Help! Rhythmic Cicada Sound Synced to My Pulse — Do I Have Pulsatile Tinnitus?

Hi guys. My tinnitus started about 10 weeks ago when I started taking Singulair. Maybe this was a coincidence but one of this med's side effects is ear infections -- I ended up with nasal bleeding, tickling/itching/fullness/pain in the right ear, and tinnitus in the left ear and head. The nasal bleeding stopped and the right ear issues greatly improved after I discontinued the Singulair, but apparently the tinnitus is here to stay in full force. ENT didn't mention pulsatile tinnitus and I didn't know about it then, but now I think this is what I may have. It doesn't sound like the whooshing described on Whooshers.com, but it is a rhythmic cicada sound synced to my pulse. Could this be pulsatile tinnitus?

There is no hearing loss, MRI results are normal, and I have no other health issues except for mild allergies. ENT says there's cochlear damage at the cellular level, nothing can be done about it, and I just have to live with it. Audiologist confirmed there's no hearing loss, mentioned sinus issues as a possible cause, and suggested taking Niacin. Does this make sense to you?

I have a neurologist appointment late May, in the meantime would like to return to as much of a normal life as possible. Masking works when needed. Attended a concert and the noise didn't make things worse. Now I have a trip coming up and am not sure about altitude. Is it OK to fly? ENT and audiologist said yes but I don't trust either one. Vascular condition or not, it should be ok, right?

Thanks!

 

If it's synced to your pulse, chances are it is PT.

Also if you have cochlear damage, chances are is that your cochlea might be inflamed too which could be causing the Tinnitus, or the damage done to it is causing it itself. I wouldn't be going to concerts if I were you. Not since you're really early on within your Tinnitus journey! I have no clues on flying whatsoever, but I'm sure other people will chime in on what safety measures to take.

 

Yes. Seems like a reasonable hypothesis.

 

Yes that is PT ( Pulsatile Tinnitus).
ENTs know nothing about it. There are only a handful of Drs. who can help and the sooner the better. ENTs will alot of times tell you, you have Menieres which is not cureable. There is no PT with Menieres. I can recommend some Drs and also remember there is a
70% success rate but need to go to Drs who know what to look for. I spent thousands of dollars on Drs before I found out I have PT.

 

Yes, exactly.

 

You have what I have - somatic pulsatile tinnitus. As above be wary of concerts. My PT was manageable for a couple of years until I attended a concert by The Cure then it went ballistic. So alas for me The Cure was anything but ...

 

Thank you all for responding. I did take a trip and flying didn't make it worse. Will stay away from concerts. Will see a neurologist next week; hopefully she will be helpful. As you know, this isn't easy to manage. There are mild days but at times it's very intrusive and distracting. It's my 3-month anniversary today and it feels like forever!

 

May there be many more mild days Heide