Hearing my heart beat in my ears.

[lindar]

I would also be angry that the dr said it was there because you were listening for it.  NO.... that is not how this is.  I really try to tune it out but at times it is so "loud" that it can't be ignored.  In the evenings I hear it over the TV.  The ENT said that since he couldn't hear it that it probably wasn't caused by a "real" problem.  For those of us who have this it is a REAL problem.  It is a quality of life issue.  Anyway.  In the beginning my tinnitus started out after I got up in the morning.  Then got louder in the evening.  When I went to sleep it almost completely went away.  It was that way for several months.  Gradually though it began to continue during the night also and yes, on occasion it has woken me up.  My tinnitus is now 24/7.  I would love to find a solution to this.  I tell myself that there are much worse things that could happen to me but then again, I would love to live in a quiet world again.  I can count out my pulse rate by listening to it in my ear.....
Hang in there.  I'll let you know if I get any answers.

[SassieCat]

IF, I were to want to imagine something for my life, it would not involve visiting physicians who place the blame on their patients becasuse they don't know or understand.  There are many things in this world that I will never know nor understand.  But it would not make me lesser a person because of it.  I know doctors don't know many things and cures for many ailments simply just don't exist.  This I do understand and accept the limitations of their knowledge.  I wish that the medical professionals could learn to accept their limitations too.  A simple, "I don't know the answer" is much better than placing blame or cause on another becasue they can't accept their lack of understanding. 

I called my ENT and made an appointment with them Monday.  I don't believe that it is related to my heart and that they found nothing abnormal is really all the confirmation I needed.  If the ENT can find nothing wrong, I will accept this with all the other incurable things wrong with me. 

I guess what I am trying to say is this:  That the doctor may not be a hero today but they should not forget that they are human like me.

[Shell]

Hi,

I was so "happy" (you know what I mean, I'm hoping  ) to read your posts and to see that I am not alone in dealing with this.  I have also experienced the brush off by my GP.  I'm sorry you are also having to go through that--it's maddening, I know.   SassieCat, I don't have medical training, but it sure sounds like pulsatile tinnitus, which is my dx, too.  Mine's unilateral.  I nearly fell out of my seat when I read the descriptions of it being kind of like listening to a seashell ("whooshing").  That's one of the exact ways I tried to describe it to my docs as well.  Also--like a kite fluttering in a strong wind or feeling as if there's a winged bug in my ear flapping furiously to get out.  It can be pretty turbulent.  Many times the sound is with my heartbeat, other times not.   

Anyway, my ENT and neuro agreed it is pulsatile tinnitus.  There are many causes, from benign to potentially quite serious, so SassieCat, it's good that your doc has suggested following up with the Doppler studies if it doesn't resolve.   Mine started very abruptly, and weird head/neckaches on that side soon followed.  I told my GP and was pretty much blown off.  It's all in your head, yada, yada.   No kidding, it's "in my head", and it's really bothersome, thank you very much.     But, I kind of tried to ignore it, hoping it would go away.  I first developed the ringing sounds about a year ago, they drove me crazy for awhile, and then I just kind of got used to them.  I figured I would try to do the same with the new "flavor of the month" sound in my ear.  Interestingly, mine is also worse in the evening, usually around dinnertime, though I haven't been able to associate it with food.

I mentioned it to my ENT during a routine follow-up visit, and he scheduled me for further testing including an audiogram and an MRA, also checked thyroid and some other blood work.  I shared with him that my GP said not to worry about it.  His response and encouragement were fantastic, and he let me know I did absolutely the right thing by mentioning it to him and having it further evaluated.   I've had some screwy symptoms in the past year and a half (they are primarily neurological at this point), and I am wondering if this is related.  No Sjogren's or other AI dx at this point, though Sjogren's fits a number of my symptoms.

I wanted to ask, do any of you experience headaches that you can associate with this?  My neuro thinks they may be migraines and has scheduled me for a sleep study.  I have been told by my hubby that my snoring is getting out of control, so I guess it's good to go ahead and do this since apnea can cause so many other problems.

SassieCat, I hope your appt with the ENT goes well and that your doc is able to shed some light and help you figure out the cause, or at least give you some reassurance if your testing comes back normal.  Keep us posted.

