Last March I went to bed after an ordinary day, and when awoke I had this pulsing buzz in my left ear. I assumed it would pass as the day progressed. The noise persisted. I assumed it was ear wax or something simple.
After a week or so, I called my ENT and made an appointment. He examined my ear and told me that everything he could see was normal. The noise got worse. On a follow-up appointment, he diagnosed my symptoms as pulsatile tinnitus and suggested a steroid and physical therapy. Therapy was a waste of time and the steroid did nothing.
On the third visit, he ordered an MRI with contrast. The results were normal. He referred me to a specialist. I met with the specialist and heard pretty much the same story: everything that can be seen visually and on the MRI is completely normal. I had turbulent blood flow somewhere in my inner ear and there were no reasonable surgical procedures he would try to relieve the condition. I was told to live with it.
It certainly feels like a blood flow issue. I can modify the sound by moving my jaw or turning my neck, and it's much louder when I'm exercising. I've checked my blood pressure several times and it runs 110 to 120, which seems normal.
It's now September and it seems much worse. My ear is so loud and overwhelming that it's ruined my life. I'm riddled with anxiety. I keep trying to research my condition, but I can't find anything that offers hope for pulsatile tinnitus. On desperate evenings I play music thru an earbud in an attempt to mask the sound. It's otherwise impossible not to spend the whole night obsessing on the pulsing sound.
What drives me mad is that some days it's hardly noticeable while other days are excruciating, and I can't identify a cause/effect to explain why. I've tried low sodium, no sugar, earplugs, exercise/no exercise…nothing seems to have a direct relationship. Of course eliminating these things is not as simple as it sounds. There's sodium and sugar buried in almost everything except lettuce, and I don't know if something I consume this morning affects my tinnitus tonight or tomorrow.
I feel desperate and without hope. I would welcome anyone's wisdom regarding the physiology of what's actually going on, and any ideas on what might lower the volume.
After a week or so, I called my ENT and made an appointment. He examined my ear and told me that everything he could see was normal. The noise got worse. On a follow-up appointment, he diagnosed my symptoms as pulsatile tinnitus and suggested a steroid and physical therapy. Therapy was a waste of time and the steroid did nothing.
On the third visit, he ordered an MRI with contrast. The results were normal. He referred me to a specialist. I met with the specialist and heard pretty much the same story: everything that can be seen visually and on the MRI is completely normal. I had turbulent blood flow somewhere in my inner ear and there were no reasonable surgical procedures he would try to relieve the condition. I was told to live with it.
It certainly feels like a blood flow issue. I can modify the sound by moving my jaw or turning my neck, and it's much louder when I'm exercising. I've checked my blood pressure several times and it runs 110 to 120, which seems normal.
It's now September and it seems much worse. My ear is so loud and overwhelming that it's ruined my life. I'm riddled with anxiety. I keep trying to research my condition, but I can't find anything that offers hope for pulsatile tinnitus. On desperate evenings I play music thru an earbud in an attempt to mask the sound. It's otherwise impossible not to spend the whole night obsessing on the pulsing sound.
What drives me mad is that some days it's hardly noticeable while other days are excruciating, and I can't identify a cause/effect to explain why. I've tried low sodium, no sugar, earplugs, exercise/no exercise…nothing seems to have a direct relationship. Of course eliminating these things is not as simple as it sounds. There's sodium and sugar buried in almost everything except lettuce, and I don't know if something I consume this morning affects my tinnitus tonight or tomorrow.
I feel desperate and without hope. I would welcome anyone's wisdom regarding the physiology of what's actually going on, and any ideas on what might lower the volume.
