Feeling Helpless with Pulsatile Tinnitus: It Started After Suffering a Miscarriage and Stress

Hi everyone, I’m new here and just looking for some kind of support.

3 weeks ago my pulsatile tinnitus began.

I was lying in bed using my phone and around 11:30pm I just remember this thumping over and over again in my left ear and ever since then it has not stopped.

I’ve been to the doctors twice and only been sent home with nasal spray which hasn’t helped.

I’ve had a hearing test that came back fine.

To give some context, before my pulsatile tinnitus started, I had gone through a very stressful time and suffered a miscarriage on the 21st of November and was in and out of the hospital a week later as I was bleeding an awful lot and a scan had showed that not all of the tissue from the baby had left my body.

This as you can imagine was a very stressful time and on the last day I was at the doctor’s office, the evening of that day was the same day my pulsatile tinnitus started.

A part of me wants to think blood loss has caused anemia and that has caused the tinnitus as I’ve read a few things that link the two but I’m not too sure.

I have major health anxiety and have worried myself sick and just feel hopeless. It’s taking over my life.

I’m just wondering if anyone else has had this happen after a stressful time in their life? Or just someone to talk to as I feel so alone with it right now and I’m driving everyone insane around me constantly worrying and being down.

Thank you to anyone who reaches out x

 

Hi there, Erin!

Firstly, I want to offer my support with regards to the miscarriage that you recently had. That already itself is a traumatic and mentally strenuous event, so having to also deal with this other concern is beyond cruel.

I'm fairly new to this whole thing myself, and it appears my symptoms are not pulsatile, but I'll offer some suggestions that may be helpful. Those more experienced can correct me in any place I am wrong.

More often than not, cases of pulsatile tinnitus appear to deal with matters beyond your hearing. A useful tool for both you and any further medical professional you speak with is to navigate the Tinnitus Diagonostic Flowchart. It offers some suggestions on causes and tests that you may want to go over with your doctors. It's not perfect, and everyone's case is different, but it's probably better than whatever differential diagnosis was used to think you just needed nasal spray.

Sadly, it has been made clear by the experiences of many here on this forum that most doctors seem to either not know or care enough about tinnitus to properly address it. If you are not comfortable with your currently medical professionals, you may want to start looking elsewhere. I also suffer from health anxiety as well, so I can understand how much added stress this contributes.

I hope this post helps in some shape or form. I wish there was more I could offer you, but I will provide support as needed. Best wishes!

 

I think it would be wise to check for anemia. I was feeling weak and my blood count showed moderate anemia; I started taking ferrous sulfate pills per doctor's instructions and my pulsatile tinnitus became much softer about a couple of months later. The loud whoosh whoosh sound became much softer, and most of the time I don't hear it unless I turn my head to the right.

 

Hi Lila, I recently developed pulsatile tinnitus. I was already diagnosed with anemia years ago as well.

By chance, did your doctor suggest that anemia is the reason for your pulsatile tinnitus?