Can Impacted Ear Wax or B12 Deficiency Cause Pulsatile Tinnitus?

Here we go! Just looking for support and reassurance really. It's been a very challenging year for everyone but thanks to my own health scare last December (suspected COVID-19 which landed me in hospital, though we didn't know what COVID-19 was at the time!) I have developed extreme health anxiety which has completely taken over my life.

I am now super aware of every little change in my body and have been back and forth to my doctor what feels like hundreds of times. My latest thing? Pulsatile tinnitus. I've been experiencing it intermittently since October. 9/10 I hear it in the left ear, though sometimes in the right. It only ever happens when I'm extremely stressed (unfortunately panic attacks have become a regular feature of my life) or when I'm bent forward over my laptop, phone etc (I have horrendous posture).

My doctor started by taking a look in my ears and found that I have severely impacted earwax in my left ear. She said she'd never seen so much!! So I have started treatment to get rid of that, and she thinks that's what is causing the pulsatile tinnitus. It's been significantly quieter and less frequent since I've started treatment, but not gone away completely (though I still have a lot of wax to clear). Has this been anyone else's experience?

I have an appointment pre-booked with my neurologist in January in case it doesn't go away, so I'm all prepared for phase two of my diagnosis journey just in case...

In the meantime, I had to have an MRI earlier this year for another issue which came back normal, so that's good I guess? I also have a significant B12 deficiency, which has caused me to experience 'regular' tinnitus but I'm not sure if it causes pulsatile tinnitus too? I am due my next booster jab next week.

Anyway that's me! If anyone else has had experience with earwax or a B12 deficiency then I'd love to hear from you Also please don't tell me that it could potentially be down to a much more serious reason and that I need to get urgent help. I am very aware and that's exactly what I'm doing - but seeing messages like that honestly sends me into anxiety spirals!

 

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