Take care,
Shell

[SassieCat]

Shell,

Thanks for responding.  I do have headaches and neck pain with this.  But there again, I've had headaches and migraines since I was 17.  I also have thyroid problems and take Levoxyl for it daily.  Hashimoto's Disease is the AI that killed my thyroid and I have bloodwork done about every 3 months for it.  I have had the ringing on and off in the past years and just lived with it.  The whooshing sound is an annoyance all it's own. 

Many of my problems center around disfunction of my central nervous system.  Rheumy dx me with SjS last December and she believes that SjS is responsible for my defunct CNS, joint pain and possibly my cardiomyapathy.  I had an MRI done several years back because of the severe migraines and I don't remember if they found any lesions or not.  I am thinking that he did but I can't be sure.  I know that I have lesions in my lungs and they did MRI on it either last year or the year before. 

Flavor of the month - funny you should mention this.  I have described my symptoms like this several times.  Before I have a time to adjust to one new symptom another one shows up.  Like the energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going and going. 

Do you get dizzy too?  I have noticed that I can become dizzy when the whooshing starts.  Also present is the neck pain and headaches.  Sometimes I have trouble with my eyes, they feel strained more than usual. 

I will post Monday after the ENT visit for sure.

 

[jaygee]

Oh my goodness!   I get a fluttering noise (sounds like a moth flew in my left ear) from time to time, and it is usually when I am resting or watching tv in the evening.  I never considered it might be SJS?

[dbab]

Sassie,  I would tend to agree with what Linda said about the blood vessels being a strong possibility.  But I hope you can get some definite answers from the ENT.

jaygee,  I have the fluttering too and my doc said its inner ear muscle twitching/spasms.  Sounds about right since they are usually temporary and follow a similar pattern to all my other muscle spasms. 

**I meant to say middle ear, not inner***

[SassieCat]

   I feel so miserable right now.  My oldest son caused some upset and the stress has got my head in a hurt.  I feel like the pounding in my ears is going to split my head open at any minute.  The pulse is 118 and my whole body is starting to react to the pain.

[Katybarstool]

Sassie

Kids can be a pain in the butt, can't they?  I feel for you.

Hugs
Kathyx

[SassieCat]

Isn't that the truth.  It was easier when they were young.  Now at ages 34,30,25 all they want to do is argue and play mind games. 

[lindar]

I find that when I get more stressed, the pulsitile tinnitus gets louder.  Sassiecat.... try not to let things stress you too much.  (I know... easier said than done).  The wings fluttering sound description is interesting.  The first time I went to the ENT I told him that it sounded like I had thousands of locusts in my ear all beating their wings or what ever they do to the same rhythm.  I think you would have to have been in the mid west on a summer night when the locusts arrive to know the sound.  Keep me posted about what your ENT's say.  I know there has to be a good one somewhere that would be willing to investigate this.  I also have had pain in my neck.  For many years I had headaches on that side of my head and face.  I was always told it was sinuses. 
I also have thyroid problems.  Hashimoto's.  I have wondered if this tinnitus was connected with that problem also.  I don't have an answer.  I do believe it is connected to either sjs or hashimoto's.   I think it must be autoimmune related.  There is such a thing as autoimmune inner ear disease.  My ENT didn't recognize that as a "real" condition.  Anyone else been diagnosed with that? 

[BarbwirE]

Check out Pseudotumor Cerebri...You described my EXACT symptoms, and it is what my Neuro dx me with (unfortunatly, it took a spinal tap) 

[SassieCat]

I will look into it and read up on it.  I thank you for the information.  The heart doctor changed my Coreg CR (one pill per day) to Carvedilol (twice daily) and this has been helping.  I still get the sensation of hearing my heartbeat in my ears but not nearly as strong nor as frequent. 

I even cancelled the appointment with the ENT because the problem seems to be getting better.

Thanks again!!!

Sassie

[salsen]

I had the same thing happen last year and had a tone of test done including a MRI and nothing was out of the normal.  The pulsing sound lasted for about two months and then went away as quickly as it came.  No one could ever figure out what caused this to happen.  It will aggravate the daylights out of you though!!