Left Ear, 2 Weeks, and Scared

[DougDude]

Hello all,
First, thanks for this site. Like Whooshers.com, it has helped alot of people and I hope to be one of those blessed people.

Around 2 weeks ago I started hearing this pulsing sound in my left ear. At first I thought it was the washing machine on the floor above me as I was in the basement working on a few things. It didn't take long and I realized the washing machine wasn't on and what I was hearing was my heartbeat in my ear. Thanks to Google, I learned I have pulsatile tinnitus which has landed me on this forum and many other sites.

Fast forward to yesterday, I just left the ENT doc that I was referred to from my primary care doctor. Unfortunately he couldn't detect anything. The good news is I have outstanding hearing. He said I have 2 choices...

1. Have dye injected and do a full work-up to see if they can find anything with the dye. I assume this is a MRA I've read about. Sounds scary... injecting dye.
2. Wait 2-3 months to see if it goes away on its own.

I opted for 2 because I have no other symptoms. No headaches, ear pain, fullness in the ear, dizziness, etc. I occasionally feel head pressure, but I think that is due to seasonal allergies I usually get in the spring.

However, the more I read, the more I'm getting scared. Tumors, artery blockage, etc are some of the things that have me worried.

It is only in my left ear. It gets worse when I bend over. I can stop it 2 different ways...
1. Press just below my ear. As soon as I let go, it returns.
2. Open my jaw as wide as I can. As soon as I put my mouth back to normal, it returns.

About 1-3 times a day, it will just stop on its own. Sometimes mid pulse even. When it does stop on its own, it is short lived... few minutes at best, and then it always returns.

I haven't had a recent cold or anything, but I usually do get allergies around spring time. I started Flonase and Zyrtec, but they haven't helped. I've also taken Ibuprofen in case caused my inflammation, but that hasn't helped.

Speaking of inflammation, I heard that could be a sign there is something much more serious going on.

Anyway, it is really making it hard to sleep and in some cases it is difficult to concentrate at work.

I'm not sure where else to turn. At this point I'm thinking I need to have the tests done. However, I'm not sure I trust an ENT to be able to read them accurately as I've read many stories how films are misread and it wasn't until the patient went somewhere else they found the underlying cause.

Any suggestions? Could it go away on its own or is that highly unlikely? It is very strange how it will just stop all the sudden for a few minutes... 5 minutes when I'm lucky

Thanks,
Doug D.

 

[DougDude]

I should also add that I find myself clinching my teeth sometimes. Sometimes at night I will wake up and I'm clenching my teeth really really hard. I find myself doing it somewhat unconsciously during the day too... especially when I'm concentrating really hard on something.

So, I think I have Bruxism (excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching. It is an oral parafunctional activity; i.e., it is unrelated to normal function such as eating or talking) though I have never really been diagnosed with it.

Thanks,
Doug

 

[DougDude]

Does pulsatile tinnitus usually mean a glomus jugular tumor?

 

[DougDude]

It is getting worse. I found a spot on the back of my head behind my left ear I can press and it goes away, but it comes back as soon as I let go. I'm really scared now of what it could be and scared I'll never find a solution. The ENT agreed to some imaging, but when they left a message, they didn't state what kind. I'm talking to the imaging center this morning.

If it stops when I push on the left splenius capitis, what does that mean?

https://www.google.com/search?q=spl...AhUszoMKHd0EDq4Q9QEILTAB#imgrc=YrDqJ2-zOl_ceM:

Thanks,
Doug

 

[DougDude]

I haven't heard anything from anyone.

I'm hoping to get some reassurance all will be ok because I'm really have my anxiety in high gear now after reading about glomus tumors and DAVFs.

I'm scheduled to have a MRA on Friday... even that is making me nervous. I've never had a IV before.

I can make the PT stop 3 ways...
Opening my mouth as wide as I possibly can
Pushing in soft spot just behind the ear... and kinda pulling down
Pushing on hard spot where skin is thin behind ear on skull. This is the easiest way to stop it... I can also feel my pulse there.

It gets worse when I bend over.
I haven't really noticed any headaches, dizziness, or vision problems. Occasionally I think I might feel a bit of a headache, but they are short lived.
I feel pressure in my nose sometimes and sometimes my nose will even kinda pop... like to relieve pressure.

ENT looked in my ear and nose over a week ago and didn't notice anything. At first he said wait 2-3 months, but then I called back and said it was worse so that is what prompted the MRA.

