Is This Pulsatile Tinnitus or Something Else?

[shasta0863]

So I've had mild T since I was 18 (26 now) which got worse 5 months ago in June...badly from a loud noise exposure due to a wood saw outside my window; though I'm not sure (maybe in denial is a better word) as the T didn't increase until 5 days later (which makes no sense to me).

Anyways, before this occurred and I haven't thought much about it, I awoke in April 14 of 2015 to this vibrating type of sound (vroom, vroom, vroom) and I thought it was far away but I quickly realized it wasn't. I've never experienced something like this before and only had regular T. The next morning I awoke to it and it subsided after about 10min. I also started having pain, fullness, pressure and low vibration sounds like fridge hum and subwoofer were penetrating my right ear and sounded a lot louder and triggering the vibrating type symptom at times.

After about 2 and half weeks the pain, fullness, ect. wen't away but the vibrating has stayed until this day. Not as frequent but if I take a shower or go out in car and come back and its quiet I can hear/feel this vibrating. Sometimes it matches my heart rate if its elevated but not always. I also have a general mild soreness that lingers in right ear sometimes if its noisy or after the vibration/spasm occurs so what ever happened in april is still lingering. I also experience some clicking sometimes (rarely) though I can't remember if that was back during april or after T increase in early june (thought I believe it was after june).

I'm starting to wonder if this is PT or something else, and if there is any relevance to my T increase that happened about 2 months after this issue but maybe it was just back luck.

The ENT was useless and said the hair on my eardrum probably caused it (surprise it didn't go away when he removed it) and he didn't think it was Stapedius Mycolonus which is what I thought it might be. I'm really at a loss and hopefully you guys can give me some insight.

Thank you.

 

[Karen]

Hi, @shasta0863 ,

I'm sorry you're having the increased tinnitus, and the vibrating as well. It's not uncommon to have the feeling of fullness with increased tinnitus, or the aching inside the ear. I've had both, and for me (five years later) the feeling of fullness is totally gone now. I still have a slight ache inside my ear (right ear only) when I use an earplug, but that's the only time I notice it.

Is your vibration true pulsatile tinnitus, or something else? Well, my pulsating is steady, constant, and always in time with my pulse. In my case, it sounds like a constant drumbeat in the background. I think you're right, in spite of what your doctor says. It sounds more like stapedial myoclonus to me. You could try going to another doctor for a second opinion, but this time, you might consider going to another type of doctor rather than an ENT. Maybe a neurologist or neurotologist.

I'd like to hear other people's opinions as to what your symptoms might be, but myoclonus more closely matches your symptoms, in my opinion.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[shasta0863]

Hi, @shasta0863 ,

I'm sorry you're having the increased tinnitus, and the vibrating as well. It's not uncommon to have the feeling of fullness with increased tinnitus, or the aching inside the ear. I've had both, and for me (five years later) the feeling of fullness is totally gone now. I still have a slight ache inside my ear (right ear only) when I use an earplug, but that's the only time I notice it.

Is your vibration true pulsatile tinnitus, or something else? Well, my pulsating is steady, constant, and always in time with my pulse. In my case, it sounds like a constant drumbeat in the background. I think you're right, in spite of what your doctor says. It sounds more like stapedial myoclonus to me. You could try going to another doctor for a second opinion, but this time, you might consider going to another type of doctor rather than an ENT. Maybe a neurologist or neurotologist.

I'd like to hear other people's opinions as to what your symptoms might be, but myoclonus more closely matches your symptoms, in my opinion.

Best wishes,
Karen

Thanks for your thoughts. Problem is, the pain and fullness occurred before my T increase, in April. It occurred right after I got this random vibration sound. Those symptoms only lasted a few weeks but it definitely was triggered by what ever the vibrating sound that occurred on April 14th. I've had T for 8 years prior to all of this and always same, no spikes always same thing. So I can't possibly understand how I could randomly one night wake up on the couch and have Pulsatile Tinnitus or stapedial myoclonus.

