Pulsatile Tinnitus — Now on Tinnitus Talk

I hear a sound similar to when you drag your fingernail against tight jeans maybe when I put my head under water in the tub and I have a high pulse for some reason (anxiety as of late)

has had it all my life, i think it's normal to have it to some degree. but that goes for all tinnitus i guess
 
Pulsatile tinnitus is (for me, at least) a continuous sound that I can always hear, and it is entirely in sync with my pulse,or heartbeat. When I move my head, or lift something heavy, the pulsating gets louder, and sounds like a whooshing for a few minutes.

The pulsating sound never goes away, and is particularly noticeable at night when I am trying to sleep. It is hard to get comfortable, because I always have a beat going on in my head. It's a feeling as much as it is a sound. In the beginning, it felt like my whole head and body were vibrating. It has gotten calmer recently.

Does that describe what yours feels like, too, Erlend? Since you have a high pulse rate, you may be hearing and feeling that sound in your head.
 
I'm constantly feeling my head beat and it even causes me to not even to keep my foot on the break when I'm driving, it's like an intense pressure I'm feeling in my head.. and it won't go away. It's 24/7. I hear slight ringing when it's quiet, but it's mostly the beating and pressure in my head that's bothering me the most.
 
My T became so bad that I'm now on anti-anxiety drugs. I agree for the full 100% on what John says, I have been using a cloth with warm water , cranial therapy and acupuncture on my jaw and they all helped to release the stress on my jaw/face. everything that relaxes my jaw such as running and walking will do me good as well. I'm going soon for some myfocial massage for the trigger points in my neck, shoulders, chest. I have many symptoms related to TMD as well, and the acupuncture does a great job on that as it release the pressure in 12 hours. Salt and coffee appears to be no good. I react very negatively to salt and am trying to avoid both now.

I have been doing stretches on and off, but will start doing them 3x times daily a suggested by John

Strangely, i started sleeping on my stomach for the last two weeks something i have never done before, somehow i turn around while I sleep?

Thanks

Menno


Hi everybody,
I'm new to the forum and I am suffering from PT and T - same as Menno I have exactly the same symptons of PT anT:
1) PT subsides after Jogging/Swimming. The moment I get up from sitting or lying down, it's back.
2) When running PT takes rhytm of my steps as opposed to heartbeat
3) PT worse in the morning and at night
4) Have been sleeping on my stomach for last 3 years - now only on my side and back
5) Stopped drinking alcohol and down to 1 cup of coffee per day.
6) Started taking a multitude of vitmamins.

Have had PT for the last 6 months and T for the last 2 years. Visited my GP, who was pretty thorough and eventually sent me for a CT scan, which revealed nothing. Sent me to an ENT, who found nothing wrong, just told me there isn't any treatment for T.

Menno, I would like to hear back from you whether you have found any cure or cause for your PT.

Kind regards
OzzieDownUnder
 
Hi, @OzzieDownUnder ,

How did your PT start? Can you think of anything that might have preceded it, or did it just start "out of the blue"?

Like you, I had tinnitus first. I had mild tinnitus for about 25 years; then, my tinnitus got much worse after taking a blood pressure medication. The pulsatile tinnitus started about 2 weeks after that, and it just started suddenly.

Are you taking any medications? Do you have any injuries to the head, or any changes in metabolism?

Pulsatile tinnitus is a strange phenomenon, which might have a number of different causes. I'm glad you had the CT scan, and that it was negative.

Are you going to try going to any other doctors, or have any additional tests?
 
I've learned quickly that one is often not able to receive an unbiased "different" opinion from another specialist as we used to. The Health system has now arranged a new computer system where they all are able to interract/observe your file with one another, even from a different state. So If you happen to ask/see another specialist in another state, they will quickly respond, stating to see your "local" dr. (giving your a name) which mysteriously- happens to be the one you've seen. It's becoming more corrupt, biased and a poorer health system... I am not sure if it's due to doctor's revolting against Obamacare to lessen insurance fraud - I don't know.. I do know the new system is not allowing patients to have 2nd -unbiased- opinions from other specialists now which is very uncomfortable.
 
