So Scared!! Pulsating Tinnitus, Pls Respond! :(

[kelsey]

Hi Im a 30 year old female in good health....I started to get pain under my jaw area by the ear. I have longer than normal styloids suggested the CT scan. I started to get pulsating tinnitus 5 months ago, It started to come and go, Now its full blown, never goes away and its SUPER loud. Im crying right now because I'm scared and terrified of a tumor or anesysm. Damn you google for scaring me stiff!!!!! It pulsates with my heartbeat, I had a brain and neck MRI but it was normal....But they didn't know about this humming at the time of the scan. (SO maybe they missed looking in my ear). I get popping noises in my ears and pressure in my jaw and ear and my ear hurts....Can the styloid be causing this or is it something else? The pulsating DOES NOT go away when I put my hand over my neck. Can someone pls indicate why people do this method? What does that tell someone. Im scared and alone.......Oh the ENT sent me to an audiologist and my hearing test was normal and no fluid build up

 

[Karen]

Hi, @kelsey,

I'm sorry you're having difficulties with pulsatile tinnitus right now. I have pulsatile tinnitus, too, and I can certainly sympathize with what you're going through. I had similar tests (MRI and MRA, CT scan, Doppler of carotid arteries), and was checked by a number of doctors, who couldn't find anything amiss. I've had this for about 6 years now, and although I still have PT and regular (hissing) tinnitus, the other symptoms, such as the feeling of fullness, etc., have all gone away. Even though my PT is there, it hasn't gotten any worse, so I've been able to live with it.

To answer your question, I do think it is possible that the PT could be caused by an unusual formation of your jaw; a common cause of PT is TMJ, so it could be related to that. Have you tried going to a TMJ specialist to see what they have to say? That's what I did, if only to rule that out as a possible cause.

Like you, my PT does not change when I press on the side of my neck, or anywhere in the vicinity of the pulsating. I've read that for people who can stop theirs by pressing on their neck, theirs often has a venous cause. So yours probably does not have anything to do with the veins.

You could try going to another specialist to get a second opinion, or you could send your scans to a specialist, to see if they have a different reading than the one you were given.

Have you checked out Whooshers.com? On that website, they have stories of cured whooshers, and there is a list of questions you can print out to take to your doctor, including a list of possible causes of PT. It might help to generate a discussion with him of what tests you've had, and where you can go from here.

In my opinion, if you've had the tests that you've had, and they didn't find anything, it seems unlikely that you have a tumor or an aneurysm. There must be something else that's causing it, such as jaw abnormalities. If there is no TMJ specialist near you, you could try going to a good dentist for an opinion.

Best wishes, and I hope you find some answers soon!

Hugs,
Karen