Pulsatile Tinnitus Anxiety - need reassurance

[DachshundLover99]

In December, I began noticing a whooshing in my ear which very quickly followed with a really bad head cold / sinus congestion. This cold cleared however the ‘whooshing’ remained. I then developed a further cold in January, again blocked sinuses and very congested, this has cleared but the whooshing remains. It seems to be in time with my heartbeat, I also only seem to notice it when I’m in my house, if I’m out walking, busy I don’t notice it. If I press on my neck it does disappear however not completely.

I have really bad health anxiety in general, and when I googled my issue, it terrified me, I am now convinced I have a tumor or I’m going to die - my dr seems not concerned at all, they said my ear drum is showing signs of pressure behind the ear - could this be the cause of my problem? It is making my anxiety so bad and I suspect by obsessing over it I am making it worse. I know I should believe the professionals but my anxiety is giving me a hard time and making me think my congestion and problem with my ear aren’t related. If they weren’t, how bad could it be? I don’t have any other symptoms, no headaches, vision problems etc.

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

Hello DachshundLover

Pulsatile tinnitus is a sub-type of tinnitus which people struggle with because whilst it can sometimes be explained - the sound being suppressed when touching the neck gives some clues - there may not be a resolution to it. Some doctors would class it as harmless - which is very often the case, but our response to it can have an impact on how much it affects us.

PT can be entirely benign - a change in blood flow in an artery or vessel, in proximity to the ear, results in us being able to hear our heartbeat, potentially due to obstructions in the ear canal or functional changes in our hearing making it easier for us to notice somatic or internal sounds rather than sounds originating outside the body.

Any kind of cold or respiratory infection has a chance to increase our awareness of any type of tinnitus by creating blockages or excess mucus in or around the ear drum or sinuses. I think what your doctors may give more attention to are things they can objectively observe - the air pressure in this case - rather than sensory issues like tinnitus which in most cases they can't experience themselves.

I understand that you will be focused on tinnitus and concerned about what is causing it, but as your symptoms don't appear to include vision problems, hearing loss or significant migraines, it may be that the more troubling factors rarely associated with pulsatile tinnitus are unlikely to be a cause given what you're experiencing and the timeline you've described.

[dutyhog]

Many of us here have had it for years, and mainly get used to it. A scan can eliminate anything nasty.