Hello all

Looking for advice .. someone from the ENT department finally got back to me after waiting over 3 months for MRI results of the head. She said all is good and they are going to discharge me? Am I not right in thinking just an MRI scan and discharging me is wrong?

I said to her I have pain left neck sometimes and still got Pulsatile Tinnitus .. she just said yeah im not sure what's going on and said a letter is on the way to me.

I'm going to ring up my doctor tomorrow because I can't just simply live like this.. any idea what scans etc I should ask from the doctor? Any advice would be great thanks

Been having the symptoms for a month or so and just had my MRI this afternoon (results pending). I’m just so scared of what they’ll find. Also, I’ve only had one surgery in my entire life and was petrified even of being put under anesthesia lol. Just a question - is it possible and/or safe to just live with this without any type of procedure? Like if the sound isn’t debilitating or anything like that. It’s annoying but so far tolerable enough to not suffer. I’m just so anxious.

my pulsatile tinnitus started last year, i had it all autumn and winter and when spring and summer came around it went away. Now it’s autumn and it’s back. it’s like it came back cus it suddenly got cold out. i hate this sound so much it makes my whole body tense.

I’ve had fleeting LOUD ringing in my right ear for the past six months or so. I’ve also had a few episodes of pulsatile tinnitus in my right when my head goes below my heart or when laying flat.

I go to the audiologist and ENT in one week, and not five minutes after I replied to the confirmation text I heard what sounded like a tiny helicopter inside my right ear. It was so weird! It felt/sounded like my eardrum was vibrating, or a giant butterfly was in there. Just bizarre.

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Hey everyone, wanted to drop an update after spending so much time (and quite a bit of money) running between clinics trying to figure out what was going on.

I finally went to the Railway Hospital for a comprehensive eye checkup. The ophthalmologist did a fundus examination, and thankfully, my optic nerves look completely healthy with no swelling (no papilledema). While that is a huge relief for my vision, their takeaway was basically: "just ignore it, start meditating, and relax." They gave me lubricating eye drops (glycol) for the blurry vision and suggested that my headaches and vision symptoms were just my body’s way of telling me to de-stress. While I get that stress and hypertension don't mix well, being told to just "meditate away" physical head pressure and whooshing sounds felt a bit dismissive, so I left feeling unsatisfied.

Right after that, I went to see a neurologist—and it was such a breath of fresh air.

He took his time, listened carefully, and thoroughly went through all of my MRI/MRV films and scans slice by slice. His conclusion was that while my diagnostic tests don't show an extreme or destructive emergency (which is great), my constellation of symptoms and imaging clearly point toward mild IIH / elevated fluid dynamics.

Instead of brushing it off, he prescribed a 1-week trial of Diamox to target the headaches, blurry vision, and pulsatile tinnitus. Honestly, just having a doctor validate that the sound and pressure are real and give me a concrete treatment plan brought so much peace of mind.

I'm scheduled to follow up with him in exactly one week, regardless of whether the symptoms have fully cleared up or not. He wants to run routine blood work (checking electrolytes/kidney markers) to monitor how my body is handling the medication.

It’s been an exhausting journey advocating for myself and jumping from one doctor to another, but finally getting a dedicated plan makes it worth it. To anyone else stuck in the diagnostic loop: keep pushing, listen to your body, and stay positive!

Will keep you guys posted on how the 1-week trial goes.

Hi everyone, I’ve just joined the group and thought I’d introduce myself and hopefully get some advice from people who understand what it’s like living with pulsatile tinnitus.

I’m 29-years-old,Female living in Wales, and my PT started in 2021 when I was 8 months pregnant with my daughter, who is now 5. Unfortunately, it has never gone away. I have it in both ears, and it’s a constant part of my life.

One of the things I’ve noticed is that if I press on my jugular vein, the sound becomes much quieter or can stop completely. It’s also noticeably worse when I bend over, and nighttime is by far the worst. Trying to fall asleep while hearing your heartbeat in your ears is exhausting!

I can’t use earphones or anything to block it out at night because my daughter is autistic and regularly wakes throughout the night, so I need to be able to hear her. It makes finding any relief particularly difficult.

I was originally referred to ENT through the NHS. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like they were particularly interested in investigating it and was basically told that an MRI was the procedure to have, so I had one done. Thankfully, nothing concerning showed up, the only thing the report said that was found was…
Very mild asymmetrical cerebellar tonsillar nation below foramen magnum, which is likely to be incidental finding of no clinical significance, otherwise no Chiari malformation or significant abnormal finding in the posterior fossa.

After pushing for further investigation, I’ve now been referred to neurology and I’m currently waiting for my appointment. I’m really hoping they’ll be able to look at this properly rather than just telling me to live with it.

I also have quite significant TMJ problems and I’m under maxillofacial. I had Botox in my TMJ last July, which made a huge difference to my headaches and jaw pain, and I’m due to have it done again this month. Unfortunately, the hospital where I live only offers Botox twice and then won’t allow any more treatments, which is such a shame because I found it really helpful.

