Viral Infection

[volsung37]

Having looked about numerous forums on pulsatile tinnitus I have discovered that there seems to be some kind of virus affecting a great number of people. The symptoms are congestion of the sinuses and a kind of clogging of the throat. I live in N Ireland and I've heard many people reporting the same symptoms. I've also read about it in London.
I developed PT (left ear) in October this year and of course was extremely concerned. I was considering giving up my job etc. as I couldn't sleep and was constantly obsessed with the whooshing/thumping.
I mentioned this to a colleague at work and she said she had been experiencing exactly the same symptoms including PT but in her right ear. She had been experiencing the PT for quite a bit longer. We work in quite a small office and ventilation isn't great.
Has anyone else had a similar experience?

 

[Karen]

Yes, I have PT in one ear only, and recently I've had a virus (in my case, it ended up being bronchitis). However, my PT started almost five years ago. Mine was directly related to taking a blood pressure drug.

However, I'm sure it's possible that a virus could have caused you to have some ear problems. Tell me more about your pulsatile tinnitus. Did it start suddenly? Do you have a history of any other ear problems? Any hearing loss?
Also, do you have a high-pitched, hissing ringing, in addition to the pulsating tinnitus?

Usually, true pulsatile tinnitus is vascular in nature, as you've probably read. Some people with PT have actually found a cause that was fixable through surgery. For the rest of us, it's sort of a mystery. I've had a lot of tests, and nothing was found.

Please tell us more about your pulsatile tinnitus, and how long you've had it, etc.

Best wishes,
Karen