Pulsatile Tinnitus Questions and Advice Needed :)

[Ashlie_McD]

Hey everyone! I'm a 31 year old from SLC, UT. I joined last year but forgot my password and such so I just created a new account. I've been suffering from pulsatile tinnitus on and off for several years but it's pretty much been nonstop for one year.
I had tubes put in maybe 12 years ago as an adult and they have created holes in both my eardrums. The ENT tells me that these perforations have not caused my tinnitus (but I do have hearing loss and weird sensations in my right ear, which is the same ear I have PT, which I am sure is what is causing those issues) and that it is a vascular issue. I have had a CTA and an MRA scan which both came back fine. They tell me that that covers about 95% diagnostically and that to be 100% sure nothing is wrong with me vascular wise that I will need a cerebral angiogram. I've been pretty stressed that whatever is causing this is going to cause a stroke/aneurysm and I am also sorta worried that the angiogram will cause those same things as well, even though it's a slight chance.

So.....I need your help from all you pulsatile tinnitus sufferers. Any general information is welcome and what do you think about all that I've stated above? Should I get the test? Should I just trust the CTA/MRA scans since they are about 95% that I'm in good health? What's the deal with PT? Can people just get it for no reason?

Also, with your PT does it physically feel like pulsing? Not just sound but actual movement? Sometimes mine feels this way, along with the pulse/whooshing noise.

Any help/advice/info would be greatly appreciated!!

Ashlie

 

[billy43]

hi Ashlie.my PT is strictly sound.no pulsing but still really tough to deal with.mine is a hissing that gets louder and faster with any type of physical activity.and yes sometimes people can get PT for no reason.if the actual sound is not that bothersome for you i would try to avoid the cerebral angiogram.PT can be caused by so many different things.so sometimes you may have to see several different types of specialist. just wondering which type of doctor are you currently seeing?

 

[Karen]

@Ashlie_McD ,

My PT is both a sound and a feeling, as if I can actually feel my pulse in my head. It was so bad when it first started that, when I tried to lie down to sleep, I could feel the pulsating throughout my entire body! That was four years ago, and it has improved since then. Why? I have no idea, except that I've calmed down a lot since that time. I'm currently taking magnesium chloride tablets (2 tablets about 1 hour before bed), and that has seemed to help.

It's great that your doctor has recognized the need for more testing for your PT, because many doctors will dismiss you after the initial tests, if nothing is found. However, I agree with Billy in thinking that you might want to wait awhile on that cerebral angiogram --- unless your PT suddenly gets a lot worse. For some people, I've heard that their PT goes away, or becomes a lot calmer, after awhile.

Are you seeing some type of specialist now, and was there a specific reason why he prescribed the cerebral angiogram?