Intermittent Pulsatile Tinnitus, Please Provide Feedback

[Ryan Lunney]

Hello Everyone !!

In February of this year I developed unilateral PT (right side). I am thankful that at this stage my PT is intermittent and sometime I don't have it at all. My PT is most presesnt at night.I don't believe that Its present during the day when standing or sitting. My PT is also positional. When my PT does come, it can be heard by my wife, so I'm guessing that it's objective. Although I don't have it all the time, I am still left with the anxiety of which keeps me up at night. I lie there thinking about it and wondering whether it will start.

I have been to my GP, an ENT and a neurologist. I had an MRI/MRA/MRV with contrast. Result were negative for anything sinister; however it's believe that because my AICA is abutting, but not displacing my vesitbularcochlear nerve (on my right side) is why I may be hearing intermittent pulsating. It is said that such a placement (of my AICA) is a "normal variant". If this were the case, would I not hear it all the time?. I have also had blood work done to rule out any other cause of my PT.

At the beginning of this year I had numerous colds and when I did the PT was worse. I have been over my colds now for a while and the PT has gotten better, but is still present intermittently. I have also been getting massage and Chriopractic treatments which seem to help; however I am not certain whether it's that or just that I have been cold free for a couple of months now?

I know that my symptoms aren't as severe as many, but it does still worry me. I hope that someone can enlighten me as to their thoughts of what might be causing my PT or at least share with me how they cope with theirs?.

Ryan

 

[glynis]

Hi Ryan,
Do you notice it when more active as it could be your Blood pressure when more active and resting heart rate is fine....lots of love glynis

 

[Ryan Lunney]

Hi Glynis
To be honest I don't hear it at all when I exercise, which confuses me. So it's not there when I'm standing, sitting or exercising. I am very confused which is what greats most of my anxiety. Can Pulsatile Tinnitus be intermittent ?

Ryan

 

[liquefact]

Hi,

I had AM101 injections 12 days ago. Last night i got out of the bed very quickly to run to my daughter and after carrying her to her bed i noticed i was hearing my heartbeat in my right ear. Gosh, an endless nightmare, hissing, reactive T, some H, fullness in ears, pain in eardrums and now pulsatile T! I never had that before and after hearing it for 2-3 minutes, fortunately it faded away. Do not know why.

Umut

 

[Ryan Lunney]

Hi Umut. I have not idea; however you're luck that it faded !! If it comes back I would suggest that you see your GP and ask to see an ENT specialist.

 

[liquefact]

I heard it two times more, each for 5-10 secs. Yeah, i'll talk to the ENT about this.

 

[Karen]

Hi, Liquefact,

I'm sorry you've been experiencing intermittent pulsatile tinnitus, and hope that it goes away for you. Maybe it's just a side effect of the AM-101. Other than the pulsating, how are the AM-101 injections working for you?

I have pulsatile tinnitus myself, but mine is constant. It's a steady pulse beat sound that never waivers. I also have a high-pitched, hissing type of regular tinnitus.

I'm hoping for you that this is a temporary condition that goes away soon. But if it doesn't, it would be good to go back to your doctor to get it checked out.

Take care, and keep us posted on how you're doing.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[Ryan Lunney]

Hi Karen

Have you had any tests done to determine the cause of your PT? I have heard that most people with PT there is an underlying cause and it may just take time to find it.

I am having a hard time understanding whether I have PT. From what I have read PT suffers, have a constant sound in sequence with their heart beat. Mine is not constant. When I'm standing, sitting or exercising the PT is not there. When lay down the PT is not there.

After a night of drinking I'll wake up and the PT is there; however I can change my position and it goes away.

There was a time when every time I laid on my right side, the PT would come; however, that has now gone away (I hope for ever).

I am still left with the anxiety though anticipating whether it will come back. I just want some answers as to whether this is truthfully PT of something else ?

Ryan

 

[Karen]

Hi, Ryan,

I wish I could answer your question, but I'm not really sure whether yours is true pulsatile tinnitus or not. All I can go by is my own experience; mine is a constant pulsating sound that never really waivers. I'm sure there must be a lot of anxiety in wondering whether or not your PT will return. How long have you had it? Do you know of any changes in your health that might have caused it to begin? Any new medicines? Any accidents? Some people have had theirs begin due to things such as TMJ, or after a chiropractic adjustment.

