Pulsatile Tinnitus Never Goes Away??

[Gary Savelli]

Hello, about two weeks I developed a whooshing in my left ear, that sticks to the rythym of my heartbeat. I talked to my vascular doctor since I had a regular checkup, and when I told him my symptoms, he made a grimacing look, and said how sorry he felt that I had it. We talked about it and he said that once a person gets pulsatile tinnitis, it NEVER goes away on it's own. The only success he has seen is through surgery or correction of the problem. I go to a vascular doctor because I have a 58% occlusion in my left carotid artery that he has been keeping an eye on for the past few years, thankfully no progression since detection.

Does anyone every get healed naturally of this condition by making changes, or other means? He is having me checked out by CT scan, and ear hearing check, but that was pretty discouraging news...

I have had the tinnitus and as everyone who has it knows, it drives one crazy not being able to sleep. Has anyone heard of people healing naturally of pulsatile tinnitus, and if so, what did you do to help yourself?

 

[Fungus]

Hi Gary. Is the cause for your PT known? Is it thought to be the carotid stenosis? (If so, why have you just developed the PT?)

I have PT (as well as hissing tinnitus) and it's only there at night,mainly left ear,but can be right, and not always there (may be absent for a day or two,so what does that classify as?

A definite cause has never been found for my PT (in spite or MRI/MRA and CT/ CTA) so surgery wouldn't be an option.

I have (lifelong) Raynaud's but no other vascular disease at all.

If there is no cause for PT, then there's no cause to treat.... Mine seems to be worse when I have infection etc.

My ENT doc. said it's amazing we don't all have PT as the huge carotid arteries are so very close to the ear mechanism.

So,all-in-all, I would say your vascular doc. may not be too au fait with causes of PT other than those strictly vascular causes, and may not know to much of the natural history of non-vascular causes for PT. It's unlikely that a vascular doc. would have a very far-reaching interest in tinnitus of any kind.

Fungus.

 

[The Red Viper]

@Gary Savelli, do you have regular T as well? If you only have pulsatile T and you have a known occlusion in your left carotid artery, consider yourself lucky. Now I'm not saying that it doesn't suck to be you, I'm sure it does, but the chances are really high that your situation can be fixed. Naturally, I'm not so sure, but surgically for sure. The problem with MRA's and CTA's is that they are great for large arteries, but they don't have enough resolution to show the smaller arteries or veins near the inner ear and acoustic nerve.

 

[volsung37]

I had PT in my left ear for 8 months. It cleared up. Unfortunately I now have regular T in that ear but the PT has been gone over a year now. Pulsatile tinnitus is more easily treatable than other tinnitus as a definite cause can sometimes be found and corrected whether this is through vascular surgery or treatment for middle ear infection. I would not give up hope.

 

[Victactoria]

I've had it for 16 years now. It never goes away for me, I've never gone to a dr about it though. But it is constantly whooshing in my right ear with my pulse. I'm sorry you have it, I have read that if they can find a reason it's curable

 

[GregCA]

I've had it for 16 years now. It never goes away for me, I've never gone to a dr about it though. But it is constantly whooshing in my right ear with my pulse. I'm sorry you have it, I have read that if they can find a reason it's curable

That's right, so I'm curious why you didn't go see a doctor about it (since it may be curable). Does it just not bother you?