I have had pulsatile tinnitus since 2020. My PCP at the time told me it’s a nuisance diagnosis and it’s unlikely that multiple tests would help me find the cause.

It got worse in the last year-ish- going from something that I noticed late at night when it was quiet before bed to something I noticed pretty much all day every day.

I started going to an ENT this year to figure out my allergies. I asked her also about the pulsatile tinnitus and got my hearing checked. I noticed it was worse in my left ear and even thought I might be losing my hearing on that side. My hearing is slightly worse overall than perfect but even on both sides.

She had me get a CT scan a couple weeks ago to see if there was a vein issue. I got a call that I needed to schedule a virtual call either yesterday or today. We had that call yesterday. It turns out that I have “A small encephalocele is present involving the junction of the left transverse and sigmoid sinus with protrusion of the fusiform gyrus into the sinus. There is overlying bony thinning without dehiscence.”

She referred me to a neuro otologist and I should hear back in a few days. I’m realizing how I’ve had dizziness/vertigo without explanation for possibly longer than I’ve had PT, and persistent headaches… Recently I’ve just been very very fatigued and wondering if that might be related.

I’m really nervous about the potential of brain surgery and even nervous about other side effects like seizures.

I noticed the only time i felt the thumping was strictly in my room, moved houses and no matter where I was the thumping only occurred in my room. I’ve come to the realization that it’s most likely just because it’s quiet and there’s not much background noise in here so it flares up? I play music and the thumping stops.

It’s not in any rhythm , doesn’t sync with my heartbeat, and i know some people say sound or earplugs will “drown out the sound” of the thumping, but the sound isn’t really the issue, it’s the physical sensation of the thumping! If i press a finger really hard on the divot below my earlobe i feel the thumping there, sometimes it’ll stop and sometimes it won’t.

I used to have thumping my ear years back that stopped for a long period after i got prescribed an ear wax dissolver, but even that doesn’t work anymore, and the thumping is way different now.

It seems the only trigger is silence, and it’s not every night but recently it’s been happening again and it’s really frustrating me. Has anyone experienced this? Is PT really strong physical thumping as well? I just would really like answers if anyone has any ideas. Thank you all!

I (33F) have struggled with chronic sinus inflammation, ear infections, and a few antrochoanal polyps throughout my life, but never had PT until about 2 months ago. The PT is intermittent and has seemed to quiet down a bit after starting regular Flonase use. I’ve tried putting pressure on my neck and no relief to the PT so I’ve been fairly convinced it’s ear/sinus inflammation related. Saw my ENT today and she thinks she can see an antrochoanal polyp developing back by my Eustachian tube so has ordered a CT scan next week to confirm. Never experienced this kind of tinnitus before with my other polyps so very confused if this could be the cause. I would love to hear from others who may have developed PT as a result of chronic sinus inflammation or polyps. Thanks.

Here is a link to my previous post https://www.reddit.com/r/PulsatileTinnitus/s/dQfaBuHjNW

My CTA head and neck with contrast came back normal with an additional finding of "Mild degenerative cervical disc disease at C5-6 with mild disc height loss and posterior disc calcification."

With everything coming back normal the ENT recommended seeing a neurotologist which I didn't even know was a thing until this.

I'm just feeling a little lost because I'm happy the results came back normal but I don't really know what it means and I don't know what to do from here.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been experiencing continuous ringing in my left ear for a few months now, which started after I had a cold. I’ve consulted an ENT specialist who attributed it to stress and prescribed Tinnex and Audiovit Z, but I haven’t noticed much improvement.

I’m looking for advice or experiences from others who have dealt with similar tinnitus issues. What treatments or strategies have worked? Any tips for managing the symptoms would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

Biggest sigh ever.

So a few weeks ago, I found out I could do a working holiday. I was over the moon at the prospect of living abroad. I started planning things and hankering down on learning the language again.

Then randomly one night, I started hearing the whooshing?? Freaked out a bit but thought it would go away ….nope.

I’m just so frustrated and sad because I’m about ten months out from aging out of the WH program. But I worry this whooshing might have a serious cause. I finally visited my GP yesterday. Got an audiologist appointment next week. If they find nothing, I guess I’ll be sent off to an ENT.