My T increased from I guess noise almost 2 months after so I wonder if this ear issue previously put my ears in a bad state. I've always assumed T comes directly from the incident, and not 5 days later at night after an incident, so I'm still confused and feel that it somehow is connected with this issue from April.

Although it can be in sync with my heart beat at times, like when its really elevated, it isn't 90% of the time. It has it's own time sync. I can't even describe it, it's like an odd vibration/spasm type of sound. Like a low volume fog horn(kind of) that pulses. I can physically feel it occurring.

I'm stunned something like this can just pop out of nowhere. I feel as if my ears continue to deteriorate (add on hyperacusis, TTTS and reactive T). It's been over 5 months from the initial T increase and I actually thought the T was a bit lower a month ago compared to now. I feel like it's steadily getting worse and this vibration/pulse crap going on over 6 months doesn't help.

 

[Karen]

I do think there can be a delayed reaction to noise, or another factor, that made your T get worse. I know it seems weird that it took five days, but I do think it is possible. As for the vibration, it sounds more like reactive T or a spasm.

Mine feels like it's vibrating as I write this, but it is a very regular vibration, accompanied by loud tinnitus. Since yours is more sporadic, it still sounds to me like a spasm of some sort. I hope that in time, yours will begin to settle down.

Are you going to try to see another doctor for a second opinion?

 

[shasta0863]

I do think there can be a delayed reaction to noise, or another factor, that made your T get worse. I know it seems weird that it took five days, but I do think it is possible. As for the vibration, it sounds more like reactive T or a spasm.

Mine feels like it's vibrating as I write this, but it is a very regular vibration, accompanied by loud tinnitus. Since yours is more sporadic, it still sounds to me like a spasm of some sort. I hope that in time, yours will begin to settle down.

Are you going to try to see another doctor for a second opinion?

Thanks Karen. Yeah I think maybe the neurologist or neurotologist route might be best. The ENT I went to was supposedly some great doctor with inner ear disease knowledge and all that, yet the experience was awful. I was hoping it would go away in time, but 6 months gives me the permanent feeling with out intervention. Maybe I will have luck with another type of doctor.

 

[Karen]

Maybe I will have luck with another type of doctor.

I would like to hear the outcome of your appointment. Please keep me posted on how you're doing. I hope you get some answers from another doctor.

I've had a similar experience with an ENT. They often don't have the training, or the time, to deal with patients like us, who have conditions that are not typical.

 

[Marlene]

Hi Karen ,been off TT for few months ,just got back on ,see what's happening ,good to see your now on Staff ,will look in see what happening to all old names ,if still around ,hope I see all good .xx

 

[Karen]

Hi, Marlene,

Welcome back! I hope you are doing well today.

 

[Marlene]

Hi again ,same old T going ,Bain of my life ,plus the MDDS going at same time ,no let up ,going into year 5 with that now .Must catch up on all that's been happening ,see few old names .
Hope Markku and Steve okay .Will look in more ,have read up on back threads
Hug Karen xx

 

[shasta0863]

@Karen I had forgot I made this thread so I'm going to update here with a full documentation:

Sometime at the end of 2015 this issue faded away and became very rare, to having many months ever noticing it again and forgetting about it completely.

Sadly this issue can back with a passion and become almost all the time and I've been so depressed and suicidal it has objectively shocks me. This issue came back so worse I can't even believe it.

On May 6th I lost my grandfather. This was hard on me. Even worse was how hard it was on my Dad and I was home all day crying, trying to suppress myself from crying, consoling my Dad and lots of blowing of my nose throughout the day. I did not have the vibration at all that day.

The following morning, on May 7th I awoke and I believe I felt the low bass like vibration type rumble in the right ear. It wen't away with in a few minutes and I thought nothing of it.

While my parents left in the morning to take care of funeral things for my grandfather I received a package. Earplugs by Decibulz. I decided to take my mind of things and prepare them as they are molding plugs. After boiling the plugs and putting the the silicone tip into the ear canal, I began molding the warm plastic part on the outer ear. You're supposed to push in around it to get it to seal around the outer canal.

