I'm New Here with Pulsatile Tinnitus and Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

[Sandi81]

Hello New Friends!

Your posts have all been very helpful. I am a healthy 34 yo female that developed pulsitile tinnitus with mild-moderate sensiorneural hearing loss in my right ear approximately 1 year ago. I was preganant at the time I first noticed it. ENT sent me for an MRI which was negative for an acoutic neuroma(after pregnancy). He told me to "wait it out" for 6 months and see if it improves. It has not. 2 days before my 6 month appointment I noticed I couldn't hear anything out of my right ear including the pulsing sound. By a miracle, I saw another ENT within 2-3 hours of it happening. My hearing test revealed that I now have profound hearing loss in my right ear.(I don't have the exact numbers). No conductive problems i.e. wax or fluid. I was given 60 mg/day of prednisone for the next 7 days. I am on day 6. Follow Up is tomorrow. I have good and bad moments. Sometimes it feels as if my hearing has recovered a little. Almost as if I am listening through a tunnel. Other times it feels as if I am completely deaf and there is a ton of pressure on the right side of my face. I now have a constant tinnitus in my right ear and it only pulsates when I bend over or lay in bed

I guess my questions are....has anyone experienced this? Can your hearing come and go with PT or are they even related? If it really is fluctuating (so hard to tell) is that a "good" sign? Anything I should ask the doc about tomorrow?

Thank you so much for your time! I wish you well!

 

[Karen]

Hi, Sandi81,

I'm so sorry to hear that you're experiencing hearing problems, along with pulsatile tinnitus, since the time of your pregnancy. At a time when you want to focus on the baby, it must be very hard to have to deal with this at the same time.

Yes, I have heard of other women whose tinnitus and/or pulsatile tinnitus started during pregnancy. My daughter had regular tinnitus that started while she was pregnant, and disappeared several months after her baby was born. I have heard of other women, like yourself, who experienced pulsatile tinnitus during or after pregnancy.

A question for you: Have you noticed any change in your vision along with the other symptoms? I was wondering if you might have excess fluid in your body, or any difficulty with weight gain from the pregnancy that hasn't gone away yet. There are some women who have developed IIH (intracranial hypertension), which has to do with fluid buildup around the brain. You could check into this, to see if any of the symptoms match yours. I've heard that an eye test can detect fluid buildup, so that might be a possibility, too.

I have pulsatile tinnitus, too, but mine is constant, and is definitely in sync with my pulse. Have you checked to make sure yours is synchronized with your pulse?

Yes, I think it's possible that hearing and PT could be related. I have conductive hearing loss in the same ear in which I have PT, and I also have a high-pitched hissing tinnitus along with it.

I'm glad you have a follow-up appointment with your doctor tomorrow. My suggestion would be to make a list of questions to ask him, and see if you can get some answers. I'm sure he must have had other patients who experienced PT during or after pregnancy, and he might be able to give you some insight into the possible cause or possible course of action to take.

Good luck, and I hope you'll post again to let us know what he says.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[Sandi81]

Karen,
Thank you so much for responding! I'm sorry you and your daughter are dealing with this too! Question: did you have an angiogram done? I'm wondering if I should push for one tomorrow or not...

It's interesting that you mention the fluid. My weight is within "normal" range; however, I have had a difficult time getting my wedding bands on and off since the baby. I wear glasses already and my eyes are super dry but I haven't noticed any major changes.

I just started writing questions. Great suggestion! I always forget when I get there.

Thanks again for responding. I will definitely update tomorrow.
Sandi

 

[Karen]

Hi, Sandi,

No, I haven't had an angiogram. So far, I've had a CT scan of the temporal bone, an MRI and MRA with and without contrast, and a Doppler of the carotid arteries. Nothing was found, and my PT is still there, but it seems to have gotten calmer. Mine started after taking a blood pressure drug for the first time, and since my blood pressure is now under control, my PT seems to have improved. So, because an angiogram is somewhat invasive and has some risk, I haven't had one, to date.

You could ask your doctor if he thinks some testing would be warranted, but he probably won't start with an angiogram. The most likely test he'd order for you first would be an MRI, and you can ask to have an MRA (arteries) and MRV (veins) at the same time. I wish I'd known that when I had mine done, and I would have requested an MRV, too. An angiogram is more of a last resort type of test, and that is if the doctor feels it is warranted.

Will look forward to hearing what happened at your doctor's tomorrow.

Take care,
Karen

 

[Karen]

Another thought: You've had a lot of hormonal changes going on in your body from the pregnancy, and it probably takes time to get things back to normal again. Also, I have heard of people with PT whose pulsating subsided when they lost weight. It could be that several months from now, yours will subside, too, as you body returns to normal.

 

[AlexanderLayne]

Hello Sandy, Karen and everyone else,

Sandy I am wondering if you could possibly provide an update. Your situation sounds a lot like what I am going through now.

I developed pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear in December 2015. Within a couple of months it was joined by hyperacusis (is that the word? sensitivity to loud noises) and ringing tinnitus. Just one week ago the hearing in my right ear started worsening intermittently, then permanently. I now have dramatic hearing loss in my right ear. I am on day 7 of Prednizone, and am also getting intratympanic steroid injections.

I don't hear the pulsatile tinnitus in the right ear anymore, but there is a lot of ringing tinnitus and other noises. I am, however, perceiving some pulsatile tinnitus, for the first time, in my LEFT ear.

I have had an MRI, CT scan, lots of blood work, visits to my local EMT and to Mass Eye and Ear -- so far they have not found a cause. They speculate the cause could be a virus.

Has anyone heard of a similar pattern of symptoms? Any suggestions?