Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together

[balanga]

Hey everyone,

I'm Robert, a 30-year-old, otherwise-healthy guy with some ear issues. I was glad to find this site and thought I would post my story in case anyone else has had a similar experience, or can help me solve this mystery somehow.

I've had Meniere's-like symptoms in my right ear since I was a teenager, but it wasn't until I had my first vertigo attack in 2009 that I was diagnosed. Since then I've had a handful of attacks, but I've also gone for years at a time with no symptoms. I had an attack last February and since then I've had more or less constant ringing and hearing loss, which is a new complaint for me.

There are a few things about my tinnitus that I think are telling:

- It's "pulsatile" (the volume goes up and down with my heartbeat), but only when my heart is beating fast then normal, or after I eat. The rest of the time it's a kind of constant, high-pitched ringing.
- It gets really loud for a few seconds after I swallow or pop my ears.

Does anyone here know enough about ear anatomy to explain why I'm basically "hearing" my heartbeat and changes in my Eustachian tubes? My gut tells me something must be pressed together in a way it shouldn't be, but who knows. I had an MRI and MRA done and both were normal, so the doctor basically told me to live with it. Ha! Little did he know I'm too stubborn for that

Thanks again to you all and I'd be super grateful for any help with this. It's been a journey and I'm ready to move on from thinking about my ear all the time.

Cheers,
Robert

 

[Kolisar]

Hi @balanga , and welcome.

I know absolutely nothing (well, close to absolutely nothing) about Pulsatile tinnitus, but if you have not yet, I would recommend visiting the Pulsatile Tinnitus section of this forum, their support section, and post your questions there. I say this because I, personally, seldom visit the sections of this forum that I do not feel I can contribute, and as one who does not suffer from Pulsatile tinnitus, I do not feel that I could be helpful so I do not read those posts. Conversely, you may find that there may be some people who do suffer from Pulsatile tinnitus who may only visit that section.

A quick google search resulted in the following website (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3719451/ ) that lists a number of potential causes and some explanation as to why you hear the "heartbeat". It, or some of the other results form the google search, may provide the information you seek. Even though we all know that everything that is put onto the internet has to be 100% correct , I would recommend sticking to websites associated with well-known hospitals or government run sites.