Pulsatile Tinnitus for Years, But It Has Suddenly Changed

[stab]

Hi everyone,

For many years I have a distinct pulsatile tinnitus. When my head / neck are in certain positions, such as sitting with my neck slightly tilted forward, I hear a medium high pitched whining sound which goes from high to low like a car passing by Hummmm hummmmm hummmm etc.

Actually, it sounds 90% the same as the one, only not as loud and slightly lower pitched:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-sound-i-hear.16947/

When I look upwards or sideways, it dissappears. The Doc told me it is just some arteries which are vibrating because of they way they are 'placed' in my head. Maybe some of them are bended or something like that. No need to panic until it gets worse.

Anyway, since this morning I have noticed something has changed. In the position as described above, I can still replicate the exact same sound, but if I tilt my head slightly, the sounds become shorter. So instead of 2 second bursts of hummmmm, i hear now 0.5 seconds hum hum hum. When i tilt my head slightly back again, the sounds become longer and back to the old pattern.

It sounds like either my arteries are vibrating less, so it has improved, or blood flow gets restricted all together and thus it got worse.
Can't figure it out.

I worked yesterday as a cameraman, which means heavy lifting and looking at a monitor which is on the left of my vision so i tilt my head a lot, maybe that could have something to do with it?
Is it possible that some arteries could be completely 'shut of' in some positions and therefore i don't hear them vibrating anymore like I used to? Would that give me other symptoms? Or could it be that something actually got better?

What do you guys think?

 

[Karen]

Hi, Stab,

It may be that your work (having to tilt your head so much) is having an effect on your pulsatile tinnitus.

I'd like to know if you've had any sort of tests for your condition, such as a Doppler of the carotid arteries, or any other tests with contrast? That might shed some light on what is causing your condition. First, I'd suggest the carotid artery test to see if there may be any sort of blockage, or partial blockage, of the carotid arteries.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[stab]

Hi, Stab,

It may be that your work (having to tilt your head so much) is having an effect on your pulsatile tinnitus.

I'd like to know if you've had any sort of tests for your condition, such as a Doppler of the carotid arteries, or any other tests with contrast? That might shed some light on what is causing your condition. First, I'd suggest the carotid artery test to see if there may be any sort of blockage, or partial blockage, of the carotid arteries.

Best wishes,
Karen

Hi Karen. Thanks for your reply.
Yea, maybe it's just some strained muscles pushing on the arteries or whatever. I was diagnosed with a benign 'venous hum' before though, allthough it was just a GP and not a specialist of any kind.
I also have not done any other tests as mine is very minor and only audible in quiet places and in certain body positions. I do not 'need' to have it fixed as long as I know nothing major is wrong with me.

Those artery tests, are those like surgeries or invasive tests?

 

[Karen]

Hi, @stab,

No, the carotid artery test is not invasive at all. It is a Doppler scan of both sides of the neck, and it only takes a short time to do the test. I've had it twice; once at Lifeline Screening (a national medical screening company), and once at my general practitioner's office. The test will tell you if there is any plaque buildup or other obstructions in the carotid arteries.

There are some other tests that are invasive, but it sounds like your PT is relatively mild --- so I don't think there's any need to consider those at this time.

I'll be interested to hear if you do have the Doppler test, and what your results are.

Best wishes,
Karen