Should I Be Worried?

I've had pulsatile tinnitus, unilateral (left side) for almost a year now.

I had my carotid arteries checked, via doppler, and they came back fine. No worries there, I was told.

Because my pulsatile tinnitus is not there all the time (it comes and goes, and can be gone for weeks, then suddenly come back), my GP and I decided we'd wait a little before I went to an ENT, incase it went away... which it didn't.

Now, I'm seeing an ENT on Wednesday, because the whooshing has come back with a vengeance. But I'm feeling a bit nervous, knowing I will likely be sent for a CAT scan or MRI/MRA.

Is it probably a good sign that my pulsatile tinnitus is intermittent?

If I had an aneurysm (*touch wood*, I sure hope I don't), wouldn't the whooshing be there all the time?

When I do get the whooshing, I also get pain in my jaw and down my neck. It's not severe, but it certainly is uncomfortable. Sometimes I get pain behind my left eye - not stabbing, but again, just uncomfortable.

Hoping to find out the cause to all this, but just a little scared.

 

Have you had a hearing test? That was the first thing they did for me.

 

i have asymmetrical pulsatile tinnitus as well and am scheduled for an MRI with contrast next week. i'd stop short of saying mine comes and goes, but mine does wax and wane to the point where sometimes it's barely noticeable even when i do things that usually aggravate the heck out of it. i asked my ENT whether or not this was a good thing and he was largely noncommittal about it.

hopefully your ENT had some decent insight for you. if he's willing to or wants to do more testing, i say get it done and get answers... at least rule out the big stuff. personally, if it's come and gone more than once, i'd always be worried about it returning and don't think i could ever relax about it.