New to Pulsatile Tinnitus

[BonBons]

Hi there folks!
I'm new to Pulsatile Tinnitus and I am pretty nervous. I'd like to lay out all my symptoms and see if any of y'all have a similar story and a possible diagnosis. The list of causes seems terribly long and I'm worried about not finding an answer.
Ok, so this has been a hard year for me. I've been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis because of a dormant strain of Strep that I apparently had. I had that treated by antibiotics for about a month. I had a surgery that revealed endometriosis and now this PT stuff... Sigh... I was perfectly fine last year. I've been seriously depressed with the sudden dip in my health so I ended up smoking weed almost every day for the last year and it helped with the anxiety, but worsened the depression because I essentially just didn't want to deal with my issues. I was too scared. Now I'm not smoking because of a bad upper respiratory infection that most of my family got. It's just as well. I'm on antibiotics now for the uri. I also gained 65lbs from eating my feelings and I'm up to 230lbs. I feel miserable. I was exercising constantly before I got married in 2014. The pulsing in my ear is loud and I can clearly hear my heart beating. I can feel it too. It gets louder when I turn my head and increasingly loud, depending on the extremity of the angle. I feel a pinching in various parts of my neck, like there is some sort of nerve damage. I grind my teeth when I sleep....maybe TMJ? Idk...My spine is definitely out of alignment and my hips are out of place, but I don't have the means to regularly see the chiropractor. I already did the carotid doppler test and the auditory test and everything looked fine. My BP is great too. My over all health is great. All my hormones and whatnot are spot on. Tomorrow I go back to my doctor to further investigate. I'd like to not have to search too hard. I don't have much money and tests are expensive. They add up.
Any idea what's going on with me?

 

[Phil-O]

Hi there folks!
I'm new to Pulsatile Tinnitus and I am pretty nervous. I'd like to lay out all my symptoms and see if any of y'all have a similar story and a possible diagnosis. The list of causes seems terribly long and I'm worried about not finding an answer.
Ok, so this has been a hard year for me. I've been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis because of a dormant strain of Strep that I apparently had. I had that treated by antibiotics for about a month. I had a surgery that revealed endometriosis and now this PT stuff... Sigh... I was perfectly fine last year. I've been seriously depressed with the sudden dip in my health so I ended up smoking weed almost every day for the last year and it helped with the anxiety, but worsened the depression because I essentially just didn't want to deal with my issues. I was too scared. Now I'm not smoking because of a bad upper respiratory infection that most of my family got. It's just as well. I'm on antibiotics now for the uri. I also gained 65lbs from eating my feelings and I'm up to 230lbs. I feel miserable. I was exercising constantly before I got married in 2014. The pulsing in my ear is loud and I can clearly hear my heart beating. I can feel it too. It gets louder when I turn my head and increasingly loud, depending on the extremity of the angle. I feel a pinching in various parts of my neck, like there is some sort of nerve damage. I grind my teeth when I sleep....maybe TMJ? Idk...My spine is definitely out of alignment and my hips are out of place, but I don't have the means to regularly see the chiropractor. I already did the carotid doppler test and the auditory test and everything looked fine. My BP is great too. My over all health is great. All my hormones and whatnot are spot on. Tomorrow I go back to my doctor to further investigate. I'd like to not have to search too hard. I don't have much money and tests are expensive. They add up.
Any idea what's going on with me?

Hi @BonBons
I am relatively new to T, so can't advise you too much, but know exactly how you feel. There are many wise experienced people on here who have knowledge of your symptoms, and will answer your enquiry. Their advice has helped me lots. In the meantime check out the success stories, they certainly show how there's light at the end of the tunnel. Although it takes time. Regards Phil

 

[attheedgeofscience]

Any idea what's going on with me?

Certain antibiotics can cause tinnitus (and hearing loss). So that's a start to finding the cause. But finding the cause - if ototoxicity is the culprit - will not help unfortunately.

 

[Karen]

Hi, @BonBons ,

Pulsatile tinnitus has many possible causes, so it is hard for any of us to say for sure what might be causing yours. I have pulsatile tinnitus, too, and have been to several doctors and had a number of tests, without a cause being identified.

However, in your case, there is one possibility worth exploring -- the fact that you've had a significant weight gain recently, plus all the other ups and downs, could have triggered the pulsatile tinnitus. When you have a chance, you might want to Google "benign intracranial hypertension", and read the symptoms to see if they might apply to you.

I've heard from other people with pulsatile tinnitus who found that their PT diminished when they lost weight, and/or changed their diet, so that is another possibility.

Also, if you haven't done so, you might want to check out Whooshers.com, a website for pulsatile tinnitus sufferers. There is a lot of information about PT there, plus a column on "Cured Whooshers" that you might want to read.

Good luck, and I hope you'll keep us posted on how you're doing.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[AnxiousJon]

@BonBons
Being treated for depression/anxiety, which it sounds like you have been dealing with for quite a while, might be a good first step. If you aren't sleeping you will want to tackle that at the same time.
From there, a better outlook can motivate you to get lots of exercise that you are able to do safely; will be great for your health all around.
Slightly less important, is what you eat, but it isn't totally insignificant.
Your body is quite smart and those thing might solve the problem on its own.