That's too bad. I know that I tried to get a second opinion, too. The doctor ordered an MRI/MRA for me, and once the results came back negative, he basically "dropped" me, although he was very nice and sent me a cordial letter.

Since then, I've kind of given up on going to doctors for more tests, and have been trying to live with my condition. It has improved so that I'm able to get from day to day, but I still have both the increased ringing and the pulsating.

Kasart, I wish you well if you decide to go back for more testing. Please keep us posted on how you're doing!
 
My family dr. has been very proactive in trying to support me in getting further help as I'm going further into depression- I cannot sleep without a large dosage of anti-anxiety and sleep meds, can't concentrate or able to do my usual daily activities. I also am not able to use my new cochlear processor, as it worsens the tinnitus, taking me off balance. My neuro-oto. never returned the many calls from either myself or my family dr. (after earning over 100k from the CI company). No follow ups. I will be seeing a vascular surgeon tmw and going to the vestibular/balance center next week to check my nystagmus, vestibular, audiological issues (at a diff. hospital from where the neuro-oto. works). I advise sufferers to never give up, get a 2nd opinion and try to get a good family Dr. who is not afraid of politics to be your advocate. Will keep you posted on my updates later.
 
You're so lucky to have a family doctor as your advocate, and I wish you well with the surgeon and the balance center. Thanks for the update!!

Best wishes,
Karen
 
My intermittent right side P.T. stops if I compress the left side of my neck, tried it after I read this article below. I'm hoping I don't have a dural fistula. MRI nothing, ice, meditation, breathing exercises and massage of trigger points on neck helps, low stress keeps mine intermittent. Started 10 months after head neck trauma. Starting Qi Gong today.

A case of a 58-year-old man with right side pulsatile tinnitus originating from a small dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) of the jugular bulb is described. The tinnitus was alleviated by contralateral (opposite side) neck compression. This unusual observation ruled out venous pulsatile tinnitus, although a temporal bone CT scan showed a high jugular bulb. The fistula was confirmed by angiographic study. The patient was treated by transarterial embolization of the fistula and remains free of symptoms 1 year after treatment.​

Mine is also Objective, I recorded it on my phone. It is creepy. Good luck everyone
 
Do any of you have PT in combination with regular tinnitus? I've had ringing for many years with fluctuating tones, and recently experiencing the pulsating type that is driving me crazy, a new type of torture but worse. But today it's back to the regular tinnitus. Every so often I get the P T back and then it subsides. Have you experienced the changing back and forth?

Yes I had both PT and regular tinnitus. I'm used to the tinnitus so its not an issue for me after so many years. I gradually developed PT about 2 years ago. Before it became full-blown PT I noticed an itchy sensation inside my left ear. This sensation was followed by the pulsing (swooshing) sound which got progressively worse. It peaked at about 12 months. But after 1.5 years it started to improve. After two years I made a 100% recovery. The real test is late at night when there is no sound in the room. No more swooshing sounds, not even the slightest. The regular tinnitus lives on though but its no big thing for me because I've been dealing with it for so long.

Disclaimer: I had been dealing with a somewhat elevated BP so I cut way down on sodium, increased my potassium (4.7-5+ grams per day, from food and supplements), I take Hawthorne Berry extract and CoQ10 for cardiovascular health. I also follow a plant-based (not vegan/vegetarian) diet. Was it one of these or a combination of these things that helped? I don't have a clue.
 
I didn't mention it to anybody but Karen so far, maybe someone will have any idea what is going on and what could I do.