Well, after 30-40 seconds of this I noticed the silicone plug inside the canal when I was pushing made my ear sore, I think perhaps that part was too small for my ear and was going to deep (not eardrum deep). I decided to take it out and IMMEDIATELY heard the booming, vibration type bass pulsing was back. As if a car outside your house has a loud bass on and you can hear/feel in in the ear. Exactly like what I experienced in the OP of this thread, just worse.

This has been almost 24/7 since May 7th. Within the first two weeks this vibrating sound/feeling it started to affect my TMJ issue, making my jaw more tight and harder to open, which never happened before in 2015. I also had slight pain off and on and a slight tightness off and on in the ear, seems to be attributed to how bad and intense the vibrating is I wager.

I wen't to an ENT and she chalked it to ETD. While I've had ETD issues in right ear off and on for years, it's never created this problem though. None the less I wen't on flonase for weeks, antihistamine for weeks, then a antihistamine/decongestant combo for a few days. I stopped everything after I saw no improvements after a few weeks, as I felt it was having a negative impact or spiking my original noise induced T.

I cannot seem to make it any better, and if I can MAYBE taking a hot shower seems to calm it down for a brief amount of time but I cannot say for sure. I can however make it worse.

The low bass like, truck idling type sound pulses (not to my heart) usually, so I'll hear a, hmmm, slight pause, hmmm, slight pause, hmmm, slight pause in a rhythm. This can change to a hmmm, hmmm, slight pause, hmmm, hmmm, hmm, or when I aggravate it VERY BADLY it becomes one continuous tone, a long hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, until it calms back down to the former versions I mentioned.

I can easily aggravate it and make it more intense/worse by:

1) Driving. When I drive I don't hear anything, but when I turn car off it is 10/10 in intensity. Not only the loudness of it, but the feeling of it is much worse. This is when it becomes a continuous hmmmmmmm, or vroooooooooom type of sound until it calms back down.

2) Wearing a earplug in the ear. This will do the same exact thing as point 1.

3) Getting upset and crying, rubbing the ear too much, messaging anywhere around the ear for too long will exacerbate it.


Unlike in 2015, where there were triggers in which I'd get it briefly, this is almost constant all the time now. Sometimes I noticed it much less, and sometimes it seems almost gone, around the start of early AM. I always wake up with it and a lot of times when I finally do try to lay down and sleep it's there, or starts to rev up so I hear/feel it.

Shockingly last week I had about 36 hours without it! Why? I got a cold! I started feeling unwell on Tuesday slightly, but Wednesday evening I was having symptoms. I noticed that night, no vibration. I stayed up through most of night coughing up phlegm, blowing my nose, drinking water and taking Sambucol every 3 hours. I am usually very on top of colds so I can get rid of them quick and leave nothing in my system to sit and potentially get worse, so I always cough it out or blow it out with even a slight suspect of feeling it.

When I finally wen't asleep around 5am, I awoke around 10am. No vibration!! I've not experienced that since this started. My ears had the typical pressure and fullness sensation of a cold, like your on a plane and haven't equalized. I suspect that had some type of affect on my ear and stopped the vibration. The whole of Thursday no vibration at all. Even sick with pressure in the ear, it was the best I've ever felt and my ears felt normal.

Of course, when I woke on Friday I felt loads better. My ear pressure was gone, nose was clear and only a slight cough and chest phlegm remain. Low and behold, the VIBRATION was back. And back with a passion. It's been louder and more intense with less intermittent breaks both Friday and today. Which tells me that blowing my nose, coughing up a lot intensely, has had a very negative impact on this condition/issue.

 

[sakrt]

@shasta0863: I have very similar symptoms and condition. I have this vibrating occurring in my ear, concurrently with very strong pressurizing pulsatile T, which throbs... I hear and feel from lips, jaw, neck down to chest. It's so strong, as if my heart has consumed my body. I can count my heartbeats. Physical movement, even a simple thing like sneezing or a laugh immediately exacerbates it. It's difficult for people to understand, as it's invisible. It's abnormal, tormenting and alike you - on the frustrating struggle bus. Please keep in the loop of any updates.