New member, Hello to all.

[James]

Hello to all. Glad to see a forum like this.
I hope I can learn something, share, and contribute.

Pulsing Tinnitus - It happened to me, kind of sudden, imo.
I blame myself, I went from allergies, old age (59), levrita, alcohol, and coffee in excess. I'm a few weeks into it. I don't have the answers, why? I feel terrible. Been to the doctor, hearing test, ENT, and I did an MRI. Now on antidepressants to help me sleep. My Tinnitus is high pitched pulsing.

Anyway, I hope all the members are strong and doing well. I don't know how I can cope and wonder how others do. I'm sure I can learn from you all and realize what others are going through.

 

[James]

Can someone tell me more about protecting my ears now after this tinnitus I have?
Do I now have to protect my ears? I work in a, what someone might call a noisy environment; lots of fans, air conditioning and computers. I brought headphones to work. I wear them when I think its too loud.
Is this a good thing to do?

 

[jazz]

Hi James,

Welcome! Do you have pulsating tinnitus, moving to your heartbeat, for example? Or does your tinnitus just oscillate to its own tune, not regulated by anything in particular. Pulsating tinnitus--or pulsatile tinnitus--is a type of tinnitus. Some people on the board have this type, and they can speak specifically about the disorder.

Regardless of the tinnitus type, it is a good idea to wear ear protection, but only if you're in a loud environment. Tinnitus does indicate some type of injury to your auditory system; typically, this injury includes hearing damage--but not always. Regardless, anyone with tinnitus is probably more susceptible to further damage than someone with healthy ears. However, that doesn't mean you should block out all sounds. Your ears and brain need auditory stimulation. If you deprive them, you will increase your sensitivity to all sounds.

Just remember to practice common sense. If you are going to be exposed to loud noises--whether that be at work, a rock concert, or a sports event--wear protection. In fact, I keep ear plugs in my pocket in case something unexpected happens, like I get stuck in a building and a fire alarm goes off. That's not being paranoid, but it is being cautious.

On what type of protection to use, I know more about ear plugs than ear muffs, but they are both adequate. Ear plugs are rated according to how much they reduce noise. You will probably want ear protection in the higher range.

Here is an article about different ear plugs:

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/shopping/2005/05/the_sound_of_silence.html

Many people, myself included, like the Etymotic brand. Here's their page with various types of plugs they offer. Please note I don't believe the Etymotic plugs muffle sounds like other ear plugs do; the sounds you hear are truer:

http://www.etymotic.com/hp/

It may sound odd, but ear plugs need to be inserted correctly to attain maximum protection. Here's a source explaining how to insert the foam ones; there are many other web pages if you search:

http://lifehacker.com/5275516/properly-insert-earplugs-for-better-protection

Well, this information is a beginning. Look around at the many resources TT offers. This board also has many great members willing to help you!

 

[calin]

WELCOME James!

Jazz gave good information for you to start regarding ear protection. I am also sensitive now to sudden loud noises.

In my business, when the power goes out, it is totally quiet... eeerie. I have constant background hums of motors and computers, air conditioning etc. like you. I keep something on the internet to listen to as I work to distract me from focusing on the tinnitus sound. At night I play a rain/thunder cd on a loop all night and I can go to sleep and stay asleep fairly well. You may want to try that if you are having trouble with sleep.

I guess you have had an all clear regarding your testing from professionals then. Same here!

I also have a pulsing tinnitus high pitch. It used to sound like a zillion crickets. However, I am one of the lucky ones that has habituated to it as well as it is now at such low volume that it is like background white noise... still high and pulsing to my heartbeat, but not annoying. I now feel lighter and less irritated. I got an all clear from the barrage of tests by professionals.

When I come to this forum I notice the tinnitus more as we are all talking about it. I am constantly searching the web as many do here trying to find the latest on what can help or relieve the condition. The support here is fabulous, so one has to weigh that and just know that hanging out here just may help with the emotional aspect as well as getting the latest updates on treatments and coping mechanisms.

I see we are both Californians!

Be careful about any drugs that can be ototoxic. Do a search here for a list or use the internet. Most of us have stopped caffeine. Hope you can as well.

Jump in ... join the conversations and just know you are among friends and support!

 

[Karen]

Hi, James, and welcome!

Jazz and Calin have given you lots of good information about tinnitus and ear protection. All of us with any form of tinnitus should take extra precautions in loud environments. If your work environment is like mine, with normal office sounds and background humming, special ear protection isn't necessary. But, yes, in loud environments (i.e., music clubs, concerts, movies, etc.), ear plugs are a necessity!

I'm curious as to the type of pulsatile tinnitus you have. Does yours correspond with your heartbeat? Do you have high-pitched ringing along with the pulsating?