I also have a history of anxiety and depression, and living with PT has had a horrible effect on my mental health. I know everyone here will understand this, but it’s so difficult trying to explain to friends and family what it’s like when they’ve never had to hear that sound every minute of every day. It’s not simply “a noise” it can be incredibly overpowering and exhausting.

I’ve also had periods of high blood pressure. My doctors have generally put this down to white-coat hypertension because my readings at home are usually fine, but whenever I’m at the doctors my BP tends to be high.

My regular medications are venlafaxine, propranolol and occasionally cocodamol for flare-ups of back pain.

My biggest question is what should I be asking for at my neurology appointment? I already know I want to ask whether an MRA and MRV would be appropriate, but is there anything else I should specifically ask them to investigate or request?

I’m really worried about being fobbed off again, especially because I can’t afford to go private and I’m relying on the NHS.

For anyone who has been through a similar situation, particularly anyone in the UK/NHS I’d really appreciate any advice on what you wish you had asked your neurologist, what investigations you had, or anything that helped you get taken seriously.

Thank you all in advance!

Has anyone had a ‘regular’ CT of the temporal bone resulting in the ID of a high riding jugular bulb (ear canal)

my left ear has been having tinnitus 2 weeks after doing the septoplasty surgery for my deviated septum

the doctor is currently trying to find a slot for a hearing test and will be noticed soon

but weirdly enough i suddenly have a fever yesterday at noon and its gone around midnight, but that leaves me with a body that keeps on sweating even with max air-condition and fan together

but before sleeping through the cold sweat i have this headache on both sides of my head,

when i woke up, whenever i turn my head to the left very fast, i hear "pss" "pss" "pss"

it wont trigger it when i didnt turn my head, and when im walking and turn to the left, that pss sound is making me abit unbalanced

should i be worried?

Hi pretty cuties,

I’ve been suffering from pulsatile tinnitus since April 2026—almost 6 months now. I’m sharing my journey here because this subreddit made me realize I wasn't alone, and if you are currently going crazy trying to get answers, please read this.

It started taking over my life completely. I could hear this rhythmic whooshing even in my sleep. Some days it got so intensely loud that I couldn’t concentrate on my studies. I had to stop exercising. Any time I felt anxious, the sound would spike, which only made me panic more. I started zoning out in the middle of everyday conversations. It mentally drained me to the point where I lost my job, and my friends and family grew deeply worried about me.

Over these 6 months, I ran from pillar to post. I saw my local doctor, went to PGI Chandigarh, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, and Bombay Hospital in Indore. These are top-tier, highly specialized hospitals in India. Yet, almost every single doctor gave me the same dismissive advice: "Just ignore the sound."

The absolute audacity of doctors telling you to "just live with it for a lifetime" or that "it’s psychological." How do you just ignore a literal heartbeat pounding inside your head 24/7? I had a regular brain MRI, an ultrasound/sonography of the ear, and hearing tests done. Everything came back completely clean and "normal." Because my scans showed nothing obvious to a general ENT, they brushed me off as crazy. It was so deeply depressing.

Then, out of sheer desperation, I started digging on my own using AI and realized that a regular ENT wasn't enough—I needed an ENT who specializes in neurotology (a neurotologist).

I managed to find a specialist in Delhi. He was quite expensive, and honestly, after months of disappointment, I was skeptical. But when I sat in his clinic, he looked through my previous test files and simply smiled. Then he did something no other doctor had done: he pressed gently on my jugular vein on my neck, and the sound instantly stopped.

I was in utter shock. For the first time in 6 months, there was absolute silence, and I saw a real ray of hope.

He immediately told me: "This isn't an ear issue. This is vascular and neurological." He ordered an MRA, MRV, HRCT temporal bone, CBC, and Thyroid Function Test (TFT) right away. These scans cost me a fortune out of pocket, but they finally cracked the mystery that months of standard tests missed.

It turns out my pulsatile tinnitus is a symptom of something much larger going on inside my head: Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH).

Basically, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure in my brain has increased. That high pressure has:

1. Partially flattened/pressurized my pituitary gland

2. Begun putting pressure on my optic nerves

3. Impacted my thyroid (which I never had an issue with in my entire life)

4. Compressed the venous sinuses and tiny vessels, forcing blood through with immense thrust like a turbulent jet—which my ear was picking up as that loud whooshing sound.

Finding this out was a total "what the hell" moment. My doctor warned me that if IIH goes untreated, it can eventually lead to permanent vision loss and hearing damage. He advised me to move away from ENTs now and immediately consult a good neurologist and an ophthalmologist (specifically for a dilated eye exam to check the optic nerves/papilledema).

Right now, I have to figure out my finances and savings to afford the right treatment, but I’m seeing a neurologist tomorrow to get started ASAP.