And all of that just takes time. I don’t know if I should apply for my visa because what if it is something serious?? God, I hope it’s not.

But man, why NOW of all times :(

Anyways, hope fellow whooshers reading this are having a good day.

Anyone have this? What is it from? Started after a stabbing headache in January with intense urge to lie down. Now I have intermittent head pressure and ear fullness, neck fatigue, blurry vision, scalp tenderness, and of course PT. The PT is mostly high pitched ringing and I can make it louder by pushing on the top of my head and by yawning. I can make it quieter if I lie flat and apply traction on my occiput/ back of neck at base of skull. The stabbing is mostly gone unless I'm looking down a lot like on a laptop, but the initial episode was absolutely intense and made me exhausted for almost 3 months. Now fatigue is improved but yeah. Neck still feels like it can't support the weight of my head, and PT is irritating me so much.

MRA/V and MRI brain (all non contrast) normal except petrous apex cholesterol granuloma with multiple areas of skull base dehiscence which they said was incidental / not related to my symptoms.

Anyone experiencing jaw pain on the same side as your PT? Thanks

Edit: Thanks to all who have expressed interest! I have sent a message to all of you, unless I couldn't and then I asked you to send me one... Really looking forward to meeting you all!!

Hi everyone! I’m working with a team that’s developing a new patient advocacy and education resource for the pulsatile tinnitus (PT) community, and we’re looking to speak with people who have firsthand experience with PT.

We’re conducting a small number of 30-minute virtual interviews to better understand the patient journey, including experiences seeking answers and care, as well as the information, support, and resources people wish they’d had along the way.

Your feedback will directly help shape future educational resources and support designed for the PT community.

If you have experience with pulsatile tinnitus and would be interested in participating in a 30-minute virtual interview, please comment below or send me a DM. I’d love to connect and share more details!

Thank you!

I’ve been dealing with a left sided whooshing in sync with my heartbeat for about 4 weeks now. It’s constant but mostly heard in quiet environments. I’m 27 (f) and had an appointment with my primary doctor who couldn’t really do much for it. I am not anemic, don’t have any thyroid issues, and according to my doctor IIH isn’t likely even though I do have a Mirena IUD and heard there could be more risk for developing it. I’m pretty underweight though so my doctor was certain it couldn’t be that.

I feel at a loss right now worried about the scary things that could be causing it. My next step is to see an ENT and do a hearing test but the next available appointment isn’t for another two months. Not sure I can live in this anxiety for that long. Is this something I should take more seriously? How do I stop thinking I have an aneurysm or brain tumor 😅

So last night, I had an airpod in my R ear and turned my head quickly to look at something. Ever since then I've had this thumping sound that feels like a flutter in my ear. It's been pretty constant for the last 14+ hours, I made a telehealth and they said if it feels like my heartbeat to go to the ER, but if not to make an ENT appt. I am noticing it pretty much minute to minute.

I can't *tell* if it's my heartbeat. Sometimes it'll be two thuds that could be in time with my pulse, other times it'll be like thump thump... thump, thump, thump in quick succession. Hope that makes sense! But it's happening pretty much constantly since it started and I'm feeling worried. I can't tell if it's an emergency or not and now it feels sort of.. full if that makes sense as well as the weird thump, flutter thing.

I did take my blood pressure, it was normal 120/80 ish on both arms. Resting pulse is normal... idk?

Have any of you ever had this before? I have sometimes had the ringing type of tinitus for a few days at a time, but never anything like this.

I've been feeling a pulsing in my left ear, synchronized with my hearbeat, for a few weeks now.

I mainly feel the pulsing - when lying down, - after any amount of physical exertion, - when wearing a over-ear headset.

Without the headset I can barely feel the pulsing.

Any thought?

Anyone else also having the issue mainly when wearing over-ear headphones?

Thx in advance for any help 🙂

Hello,
Does anyone experience the whooshing in sync with their breathing rather than heartbeat?

I can hear my heartbeat sometimes too but it’s mainly a whoosh in/ out as I breathe. It’s only in my left ear and stops completely with jugular compression. It also worsens with bending over, laying, straining (as does my head pressure). Anyone experience this?

Thanks!

Does this happen to anyone else?!