I have had pulsatile tinnitus since May 2010. It started after I took blood pressure medicine, and weaned myself off it. I had mild tinnitus before (right ear only), but my ringing increased and the pulsating started suddenly, just like yours. So, now I have a high-pitched, steady ringing sound, plus a pulsating sound in sync with my heartbeat. It sounds more like a drumbeat than a whoosh. Both of these sounds are in my right ear only.

I'll admit that I was also addicted to diet sodas around that time, and I got myself off them suddenly, which may have exacerbated the tinnitus, and could possibly have started the pulsating.

How to cope with the condition? Well, as Calin suggested, it's a good idea to have sounds around you all the time. At work, I have the constant office noises, and at home, I have a sound machine that I turn on when the tinnitus is at its worst. Distraction works well, too. Try not to give up on your normal activities; keep your mind active, and you'll find that the tinnitus is less noticeable. It's easier said than done right now, I know. But if you do that, you'll find that things will get easier as time goes on.

Best wishes, and again, welcome to Tinnitus Talk!

 

[James]

Thanks jazz and calin.
My Tinnitus is with my heartbeat, pulsing, high freq.
Good advice and i'll take it.
Jazz, you so right about ear plugs. I'll look into that web site. I have some foam ear plugs but I never seem to get them in my ears right.
Calin, The doctor has not gotten back to me on the MRI test. I haven't really found a rainfall cd I like yet. The doctors told me I had:

ENT) baseline hearing loss due to damage to the nerve of hearing, likely due to getting older in age. This likely will not improve over time.
Hearing) The type of hearing loss you have is classified as "sensorineural", which indicates the nerves in your ears are not as easily stimulated by sound over time.

I didn't understand it that much, and didn't want to believe it.
Wow, I sure need a good night sleep. Yes, I stopped all coffee and alcohol.
I'm afraid my Tinnitus will take off. I hope I can get a normal life back. Not sure what to think, or my future.
All for now, thanks for the support and advice.

 

[Karen]

James,
You might want to take a look at whooshers.com. It's a website devoted entirely to pulsatile tinnitus. There are many physical causes of pulsatile tinnitus, and many success stories of "cured whooshers". Some people have had a lot of tests to try to find the specific cause. I've had an MRI/MRA with contrast, CT scan, and Doppler of carotid artery. So far, nothing was found.

I wish you good luck on finding out the results of your MRI, and hope you'll keep us posted on how you're doing.

 

[Danny]

James
Welcome to the wonderful world of second guessing yourself......I'm new to this site but there are many excellent thread reads here....Many persons here have had tinnitus much longer than both of us and some apperentley habituated this tinnitus...read the threads...lots of reasearch articles available...just no firm consenses.......best suggestion I've gotten so far was from karl, he told me to to and get the book TRT by Jasterboff and Hazell...excellent read so far..don't agree with all of it but most makes sense and you could save your self countless hours of filtering thru garbage and supposed interenet miracle cures.
Danny

 

[calin]

Thanks jazz and calin.
My Tinnitus is with my heartbeat, pulsing, high freq.
Good advice and i'll take it.
Jazz, you so right about ear plugs. I'll look into that web site. I have some foam ear plugs but I never seem to get them in my ears right.
Calin, The doctor has not gotten back to me on the MRI test. I haven't really found a rainfall cd I like yet. The doctors told me I had:

ENT) baseline hearing loss due to damage to the nerve of hearing, likely due to getting older in age. This likely will not improve over time.
Hearing) The type of hearing loss you have is classified as "sensorineural", which indicates the nerves in your ears are not as easily stimulated by sound over time.

I didn't understand it that much, and didn't want to believe it.
Wow, I sure need a good night sleep. Yes, I stopped all coffee and alcohol.
I'm afraid my Tinnitus will take off. I hope I can get a normal life back. Not sure what to think, or my future.
All for now, thanks for the support and advice.

My friend.... What will not help is worrying about the T getting louder/stronger. No sense in worrying about something in the future. Stay in the present as that is all that is real anyway. Hard to do... I know! We just want to escape from the NOISE!

Here are some of my coping mechanisms.... what works for me may not for others...

Psych yourself out ... tell yourself that everyday you are getting better and better. Try doing calming things... meditate, take walks in nature, listen to calming sounds, etc. Get your nervous system to relax. When my T would get very high in the past I would take a small bit of lorazepam to calm my nervous system. Worked for me! I would also do deep breathing exercises and get away or turn my attention away from the agitation or stress.. etc.

This may not help, but sometimes I think about what I would rather have more than tinnitus. For example, if I had a trade off - tinnitus or being blind. I know for a fact, I would pick tinnitus as my vision is critical for me. Just one of my coping mechanisms.

