pulsatile tinnitus – any suggestions?

I can hear my pulse in my right ear, it started nearly 2 weeks ago, and it’s driving me nuts. Onset was quite sudden, and I think after the first vigorous exercise in 6 weeks – which would also be the first vigorous exercise after a whiplash type injury I got snowboarding. The NHS website has some alarming ‘get checked now before something bursts’ type info on it, so I went to the Dr who basically said ‘meh, it’s not earwax, we’ll put you on the waiting list for ENT and an MRI, but the MRI people might reject you’.

So, I assume I’m not actually about to have an aneurysm, but I am being driven crackers. I think it’s actually getting louder. I can’t find anything that makes it go away, other than not being able to hear it over other noise. Which doesn’t really work for me because trying to write words with music on is difficult.

Anyone got any experience of this? Suggestions to make it go away?

I had something like this a while back but got looked at by a nurse. She said it was some sort of infection in my ear and gave me something to flush it out with ….. from my nose. Thankfully it went just before i plucked up the courage to use the thing. They said it needed to be done from my nose so that it didnt get moved any further in.

It lasted maybe 2-3 weeks in total.

The other half has tidied out the cupboards and i cant find it or id have let you know the name of it, on the packet it looked like an aerosol with a long thin tube.

I occasionally have similar symptoms as a result of blocked sinuses – usually only for a few days and when they’re really bad – but in my case the sinusitis is triggered by (among other things) hay-fever and the last few weeks have been very bad for that. I can usually feel it and the accompanying pressure build up in my ear too mind when it’s getting that way.

Of course in your case it might be nothing to do with it but might be worth a consideration given the time of year?

So on that theory have you tried some decongestants/antihistamine etc?

1/ Get used to it.
2/ Get used to writing words with music on
3/ Take up playing electric guitar

Suggestions on making any kind of tinitus go away – millions of us are all ears. 😉 Even if it does go away someone on a forum will write the word “tinitus” and it’ll be back.

I’ve had a few bouts of pulsatile tinnitus when I was incredibly stressed in the past (like, well beyond your common or garden work stress).

It eventually disappeared completely without any MRIs or other clinical intervention. That would be a good few years ago now and although there were a few false starts it has now gone completely.

@Edukator it’s not fair, I was managing to ignore the normal tinnitus, but this version is well annoying. I now have the old fashioned TV whining sound combined with someone pumping a sluice gate in one ear.

@finbar I reckon by my standards I am less stressed than usual. Or, I was, before the ear thing. FFS.

No sinusy type things discernible, but I may take some drugs just for the sake of trying something.

someone on a forum will write the word “tinitus” and it’ll be back

You bastid

Yeah get this whooshing heart beat noise at times. Unnerving.

if it wasn’t so true, the last few posts would be funny 🙂

I’m feeling the pain now…. Although i did just Zwift race which always makes it happen

These symptoms are familiar. And annoying.

On the positive side, it was probably there all the time and you’ve just come to notice it.

Now that you have you can’t tune it out.

Give it time.

Less positive.

Had a cold/head or chest infection recently? Could be residual gunk or inflammation. Decongestant, anti-inflammatory, or gin might help?

Other options are less common.

An ultrasound will help with diagnosing one cause I’m aware of – external carotid artery stenosis. Unlikely.
Others found in a handy physician’s reference source include
Vascular disorder (other than stenosis)
arterial bruit
Paraganglioma
Neurological disorder

Not a doctor.

If it is bothering you a lot, make a fuss, be clear on the problems it gives you and how that affects daily life, keep on asking for action.

If you do get one, enjoy the MRI. I used to find the bang, bang, bang, zub, zub, zub, etc noises very calming.

Edit. To avoid any confusion, MRI imaging has no therapeutic effects.

I was reading this thread lying on a settee (recovering from dental treatment) with my ear pressed against a cushion when ironically I suddenly realised that I could very loudly hear/feel my pulse in my left ear. I actually found the rhythmic pulse of my own heartbeat quite soothing and relaxing. But now having moved my head I can’t seem to get it back.

I’m sorry that is absolutely no help to you!

