Silence Is Golden — My Pulsatile Tinnitus Started 1 Month Ago

[123lorraine]

Hello! My pulsatile tinnitus started 1 month ago. First I had about 20 minutes of incredibly loud roaring in my ear. When the roaring stopped I was left with a constant pulsing swooshing sound in my left ear. I was treated with prednisone for 10 days with no effect.

ENT said I my have blown a tiny artery in my ear. (I have been experiencing episodes of very high BP). He also said I will just have to learn to ignore it as there isn't any thing that can be done.

The swooshing is constant but I also have a loud echoing when talking or in a noisy situation. If I hear a high pitched loud sound then I get an uncomfortable screeching feedback sound.

The ENT and audiologist both told me I should not use earplugs and to avoid silence.

Silence was always my favourite way to relax and deal with stress. Just wanting to tell someone who gets it.

 

[Lost life]

you need to get an mri done

 

[billie48]

The swooshing is constant but I also have a loud echoing when talking or in a noisy situation. If I hear a high pitched loud sound then I get an uncomfortable screeching feedback sound. T

Welcome to the forum. You seem to have some degree of hyperacusis from your description. If you have H, not sure why your ENT and audiology said you should not use earplugs. I think you need them for places with loud noise to prevent further damage, but you can take the plugs off for normal environment with easy ambient sounds. This way, you protect your ears but you also allow your ears to slowly get used to the 'reactive' nature of your T which really is some form of hyperacusis.

Silence is golden indeed. But it isn't gospel. One can learn to slowly adjust and adapt to more noisy environment, much like people moving from quiet country living to busy and noise filled city life. I used to mourn the loss of silence and resist my reality with painful & negative emotions, and I suffered big time for that. Now I don't care about silence too much. In fact I now prefer to have some soothing nature sounds or some music going. The brain has adapted to the new reality and new normal. If we can flow with life and with our reality, it will get easier. Otherwise stress and anxiety can cause much misery and T would shoot up.

Have you done some masking of your T yet? Perhaps use some soothing nature sounds will help with the loss of silence. Take care. God bless.

 

[Karen]

Hi, @123lorraine

I'm sorry you are experiencing pulsatile tinnitus and the symptoms that go along with it. Mine started suddenly, similar to yours, after taking a blood pressure drug. I think yours may be due to those episodes of high blood pressure that you have been experiencing, and it's hard to say whether you may have actually burst a small blood vessel.

You may want to consider having some tests done, just to rule out any problems. The first test I had was a CT scan of the temporal bone, to make sure it hasn't been caused by bone thinning in that area. Then, you might also want to have an MRI done. You can have an MRA (arteries) and MRV (veins) done at the same time. These tests will help your peace of mind, to rule out any other problems or concerns.

Mine was loud and roaring, too, when it first started. However, it settled down a lot, and while I still have the PT, it is easier to deal with now.

I wish you luck in finding a doctor who will be willing to order some tests for you, and hope that you are able to find out more about what caused your condition. In may cases, it is blood pressure related.

Please keep us posted on what you find out.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[123lorraine]

Thanks for the responses. I have to do some more study...what is hyperacusis?

I did have a CT done which was normal. I had a blow to my temple on the same side two years ago with a moderate concussion. They did not do an X-ray at that time but the blow did split the skin and they questioned a hairline fracture of the temporal bone. Could that cause PT so much later?

And...I did have my BP med dosage significantly increased in the days just before.

I am not able to have an MRI because I have implanted defibrillator. I am also allergic to x-ray dye so the doc was quite frustrated by the limits these two things put on what testing he could order.

I was reading about a training that helps you habituate to the sounds. It said one needs to accept that it is not harmful but I am finding that hard when there is no explantation, just a bunch of ????.

 

[123lorraine]

Hello. Read up on hyperacusis. Definitely had it along with the pustule tinnitus. My Hyperacusis is getting much better...fullness is less, painful,screeching feedback noise in a loud environment is much less. I'm now 7-8 weeks since the sudden onset of both. The pulsing swoosh is still nonstop. Doc is checking me for a paraganglioma as a CT has shown I have a small tumor in my abdomen near where my splenic artery comes off my aorta. If it is that apparently you can also have it near carotid artery as well and it will cause pulsatile tinnitus. Not sure if that is an answer I want as there still is not much they can do. The abdominal tumor would definitely mean surgery but they don't operate on the carotid one unless you get problems other than "just" tinnitus, too much risk. Will get results of testing in 2-3 weeks.