Hi everyone, so i'll try and keep this short but I'm a 21 yo female and have been living with these annoying pulsating thumps in my left ear for the past month, after doing some research this is what lead me to this forum. The noise is driving me mad, i'm having trouble sleeping which is affecting my daily schedule.
Between October-late December I was suffered from probably the worst bout of sinusitis I have ever experienced; what started off as a simple cold (or so I thought) ended up being two months of sinus pressure, a chesty cough (which made me retch and vomit a little sometimes, caused by the post-nasal drip irritating my throat) and a muffled sensation in my left ear which led to me being partially deaf on that side (I believe my eustachian tube was inflamed and glued shut because even the valsalva manoeuvre could not make it pop).
I made an appointment with my GP who diagnosed sinusitis (likely viral) and told me to get some steroid nasal spray (essentially an OTC antihistamine) and some decongestant. Following the instructions, although these made my nose very clear they did nothing for my plugged up ear - until after about 2 weeks of use and lots of research I realised that I hadn't been using the sprays right if unblocking my eustachian tube was what I was after. After finally adjusting the way I angled the spray and doing this for a few days my left ear finally popped, on Christmas eve too which was like a present in itself!
Anyway, whilst my ear problem seemed to be sorted the sinus infection was still ongoing. Boxing day I went to walk-in-centre with a swollen throat and ear pain (on my right side this time), luckily was seen to by a doctor who wasn't too concerned with my painful throat but more the fact that I had had sinusitis for over 2 months. She gave me a 7-day course of amoxicillin which after about 5 days cleared up the sinus problems - made me wonder if this was a bacterial infection all along?
Since the sinus problems seemed to stop I have had what sounds like my heartbeat pounding in my left ear. From what it sounds like, I may have pulsatile tinnitus - initially I brushed it off as something that would go away on its own, but it hasn't seemed to budge. I've had uni exams recently so thought the stress might have added to this but even after a two week relaxing break nothing has changed.
I know you shouldn't believe everything on the internet, but I've read some terrifying things about what can be caused of PT - one article talking about a man damaging a vein in his neck from overextension which cause his PT and put him at very high risk of a stroke, this is terrifying the life out of me considering sometimes I wake up with a stiff neck as I do like to sleep with multiple pillows!
My mum says I'm just being a hypochondriac but what do you guys think, should I be worried? Could this be some underlying problem with my carotid artery (i'm been fit and healthy with no heart problems or family history of them) or something leading on from my sinusitis?
I'm freaking out after reading about tumours, twisted arteries and all these other scary causes!
Thought I should note, unlike most people's PT if I bend over the noise subsides rather than amplifies (the PT is loudest when I'm stood up straight or lying down in bed) and similarly if I do the valsalva manoeuvre again and block my ears the noise seems to go, and then returns once my ears pop if I swallow or open my mouth.
Between October-late December I was suffered from probably the worst bout of sinusitis I have ever experienced; what started off as a simple cold (or so I thought) ended up being two months of sinus pressure, a chesty cough (which made me retch and vomit a little sometimes, caused by the post-nasal drip irritating my throat) and a muffled sensation in my left ear which led to me being partially deaf on that side (I believe my eustachian tube was inflamed and glued shut because even the valsalva manoeuvre could not make it pop).
I made an appointment with my GP who diagnosed sinusitis (likely viral) and told me to get some steroid nasal spray (essentially an OTC antihistamine) and some decongestant. Following the instructions, although these made my nose very clear they did nothing for my plugged up ear - until after about 2 weeks of use and lots of research I realised that I hadn't been using the sprays right if unblocking my eustachian tube was what I was after. After finally adjusting the way I angled the spray and doing this for a few days my left ear finally popped, on Christmas eve too which was like a present in itself!
Anyway, whilst my ear problem seemed to be sorted the sinus infection was still ongoing. Boxing day I went to walk-in-centre with a swollen throat and ear pain (on my right side this time), luckily was seen to by a doctor who wasn't too concerned with my painful throat but more the fact that I had had sinusitis for over 2 months. She gave me a 7-day course of amoxicillin which after about 5 days cleared up the sinus problems - made me wonder if this was a bacterial infection all along?
Since the sinus problems seemed to stop I have had what sounds like my heartbeat pounding in my left ear. From what it sounds like, I may have pulsatile tinnitus - initially I brushed it off as something that would go away on its own, but it hasn't seemed to budge. I've had uni exams recently so thought the stress might have added to this but even after a two week relaxing break nothing has changed.
I know you shouldn't believe everything on the internet, but I've read some terrifying things about what can be caused of PT - one article talking about a man damaging a vein in his neck from overextension which cause his PT and put him at very high risk of a stroke, this is terrifying the life out of me considering sometimes I wake up with a stiff neck as I do like to sleep with multiple pillows!
My mum says I'm just being a hypochondriac but what do you guys think, should I be worried? Could this be some underlying problem with my carotid artery (i'm been fit and healthy with no heart problems or family history of them) or something leading on from my sinusitis?
I'm freaking out after reading about tumours, twisted arteries and all these other scary causes!
Thought I should note, unlike most people's PT if I bend over the noise subsides rather than amplifies (the PT is loudest when I'm stood up straight or lying down in bed) and similarly if I do the valsalva manoeuvre again and block my ears the noise seems to go, and then returns once my ears pop if I swallow or open my mouth.