How often is PT due to something serious... like DAVF? The more I read about DAVF the more I think that likely what I have which scares the you know what out of me. I'm thinking I could stroke out at any minute or not wake up.

My PT also changes tone and volume alot. I will be lying still in bed and all of the sudden it will go from a low pitched wooshing sound (like baby ultrasound) to a much louder whoosh and higher pitched. It can do this without moving at all.

I've been praying like crazy. Even told my 4 year old daughter to pray for me

Thanks!

 

[emmalee]

I've been praying like crazy. Even told my 4 year old daughter to pray for me

Thanks!

@DougDude

Hello, it is nice to meet you. I am quite new myself and I know how fear and anxiety can cause great stress, leading to anxious thoughts and fear of what is to be. Please do try and read as many of the positive threads and success stories as you can find on the forum. This is working for me while I await my first appointment with a specialist.

Please know that I will pray for you.

Join us here
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-positivity-thread.3142/

~emmalee

 

[Jazzer]

Please know that I will pray for you.

A lovely response emmalee.
Kindness is such a help.

 

[DougDude]

Thanks @emmalee and @Jazzer ... for awhile I thought no one would respond!

At this point I guess there is nothing left for me to do except pray and wait for the MRA and results.

I've noticed I seem to have a clicking sound in my ears when I swallow. I think I have always had that, but it seems worse now... or that could be because I'm more sensitive to everything going on with my body now.

I've tried to find answers to the places I can press to stop it, the clicking sound when swallowing, etc. to see if it could give me a better idea of what it could be, but that information doesn't seem to be out there... or at least isn't conclusive in nature.

Thanks!

 

[jjflyman]

I haven't heard anything from anyone.

I'm hoping to get some reassurance all will be ok because I'm really have my anxiety in high gear now after reading about glomus tumors and DAVFs.

I'm scheduled to have a MRA on Friday... even that is making me nervous. I've never had a IV before.

I can make the PT stop 3 ways...
Opening my mouth as wide as I possibly can
Pushing in soft spot just behind the ear... and kinda pulling down
Pushing on hard spot where skin is thin behind ear on skull. This is the easiest way to stop it... I can also feel my pulse there.

It gets worse when I bend over.
I haven't really noticed any headaches, dizziness, or vision problems. Occasionally I think I might feel a bit of a headache, but they are short lived.
I feel pressure in my nose sometimes and sometimes my nose will even kinda pop... like to relieve pressure.

ENT looked in my ear and nose over a week ago and didn't notice anything. At first he said wait 2-3 months, but then I called back and said it was worse so that is what prompted the MRA.

How often is PT due to something serious... like DAVF? The more I read about DAVF the more I think that likely what I have which scares the you know what out of me. I'm thinking I could stroke out at any minute or not wake up.

My PT also changes tone and volume alot. I will be lying still in bed and all of the sudden it will go from a low pitched wooshing sound (like baby ultrasound) to a much louder whoosh and higher pitched. It can do this without moving at all.

I've been praying like crazy. Even told my 4 year old daughter to pray for me

Thanks!

IMO you should just wait it out. More than likely this will resolve itself but it may take many months. If I were you, I would not do any procedures to your ears, just give it time. I'm sure you will be fine.

 

[DougDude]

IMO you should just wait it out. More than likely this will resolve itself but it may take many months. If I were you, I would not do any procedures to your ears, just give it time. I'm sure you will be fine.

I know... and that is what I originally thought until I read about the different possible causes and how I could be at high risk of stroke... or even death.

I'm going through the MRA just to get some imaging done. If it comes back ok, it will be a relief, but I've also read numerous posts about how people had MRAs that came back clear, but then they went to someone else, had a CT angiogram and found a fistula or something else. So even it comes back clear, I'm not so sure I will be able to rest easy.

I'm praying it is just fluid deep in the ear. I'm not sure that is possible though because I thought the ENT would be able to see it. Not sure if it is possible to have fluid so deep that the doctors can't see it.

Thanks!

 

[BB_in_KS]

I'm 12 weeks into my T, right ear. You'll have to do what's right for you. I didn't have much of a choice regarding the MRI. My ENT wanted it, and I wanted to rule out bigger problems.

Good luck to you in whatever you chose. My first few weeks were pretty tense, but I've learned to deal with it, and you will too. (I do hope it goes away of course.)