I've been experiencing some very unusual symptom for few years before my "normal" tinnitus started. When I perform certain actions, I hear a loud, roaring sound that lasts for 2-3 seconds in my right ear. It happens most often when I stretch myself, yawn, or reach for something on the ground. Sometimes it happens while I'm talking. I can speak normally but right after I finish the sentence I hear this "whooosh" in my right ear.

It was never really a problem to me and I didn't pay much attention to it but some time ago I got pulsatile tinnitus that would appear in the late evening and disappear in the morning the next day. It started on 23rd of december and resolved itself somewhere mid-january.

Now it's back, 3rd day in a row I can clearly hear a whooshing, rhythmic sound in my right ear. It's not as severe as the first time it appeared but it still bothers me a bit. It comes around at 11:00 PM and when I wake up in the morning it's gone completely.

The problem is, the ENT doctor I told about my symptoms just raised an eyebrow and wasn't really sure what to do with me.

Hi Fish,

Sorry for bringing this back to life but I typed "yawning + tinnitus" in google and it sent me here.

Actually I have a permanent tinnitus for more than ten years but for the past months I have a pulsative ringing on one side, it's not permanent but I can hear it at night and in the morning. I often search for a source of the noise in my apparent but in the end it appears to be just me...

Also I noticed just like you that when a stretch or yawn there is a loud tinnitus at around 1khz. It's on the same side as the pulsative T. I guess there must be a connection between the 2.
I would like to add the sound is too treble to be blood / heart beat related. 1khz is not treble but it's really far from bassy.
Finally, I can't hear that sound with ear buds. So it really seems to be related to a physical thing, maybe something pressing a nerve...

I'm wondering if this is not related to a bacteria because I'm very tired for months and sometimes have difficulties to breathe. Doctors can't find anything in my blood but they told me there is something in regards of a general inflammation in my body. Can be an infection but something hard to find so I'll see a "Dr House" doctor at the hospital in 2 weeks to progress. Hopefully this is not Lyme...

On your side did you find what your problem is/was?

Edit: not only when yawning the Woosh also comes to life when I put my small finger in the ear and "play" with the pressure in the canal.
 
Yes I had both PT and regular tinnitus. I'm used to the tinnitus so its not an issue for me after so many years. I gradually developed PT about 2 years ago. Before it became full-blown PT I noticed an itchy sensation inside my left ear. This sensation was followed by the pulsing (swooshing) sound which got progressively worse. It peaked at about 12 months. But after 1.5 years it started to improve. After two years I made a 100% recovery. The real test is late at night when there is no sound in the room. No more swooshing sounds, not even the slightest. The regular tinnitus lives on though but its no big thing for me because I've been dealing with it for so long.

Disclaimer: I had been dealing with a somewhat elevated BP so I cut way down on sodium, increased my potassium (4.7-5+ grams per day, from food and supplements), I take Hawthorne Berry extract and CoQ10 for cardiovascular health. I also follow a plant-based (not vegan/vegetarian) diet. Was it one of these or a combination of these things that helped? I don't have a clue.
To bounce on your conclusion: or it might be the end of an infection affecting your ear canal. Sometimes we have to fight viruses (or mycoplasma pneumoniae since it's an early discovery which is hard to detect and more common that we imagine and affects ears besides small daily cold sticky symptoms) for longer than expected and without fever we are not even aware we are sick, we usually notice we are tired more than usual, sometimes for months or years and we just think this is related to stress or not enough sleep.
 
Looks like I cannot edit my post anymore so sorry for postin g a third in a row.

All I wanted to edit is that my PTdoesn't sound like a "woosh" as I understand to all of you "woosh" is like a baby ultrasound imagery = a sound related to blood pressure.

In my case it sounds a lot more like a concert of crystal glasses, with multiple 800 to 3000khz pure tone sounds.

I don't even know an ENT I could meet to tell this story without him/her to raise en eyebrow. Sometimes I'm thinking about generating what I hear on an audio software.
 

Log in or register to get the full forum benefits!

Register

Register on Tinnitus Talk for free!

Register Now