Have you had any tests to determine a cause? I've had a CT scan of the temporal bone, an MRI and MRA with and without contrast, various hearing tests, and a Doppler of my carotid arteries. Nothing was found, so far. However, in recent years (I've had this for over 5 years now), my PT has gotten calmer. It has not gone away, but I'm more able to live with it most of the time. I went to so many doctors when my PT first started, and got kind of burned out with going from one to another, and having them tell me to live with it! The last doctor I went to about it suggested having a CT scan again, but I haven't done that yet because of the additional radiation.

I have a couple of suggestions for you. You could give it some time, to see if it dissipates, or if it increases. If you are truly bothered by it, I would suggest going to a doctor such as a neurologist or neurotologist, as they seem to know more about PT than ENT's do. Also, if you have any jaw problems, you could go and get checked out by a dentist or TMJ specialist.

Also, if you haven't already done so, you might want to check out Whooshers.com. There, you'll find a lot of information about pulsatile tinnitus, stories of cured "whooshers", and information that you can take to your doctor to discuss the possible causes of pulsatile tinnitus.

If you decide to go that route, I'd be interested in hearing what your doctor has to say.

Take care, and please keep us posted on how you're doing.

Karen

 

[DebInAustralia]

Hey Karen,

did you find iron supplementation helpful ? I was rereading a thread about this back in 2014 and wondered how you got on?

 

[Karen]

Hi, @DebInAustralia

I did supplement for awhile with extra vitamin B-12, and couldn't tell that it helped that much one way or another. However, I can say that my tinnitus and PT both seem more manageable now. I don't know if it's due to habituation or calming, but it has improved.

I still take extra vitamin B-12 occasionally, but not every day, because the last time I was tested, my B-12 level was way too high!

For some people, supplementing with extra B vitamins seems to make a difference, so it might be worth a try.

How are you doing these days?

Karen

 

[DebInAustralia]

Hi Karen

Did you ever need try iron?

I have my good and not so good days ... im bothered atm

 

[Ryan Lunney]

Hi Karen

I have had and MRI/A of my head and neck with contrast. It was stated that my AICA Loop is abutting my vestibularcochlear nerve and this may be the cause. They also that this is was a normal variant.

I figure if this were the case I would hear it all the time, and I don't. I rarely hear it to be honest. If I am standing, sitting, exercising etc, I don't hear it. Even when I lie down I don't hear it.

There was a time; however, when I did hear it when lying down, but that was only when I would lie on my right side. That has now subsided (and I pray that it stays this way!!!)

Now I can fall asleep and stay asleep until around 3-4a.m. but when trying to fall back asleep, just before I doze off, I am awakened by the ringing. As soon as I open my eyes the ringing goes away. Last night at around 3a.m I remember having a dream where I heard the Tinnitus. I woke up rolled onto my back and the ringing immediately disappeared.

Because of the anxiety I have been taking Ativan every second night. When I take the Ativan I don't get the ringing at all, even if I wake up, and try to fall back asleep. I am honestly puzzled !!

Ryan

I have no idea what is going on. I have read other posts on this site wh

 

[Karen]

Hi, @Ryan Lunney,

Those are indeed very strange symptoms. You are lucky you don't hear the PT all the time, but I can imagine that it does cause stress and anxiety, listening for it to see if it is there.

Have you considered getting a second opinion about that diagnosis from the MRI/MRA tests? I've heard (on Whooshers.com) that it's always good to get another pair of eyes to look at your scans. They suggest a radiologist, or a neurointerventional radiologist, who is knowledgeable about reading scans. Maybe they could tell you more about how unusual your test results are.

I think it's good that you only take the Ativan every other night, because you're less likely to become dependent on it. But I totally sympathize with your confusion!

If you decide to get a second opinion, I'll be interested to hear what they think.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[Karen]

Hi, again, @DebInAustralia ,

No, I haven't taken any iron supplements. My doctor checked me, and the last time I had tests, she said I was only very slightly anemic and did not recommend taking any iron supplements.

I'm sorry you're not doing so well right now. Have you tried anything new recently, and how did it work?

Karen

 

[Ryan Lunney]

Hi Karen

I was doing a little research online. There is a condition called "Vestibular Proxysmia". As I stated above my MRI/A results showed that my AICA loop abutted my Vestibulocochlear nerve. There is suggestion that the stated condition can cause "Tinnitus" & "Vertigo" but can be treated by Oxcarbamazepine which is a member of the Benzo family. Maybe this can explain why, if when I take Ativan I don't experience any symptoms ? I will certainly be searching this Avenue more closely with the proper professionals.

