sea, rain, or applause) in this ear. It sounds as if it is being played back through small speakers held a couple of inches away from my ear. This sound is caused by any continuous noise such as running water, the microwave, outside traffic, kettle boiling, and air conditioning fans at the supermarket.

I have very much reduced hearing in this ear and I can't hear anything below 850K. Anything above that is a little distorted and feint.

To give you an idea, if I completely plug my left (good) ear while I am listening to music or the TV, all I can hear is a faint tinny sound similar to if someone was listening to that music on a telephone several feet away from me and held it towards me.

I can rationalise that due to the distortion in my right ear, my brain may be perceiving the sound as a separate sound coming from my right. I am a musician, and working in stereo I have learnt that this is how the brain works.. However, what I am puzzled and concerned about is, why is this sound being totally modulated by my own heartbeat?

I have proved that it is my own heartbeat by doing several star jumps to increase the heartbeat and the pulsating sound pulsated much quicker in unison.

[XyZed]

Hello there. Bizarrely I have just noticed that contrary to my statement above I do still have some form of pulsatile tinnitus. I'm stood up at my computer in total silence, and I do have a gentle and quiet constant pulsating in my right ear in sync with my heartbeat. Maybe I have just become accustomed to it, but it seems much quieter than it used to be.

I'm just wondering what the mechanics are of this pulsatile tinnitus completely modulating external sounds? The modulating is as if someone is playing am untuned radio with the white noise static sound and constantly turning the volume down and up down and up down and up in time with the heartbeat. This noise is not inside my head, it's what my ear is actually hearing.

[DanielaHobbs_ in reply to XyZed]

Hi XyZed I appreciate that your post is 5 months old. I have the same effect! have you discovered why this happens and have you resolved?

[Marlayna67]

i’ve had tinnitus for 47 years and have had all varieties of sound but no hearing loss. I started getting what you describe once I had sinus infections and overdid it on medicines. Then I develop some sort of eustachian tube dysfunction. It comes and goes, and it’s always solved by visit to a good acupuncturist. they were places where they can put the needles that causes the tubes in the fluid to write themselves. I hope you have something near you that could help.

[Happyrosie]

might be an idea to ring Tinnitus UK? You’ve probably read their website section on pulsatile T and as it’s not as common as T there may be no-one on this forum reading your post who could help.

[Shantelle00]

Hi, did you have an MRI with contrast or the standard MRI?

[XyZed]

Hello there. They injected something into me before so I presume it would have been with contrast. This was about 20 months ago though when I first started with it. Since then I've had a period where it abated so much I virtually forgot about it. But it's started evolving now and I have a feeling of fulness in the ear, lost 95% of hearing in it and having loud alarm-like tinnitus where a high pitched tone is turned off and on in sync with my heartbeat. This produces a constant high pitched wailing tone that is very intrusive.

My doctor referred me back to the ENT dept but it might be a while before I get to see them.

[Shantelle00]

Hi,

I hope you are not waiting too long to be seen.

All the best.