Although if you try to embrace it to a degree, if that’s possible, it might make you feel less stressed until a long-term solution is found 💡

I have no magic fix/help for this but I had something similar from what I assume was a sinus infection after a bad cold/flu from Boxing Day 2022 and it lasted for about 3-4 weeks. It went away on it’s own.

This might not help, but here’s what’s happening to me…

I’ve had tinnitus in my left ear for years; a high pitched whistling that I deal with by ignoring.
Six weeks ago I developed a horrible buzzing/throbbing sensation in the same ear. It was doing my head in. The local audiologist checked for wax: it was all clear. He suggested I take a decongestant: that didn’t help.

Getting a bit worried and desperate I visited my GP. He feared my metastatic prostate cancer may have spread to my brain!! That led to an urgent ENT appointment and then a full MRI scan of my head; all completed within a week of seeing the GP. Anyway, the MRI was last Thursday and I haven’t had the result back yet. I’m just hoping no news is good news!

To slightly offset this trauma, tomorrow shall be NBD 🙂

I have the whistling tinnitus permanently.  I get a mid tone pulsing sometimes and occasional bass tone rumble

Six weeks ago I developed a horrible buzzing/throbbing sensation in the same ear.

Is it the one nearest the window? I get this every year in March for a few days until I realise its the sound of lawnmowers and pressure washers being deployed

I have the high pitched tinnitus which of late has been waking me up at 3am. Had my ears suctioned which didn’t make any difference but went for reflexology and I can now manage a nights sleep. Whether it was getting better on its own I don’t know but maybe worth a go.
The lady did say she felt some crystals on the pressure point on my left foot. It’s my left ear that’s causing the grief.

@stwhannah You’ve done the right thing by seeing your GP. From what you’ve written you should be seen by a specialist. I’ve no idea what waiting times are like where you are but, unfortunately, it often pays to give healthcare providers a nudge if things aren’t happening very quickly. Maybe go back to your GP if no update within a few weeks. Sooner if your symptoms are getting worse or you notice any new ones. Often these sorts of things fix themselves but you need to be checked out properly.

This is good advice:

go back to your GP if no update within a few weeks. Sooner if your symptoms are getting worse or you notice any new ones.

Sister in law died from a brain tumour in 2020. The first symptoms were with her hearing, but it wasn’t realised what was causing them until much later.

@NewRetroTom

Sister in law died from a brain tumour in 2020. The first symptoms were with her hearing, but it wasn’t realised what was causing them until much later.

Well that’s got me worrying again. I better chase up the MRI result. Awaiting my post chemo+RT PSA* test result today too. Is it too early to start drinking?

*Prostate Specific Antigen. Or, how active the cancer is.

Is it too early to start drinking?

It’s 5pm somewhere, right?

Can’t offer specific advice on the pulsatile tinnitus other than keep on at the GP if it doesn’t go away, everything I’ve read on the topic seems to agree that regular ‘TV whining’ tinnitus is almost always annoying but not serious, if you hear pulsing in your ear then it needs checking out.

On the topic of dealing with the more regular type, after being left with pretty loud whining after a serious ear infection last year, and an appointment with a private ENT specialist (apparently no-one really knows what causes it or why it happens, it’s not an actual sound most of the time but your brain ‘generating’ the sound for unknown reasons), the advice was to find something that matches the sound as closely as possible (usually a white noise generator) and expose your brain to it regularly so that it eventually decides to ignore it and hence the tinnitus will be ignored as well.

Anyway, long story short, I have a white noise generator on my phone and use the OpenRun Pro bone conduction headphones so that i can hear the white noise and the rest of the world as well..  i actually find it helps with concentration and anxiety as well.

Hasn’t cured the tinnitus yet though.. 🙁

Oh, one other thing I discovered.  A fair number of tinnitus cases are caused by tension in your jaw.  If you tension your jaw muscles (I find jutting your lower jaw forward does the trick) and hold it for a few seconds it can significantly reduce the tinnitus temporarily, possibly more permanently if you can detrain yourself from tensioning your jaw over time.

Have you got any hearing loss associated with the tinnitus?

Weirdly enough I had this a week or so ago. I actually asked my wife if she could hear it too because I didn’t realise what it was. It went away. Came back a bit later, then went away and hasn’t come back.

Could it be blood pressure related maybe? IANAD