18-Year-Old Student with Pulsatile Tinnitus...

[student224]

Hi everybody, I'm new to this forum and have been so frustrated with my tinnitus that I wanted to make my own post. I'm an 18 year old girl and normally a very healthy person. Since January 2016 I've had neck pain and stiffness that was apparently caused by a viral infection according to a doctor at a walk in clinic (my only other symptom was a sore throat that went away after 2 weeks). Since then I've been going to Physical therapy and my neck has gotten a lot better.

However 1 month ago at the end of March, I started hearing my heartbeat in my left ear only at night when I went to bed. After 2 weeks I started hearing it during the day when it was quiet as well so I went to the clinic. A doctor sent me for a hearing test, which turned out fine, and then that doctor gave me a referral for an ENT which I'm seeing at the end of May (in another 4 weeks). Some info about my tinnitus is that if I press on my neck, the sound does stop (which I don't do since I hear it's not good). And it gets worse when I lean over or do tasks such as laundry in a quiet room. If I'm out and about I can't hear it though.

I am so sick of hearing my heartbeat, it's driving me crazy. What's worse is that I'm only 18 years old so I'm worried that I must have some serious issue with my blood vessels or a tumor or something since it seems that pulsatile tinnitus is rare and has serious causes, especially since my tinnitus isn't caused by hearing loss like it is for older people. I'm wondering if maybe my neck issue has any relation to my tinnitus? I'm so tired of being worried and anxious over this on top of dealing with my neck issue, and I still have one month to wait to see the ENT who probably will make me get a ton of tests done anyways, therefore it'll be an even longer wait to hear what I have.

If anyone has any advice or similar experiences (hopefully younger people like me!) I would really appreciate it since I can't seem to find any stories about younger adults having this issue. It's been horrible having to deal with this when I normally don't have any health issues and suddenly I'm feeling so anxious and worrying that I have some fatal disease.

I hope everyone has a good day, and thanks for reading!

 

[Zora]

Hey
I dont have pulsatile Tinnitus but reactive Tinnitus. I am also 20 years old. But my T is noise induced and I am 4 months in. Unfortunately I cant really give you an advice..,but I can tell you that you are not the only one dealing with this T shit. I hope you will get better soon!

 

[Sara_Bond]

@Karen
@student224

She can give you some piece of advice. Karen has PT too. Good luck.

 

[volsung37]

I had pulsatile tinnitus for 6 months last year. Came about after an inner ear infection. I would get that checked out.

 

[Karen]

Hi, @student224,

I am an older woman with pulsatile tinnitus, which I've had for almost 6 years. Mine came on suddenly, too, and it's hard to pinpoint the cause. Pulsatile tinnitus can be cause by a number of things, which may often be vascular.

I think that it would definitely be a good idea for you to go to the ENT and see if he will order some tests for you, if only to ease your mind. A good test to start with might be a Doppler of the carotid arteries, since you mentioned that you have been having neck problems. After that, the doctor might also order a CT scan or an MRI. If you are having an MRI, I would suggest requesting that they do an MRA (arteries) and MRV (veins) at the same time. This test would involve being injected with a contrast die, which will give the doctor a truer picture of any abnormalities in your arteries and veins.

You could also go to "Whooshers.com", a website for people with pulsatile tinnitus. There, you'll find a list of questions to take with you when you go for your doctor visit. The questions will perhaps help the doctor to look for signs of some of the most common causes of pulsatile tinnitus, and help you find some answers.

Do I understand that you are still having neck problems? Are you still feeling pain and stiffness, and is it in one particular location, or throughout your entire neck?

I wish you good luck with the doctor, and hope that he is able to assist you in finding a cause. If he is unable to help, you might next want to try going to a neurologist or neurotologist for further evaluation.

Please do update us when you've been to the doctor, as to what he has to say.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[student224]

Hi everyone, thanks for your replies! It's great to find a community of people who are going through the same thing.