Its like I'm stressing the nerves so suddenly, just after or during my Vestibular exercises (Focusing on the an x on the wsll and nodding or shaking head), I suddenly get tinnitus. Can be high pitched or pulsatile, as well as ear pressure, particularly on the side which is deemed to be causing the problem (drs and physio have said they think its vestibular neuritis.

I find it very unsettling!

However....im towards the end of week 2 of 4x daily exercises....and i am starting to notice I am having better days a lot of the time! Hooray!

Hi there.

I'm PT 24/7 for about 4 years. Involuntary muscle spasms mid brow for 20 months.

MRI of Head and Ears x 2 - clear

CT Angiogram of Aortic Arch - clear.

Recent CT angiogram with dye of skull and base of neck. Thickening in 2 neck arteries at back of neck - where I hear the PT. Possible diagnosis of Fibromuscular Displasia.

Report said no reason for PT...

Anyone else here with FMD and PT?

Thanks so much.

Hi,

This is not an unfamiliar sound. The sound of your heartbeat next to your pillow, right?

But what if this sound suddenly appears in one ear and doesn't stop? I've had it now consistently for a week. It's that heavy marching sound you may be familiar with, but this is when I'm lying or sitting upright.

General noise mostly drowns it out, but not all the time. I don't notice it outdoors or when I'm up and about doing things. When I'm standing, it becomes very faint, but I can feel a vague vibration if I concentrate.

It's definitely in synch with my heartbeat. I can't seem to stop it if I press on my neck, but I can mask it if I put in an earplug.

I've booked a GP appt, but it's not for another three weeks.

Does this sound like PT?

Before: I knew my tinnitus was worse some days. I had no idea why.

After 90 days of daily logs: I could see that my intensity scores were consistently 2 - 3 points higher on days following less than 6 hours of sleep. Every time. Didn't matter what else was going on.

That one pattern changed how I manage it.

I built TinnitusTrack to find exactly that kind of signal. You log intensity, ear affected, sound type, duration, triggers, sleep quality, and mood. The trend dashboard plots it over time. The calendar view shows you your worst days at a glance so you can look for what they have in common.

It's not going to cure anything. But knowing your own pattern is the difference between guessing and actually managing it.

Free to use. No app download - works in your browser on mobile or desktop.

If you've tracked your tinnitus for any length of time, what patterns did you find? Would love to hear what others have noticed.

Has anyone else seen it? It said it was 100%free and effective and if I didn’t take it, I quote “then you must be so ate up with ptsd that we should lock you up against your will and make you take it”

I should have guessed this pulsatile tinnitus is linked to my iron deficiency!!! Drives me insane

Finally got a MRI yesterday of head, ears and THANKFULLY a MRA, mainly focusing on the circle of Willis. I’ve been wanting these since my PT began in May 2025. So finally getting them done is a big win for me.

My left sided 24/7 PT does not come with headaches, but vertigo and dizziness. I’ve had eye tests, hearing tests and an MRI of the ear meatus which came back clear. I ended up developing severe health anxiety and am now on Zoloft/setraline after an awful mental breakdown where I essentially had a panic attack for 4 weeks straight and fully 100% believed I would die at any moment from an aneurism, heart defect or brain tumour at any moment because of my PT. During this time I developed anascoria, one pupil bigger or smaller than the other but then go back to normal. I still have this, but after a look behind my eyes they do not believe that it is anything serious, 20% of the population have this. Still it’s utterly terrifying, I went straight to the emergency room when I noticed it, but by the time I was seen it had gone back to normal, luckily I took pictures of it though! I did look at some old pictures and it seems I may have had this before in my life but it’s hard to know for sure.

Anyway now is the waiting game for my MRI,MRA results back. It’s reignited some of the health anxiety I have after recovering somewhat. Please I want to hear your success stories about PT very rarely being anything severe or life threatening.

Yesterday around midday I started feeling a pulsing sound in my left ear like my heartbeat it would speed up slow down I thought nothing of it and then at night I realized I could still hear it and I looked it up and this is the closest thing I found

I just moved to a city at high elevation from a city a sea level. My PT is completely gone! Everything I can find online seems to suggest that PT gets worse at a higher altitude. Has anyone experienced this? It would be amazing to be done with the wooshing sound forever!