I also have realized and experienced some benefits since I developed T. I eat much better (ie. mostly organic) I have gotten off prescription medication for blood pressure, I have learned a lot about beneficial health supplements through research on tinnitus, etc.

Sometimes I think that there is a divine reason for me getting T.... such as a learning experience that I need to go though. Also I think things like ... Maybe I will be the guinea pig for a T cure... !!!! Who knows!!?? haha All I know is that I prefer to look at this condition I have in a more positive light. Changing my lifestyle certainly was more positive! What I am thinking and what I am feeling has a direct impact on my body. I experience it all the time.

James, are you naturally hypertensive? I am. I think many of us are here. We have high stress in our lives and that does not help or may even be a contributor to tinnitus. There are soooo many causes for the tinnitus that for some of us it is hard to say how we got it.

I got my rain/thunder sounds from http://www.youtube.com/user/TexasHighDef
If you want to download from a You Tube video, try this keep-mp3.com

 

[calin]

James
Welcome to the wonderful world of second guessing yourself......I'm new to this site but there are many excellent thread reads here....Many persons here have had tinnitus much longer than both of us and some apperentley habituated this tinnitus...read the threads...lots of reasearch articles available...just no firm consenses.......best suggestion I've gotten so far was from karl, he told me to to and get the book TRT by Jasterboff and Hazell...excellent read so far..don't agree with all of it but most makes sense and you could save your self countless hours of filtering thru garbage and supposed interenet miracle cures.
Danny

haha... I love this Danny... "Welcome to the wonderful world of second guessing yourself"

 

[Danny]

Well it is....each and everyone of us in here are saying the same thing......what the hell happened!!!!

 

[calin]

Well it is....each and everyone of us in here are saying the same thing......what the hell happened!!!!

I like your humor! funny!

 

[James]

You nailed it Danny, What did happen to me, I don't know. Adrenaline rush, panic attack? One bad night it just took off, pulsing-ringing and I couldn't stop it. My ears felt sore. Should have gone to the hospital emergency room. The doctor offered two-week Steroid pills. I blame myself and personal events a few days before.

Yes Karen, the MRI, who knows. At least I did it. The ENT doc says it was important.
Calin, I have hadGraves's disease, they nuked my thyroid and I take daily thyroid pills. Stress is part of my life.
I just started my blood pressure pills.

Thanks to all the replies.
Looks like lots of good things in here, including all the people.
Every day I hope to sleep and get better and wish that for all in here.

 

[calin]

You nailed it Danny, What did happen to me, I don't know. Adrenaline rush, panic attack? One bad night it just took off, pulsing-ringing and I couldn't stop it. My ears felt sore. Should have gone to the hospital emergency room. The doctor offered two-week Steroid pills. I blame myself and personal events a few days before.

Yes Karen, the MRI, who knows. At least I did it. The ENT doc says it was important.
Calin, I have hadGraves's disease, they nuked my thyroid and I take daily thyroid pills. Stress is part of my life.
I just started my blood pressure pills.

Thanks to all the replies.
Looks like lots of good things in here, including all the people.
Every day I hope to sleep and get better and wish that for all in here.

geez... just looked up Graves disease. So sorry.

 

[Karen]

James,
I am hypothyroid. My pulsating started suddenly, too, after I started taking blood pressure medicine about 3 years ago. The doctor determined that my blood pressure was too high, and insisted I go onto BP meds. It was not long after that that my pulsating and loud ringing started. When I started taking this particular type of BP med, my usually underactive thyroid showed signs of being overactive (night sweats, nervousness, shaking, etc.) I am wondering if your thyroid problem and the pulsating are somehow related. Here is a link to some information about this:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Thyroi...ease--HBP--and-Pulsatile-Tinnitus/show/748324

I believe that those of us with PT are mostly just hearing the increased blood flow in our veins. Mine is unilateral, probably because I already had some hearing loss and mild tinnitus in the affected ear. Your case could be similar.

 

[James]

Karen,
That's a very intresting connection for me. I had the night sweats and my blood pressure was all over the place.
Maybe it's a reaction will the medications I am using now. I'll work with my doctor and I'm thinking of skipping a thyriod pill, see if its affects the pusling. If so, perhaps my levels need readjustment, thanks for the connection.

 

[Karen]

You're welcome, and I will be interested to hear how it works for you.

I think my problem was a reaction to medication, too. My blood pressure was all over the place for quite awhile, too, and it has settled down now. I no longer take blood pressure meds, and I'm a lot better off without them, in my particular case.

Please let me know how you're doing after you see if the meds are causing it. Perhaps you could get your doctor to adjust them to a lower level.