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@DougDude The first thing that I thought when reading your posts is Pulsatile Tinnitus caused by a dilated Mastoid emissary vein (complex). Many structures pass through the mastoid and it can have connections to everything else including facial tension/grinding that you mention.

There could be variables to some research on the right side of this focus link. Please don't push hard on the Mastoid area with your thumb. You need that MRA. This may be your problem and there is treatment for this. I found a linked source, but it doesn't detail other sensory connections. This is my best guess, but I could be wrong where infection is being hidden or something else going on. Your grinding may have to be addressed separately.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3617320/

 

[DougDude]

Thanks @Greg Sacramento and @BB_in_KS ... hey, I'm in Kansas too!

So I might have a little ray of hope!!!... I'll explain...

Last night was rough. I wasn't sleeping well because the whoosh kept changing pitch and volume all night... like every 2-4 minutes on average. It would go from a "Whoosh, Whoosh" to more of a "Wheeesh, Wheeesh" at times. Even more annoying than just a constant whoosh. Anyway, my wife got up early to work out and I was uncomfortable not sleeping on my left side all night. I figured "the hell with it, I'm not going to sleep anyway," so I laid on my left side since I only had about another 30 minutes before I had to get up. During that time I somehow kinda dosed off. I kinda woke up and turn on my back and realized the whoosh was gone... and I mean it was completely gone! I couldn't believe it. However, I noticed my left nostril was completely clogged... I mean very clogged! I didn't care!... I was enjoying the silence... the oh so sweet silence. So I rolled back to my left side gently and it was still gone... however for about 10 seconds I heard a very faint squeek pulse, but that was it. I decided to enjoy the silence for about 5 minutes. After the five minutes I blew my nose. Nothing came out as it was very congested. Unfortunately the blowing of the nose made the pulsatile tinnitus come back.

So, I got up and felt somewhat relieved thinking could this just be from some sort of really deep congestion?... fluid somewhere really deep the primary doc and ENT doc couldn't see? ... I'm really holding on hope for that!

Shortly after I got up, I did a neti pot with distilled water and one of those saline packets. That allowed me to blow my nose pretty good. For a little while it seemed the PT was gone. I took a shower and as I was getting dressed I noticed the PT is back in pretty much full strength unfortunately.

Since I had this happen, I decided to take Sudafed. I tried it before for a couple doses, but quit because it didn't seem like it was helping. I'm also taking Zyrtec and Flonase. I might go home over lunch and do the neti pot again.

So my question is since I had relief from the PT where it completely vanished when my left nostril was clogged, does that mean it is likely nothing serious and just some sort of infection or fluid build up? Or is this just a coincidence where the stuffed up nostril simply just "masked" the PT? I'm praying it wasn't just a mask of the PT.

I do feel like I have sense of fluid in my ear, but I could see that feeling is probably there with most PT sufferers.

Anyway, here is to holding on hope that this little episode of relief when my nose was clogged means it is just deep congestion and fluid!

Thanks!

 

[DougDude]

Well, I have my MRA today at 1pm. I nervous about it. Nervous about the dye, nervous what the results could be.

I'm still holding onto hope I just have fluid deep in the ear and it is just going to take time.

Even though the whoosh sound (like a ultrasound on baby in womb) is in sync with my heartbeat, I can make the same sound by jumping up and down or just walking/running down a set of stairs. To me, that means there has to be fluid involved unless all I'm hearing is blood.

I didn't get even a little bit of sleep last night because it was so loud. It seems like it keeps getting louder. A shower used to mask it pretty well, this morning one didn't.

Anyway, I'll post my results when I get them. Not sure when that will be, but hopefully sooner than later.

Thanks!

 

[New Guy]

@DougDude

I saw on another thread that you had surgery and your PT is gone. Congratulations! That is great news.

 

[DougDude]

Thanks... I'm blessed I only had it 6 weeks. Praying for everyone here!

 

[Vimercati Ailton]

superior canal dehiscense syndrome. I had same simptoms and I got surgery one week ago. No other way after 2 year 8 months strugling. Manchester Royal Uni Hospital. Dr S Freeman

 

[Vimercati Ailton]

superior canal dehiscense syndrome. I had same simptoms and I got surgery one week ago. No other way after 2 year 8 months strugling. Manchester Royal Uni Hospital. Dr S Freeman

 

[Smartone202]

@DougDude Hey Doug whatever happened?