Thank you for all your suggestions @Karen! I will be sure to check out Whooshers.com and talk to the ENT about this. My pain and stiffness was all throughout my neck and into my shoulders as well, and I am still going to physical therapy but it is so much better. My bigger problem became some chest tightness that I started getting around 2 months ago, which my physio said could be related to my neck as well. In general I am feeling a lot better with my neck + chest though.

Another thing is that sometimes get a weird feeling like pressure in my head, when I lean over especially, and I wonder if this is related to PT as well?

Thanks again you guys!

 

[Karen]

Hi, @student224,

Yes, I think it is likely that the pressure you're feeling in your head is related to the pulsatile tinnitus. When my PT first started, I remember having weird feelings like that, and I had a feeling of fullness in my ears, too. I also experienced some bouts of dizziness and vertigo. Now, after almost 6 years, those other symptoms are virtually gone, but I do still have the pulsating. However, it's easier to live with now.

Good luck with your doctor appointment, and I'd like to hear what he has to say, what tests he orders, etc.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[wales]

Karen, is your pulsing tinnitus there constantly? Did it start off intermittent then become constant?

 

[Karen]

No, it didn't start out intermittent. When I first noticed it, it was constant, and it has remained that way for almost 6 years now.

 

[student224]

Hi everyone,
I thought I'd post a quick update as I finally had my ENT appointment yesterday. He told me that everything looked normal after he examined me and has sent me to get a CT angiogram scan with the contrast just to cover all the bases and make sure everything is okay. I assume this will be in a couple months, so I still have a ways to go but if anyone has any advice or info on what its like to have a head+neck CT with contrast done please let me know!

Also, I later realized that the ENT never really gave me an explanation as to why I have the pulsatile tinnitus in the first place (considering he said that in most cases the CT won't come up with anything bad) and whether or not I can expect to have it forever. I'm disappointed that he didn't explain that and also that I completely forgot to ask him these questions since I was kind of nervous. Have you guys gotten an explanation as to why you have the PT and how to know if it's a permanent thing from any doctors you've visited?

I hope you all have a great day, and thanks if you read this update!

 

[Karen]

Hi, @student224

Thanks for the update, and I'm glad you're going for the CT angiogram. I haven't had a CT angiogram, so cannot comment on that; however, I did have a CT scan of the temporal bone, and it was over very quickly. CT scans take a lot less time than MRI's, so that part is good. I'm told that there is a sort of warm feeling when the contrast dye is injected, but that it doesn't last very long. Good luck with your scan, and please let us know the outcome.

I've been to several doctors and asked a lot of questions about my PT, but they didn't give me many definitive answers, either. A couple of doctors just told me I would have to "live with it". Hopefully, the doctor you're going to now will be able to give you more information after your tests. I would suggest preparing a list of questions to ask him next time, so you get as many questions answered as possible.

Have a good day, and please keep us posted on your progress!

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[TEL]

Hi @student224 , I am also young and experiencing what I think is pulsatile tinnitus. I'm 17 and I can't remember exactly when it started, but it's been at least four months. I talked to my doctor a couple of days ago, and I'm being referred to a specialist.

I'm sorry that you're having trouble getting answers, and I hope it's not a symptom of anything serious. Good luck with your future tests and appointments.

 

[Hannah181088]

Hi, please give an update as to what happened? I am 29 and have the same symptoms. I am going for my ct angiogram wednesday.

 

[Jane87]

Hi, please give an update as to what happened? I am 29 and have the same symptoms. I am going for my ct angiogram wednesday.

Hey Hannah, how did your CT go? I've got pulsatile tinnitus too.

 

[ap5001]

Hi,

I am a male 27 years old with PT. Just curious to hear about Hannah and @student224 diagnosis results.

Thanks

 

[tiniturtle]

Hi,

I am a male 27 years old with PT. Just curious to hear about Hannah and @student224 diagnosis results.

Thanks

My guess is that since they didn't come back, it's because they had it diagnosed and treated, and no longer need to come here seeking answers.

 

[tiniturtle]

Hi,

I am a male 27 years old with PT. Just curious to hear about Hannah and @student224 diagnosis results.

Thanks

I went back and looked at their other posts. Looks like Hannah had a carotid artery dissection causing her PT, and had it treated.