Ryan

 

[Karen]

Ryan, That is very interesting, and I'd like to hear more about it. I hope you are able to find a doctor who will listen, and will be willing to explore this further with you.

Please keep us updated on what you find out.

 

[Bluepolka]

@Ryan Lunney I have you exact same Symptoms. Of and on PT since 2 months, for
Exacerbated because of a terrible sinus infection. Only sense it most at night. Can control it by moving head position. I went to an ENT who saw nothing wrong with my
Ear or hearing. He insisted it was stress. Said this should subside in a few weeks. And didn't think I needed any tests. It
Isn't so bad. I'm just anxious about IF it will go away or not
I did have a premature baby and am
Breast feeding. Don't know if it's because of that and hormones.
How is yours now???
@Karen did you mention somewhere that you your daughter had his after pregancy and breast feeding and it subsided? Is it still gone?

 

[Karen]

Hi, @Bluepolka

Yes, my daughter did have REGULAR tinnitus after childbirth, and it subsided after a few months. She did breastfeed her baby, and I think it might have had something to do with hormone changes, because I think it was after she stopped that the ringing stopped. However, she did not have PULSATILE tinnitus.

There are, however, other women on this forum who have also developed pulsatile tinnitus after childbirth. I don't know if theirs has subsided or not.

I have both regular tinnitus and pulsatile tinnitus, and mine is still there after 6 years, but it has gotten easier to live with. My pulsating started after taking a blood pressure drug for the first time.

I hope this information helps!!

Best wishes and hugs,
Karen

 

[Kris Rosolowski]

Hi ....I'm new to Tinnitus Talk and I'm not really sure how to use it ...but I would like to comment. High blood pressure anything over 120 and food ,specifically food with salicyclates (look this up) there is a list on the web of food that contain sals... that contribute to many peoples tinnitus. I saw a comment on one to the threads about eating exacerbating the tinnitus and it prompted me to join the hub. I have a very strict diet that I follow. There 's all sorts of information on the web about salicyclates and their effect on tinnitus. They are not only in food but in beauty products, hairspray, make up shampoo, supplements, vitamins, ect. I am just making a general comment for everyone to look into and read up on which may help you all that are reading this comment now! These were the two key things that helped in controlling my tinnitus.

 

[lotte]

Hi @Ryan Lunney

I am wondering how you are going. My PT is exactly as yours. Ive heard it first about a year and a half ago when turning my head in a unnatural position but it immediately went after returning to neutral. Since then I have only heard it certain position but cannot always make it happen. More recently Ive been waking up to the whooshing but it seems like as soon as I open my eyes it disappears! I must be moving my head upon waking but Makes me feel like I am imagining it!! Anyway, Ive not done any tests and have wondered whether it could be due to an artery close to the ear or auditory nerve but only activates PT in certain positions. Also, more interesting is that Ive experienced in in both ears but never at the same time! Its like they switch sides.

 

[Fungus]

One ENT guy I saw said that he thought it was a type of pre-consciousness habituation that everyone does not have PT (the huge carotid arteries being so close to the inner and middle ear mechanisms).

I have intermittent PT for which no definite cause has been found (I also have hissing tinnitus 24/7 probably due to severe ETD).I have had recurrently blocked sinuses on both sides and my PT always comes when my sinuses are at their worst. The PT seems to relate in some way to blockage /inflammation/consolidation on that side.

I'm pretty well habituated to both the static and the PT, but some folk seem to have great difficulty handling PT.

In some ways I guess intermittent PT is worse than constant, as any time that PT is absent,there is the anticipation of its unwelcome return.

It is not unusual for head/neck movements to influence the volume and/or pitch of any type of tinnitus.

Fungus.

 

[daiso]

Hi, @Ryan Lunney,

I notice this thread is over a year ago. But I just had PT very similar to yours. I dont hear it when I'm awake, like in the daytime or going to bed. But as soon as I was about to fall asleep, it will start and wake me up. If I do fall asleep, I will wake up hearing it. In both cases, if I wake up, it will go away in a few seconds.

If you are still active in this forum, can you update on your status? Anything advice will help.
If anybody reading has similar symptoms, please advice as well. Thanks.

Daiso