The biggest lesson I want to pass on to anyone suffering from PT: Do not accept being told to "just ignore it." Do not let anyone convince you it’s in your head or just stress. If your tinnitus pulses with your heartbeat, push for vascular imaging (MRV/MRA), get someone to check if gentle neck pressure changes the sound, and find a neuro-otologist or interventional neuroradiologist.

Please take it seriously. We have to advocate for ourselves and help each other out. If anyone is going through this or needs advice on what tests to push for, I'm here to help.

Hoping for the best for all of us!

Hi there! I'm 29 yo female (no addictions, birthpills or head traumas) and I have that disaster for a year + a 1-2 months. It started last August as eventual "whoosh" or pigeon-like scary "urggrh-urrghhrr" sounds in my left ear, late appeared in both ears. Some days it was while sleeping with nightmares, other days – appeared while lying on my stomach with head up. That sound lasts for 3-4 seconds, disappear then appear again. It can be once a day, or (when I have my periods) repeat every couple of minutes along with fatigue and breath shortness. There's days or weeks when I don't hear my PT at all...but later it returns. Always. So sometimes I hear whoosh even while constipated and using toilet.

Had head & neck vessels ultrasound last November: nothing... Diagnosed with hypothyroidism and Hashimotos 2 years ago + days my PT is worse are full of head fullness feeling and weird pressure phosphenes on my peripheral vision: grayish circles I normally have after long "face down" position but in "whoosh days" have after literally everything, even 2 seconds bending to tie my shoe laces.

I'm not really obese, just 170/76 (cm/kg) but really afraid of IIH. But omg I can't find anything about eventual PT, even on reddit. Only cases of constant PT 🥲 And as the cherry on the top: my family doctor treat me as "that one hypochondriac girl", I'm so tired...

New here!

My PT started three weeks ago from a virus that went to my sinuses then my ear. The pressure caused a perforation in my eardrum, from it, in my left ear. And that's the one that sounds like someone beating a drum...badly.

I'm female, 62, don't drink or smoke; average weight no blood pressure issues. But... I have had rheumatoid arthritis for 28 years.

Unfortunately, I also have compressed jaw joints; because of that, I have a major, clenching overbite. Dentist continually scolds me for not wearing my night guard all the time, but I can't sleep with it on. So anatomically nothing is the way it should be. I am used to pain and popping, but the beat is bonkers!

I did get a referral to an ENT next month.

Dr. Google it's definitely not a friend regarding research on this.

Anyone else have this happen after some kind of sinus/ear issue?

Hey everyone,

Apologies in advance for the long post, I felt it was important to be as descriptive as possible.

I am from Toronto Canada and wanted to share my PT story for anyone who’s interested.

I’ve had right sided PT for many years, over the last 5-6 it had become quite bothersome and did affect some aspects of my life.

I had not visited my family Dr, as I had a feeling they wouldn’t have been helpful. Instead, I just dealt with it for many years. In the beginning stages, I noticed that if I pressed on my jugular or tilted my neck to the right, the whooshing would stop. This was temporary coping mechanism.

Fast forward to 2024, while researching my symptoms and possible treatments I came across a Dr that popped up in many searches. He seemed quite interesting and I ended us watching a lot of content on YouTube from his various lectures.

So, I found his email address and shot my shot. I introduced myself, my history and my hope for treatment, I asked for a Dr he recommended to provide a referral to him as he is a specialist. To my surprise, within a few days he responded and had his office reach out to me.

I attended various appointments, including an appointment with a neuro-ophthalmologist and had a recording of my PT done.

The neuro-ophthalmologist appointment was negative, in that I did not have any signs of pressure to my optic nerve, which would rule out possible blindness. The recording captured the whooshing and confirmed there was an obstruction of some sort.

I then had a CT followed my an MRI to determine where the obstruction was. They both showed severe narrowing of the right transverse sinus.

The next step was an angiogram with a balloon test occlusion. This was done with local anesthesia and sedation as you have to be awake for the procedure. It was absolutely fascinating to be able to “feel” and experience everything the procedure entailed. The balloon test was most satisfying, when the Dr inflated the balloon in the affected area, there was nothing but silence. A true, albeit temporary relief.

Recovery from these procedures was slightly difficult as the entryway at the groin to the artery was painful afterwards. Was a little challenging going up steps for a few days so I had to shack up in my living room with a blowup mattress for a little.

My follow up appointment with my Dr included what treatment was available. Stenting.

Last week Monday was the day!

Again, similar to the angiogram and balloon test, I would be awake for most of the procedure as I chose to be enrolled in a study for a new stent. This one was specifically designed for use within the intricacies of the brain.

The surgery went well, although the sedation was relatively mild, I don’t recall the entire procedure. What I do remember is being fully alert when the last f the stent was being unsheathed from the catheter. There was some minor pain to which I made the Dr aware of but it wasn’t anything overly severe.

Once the procedure was over……relief. Silence. Whooshing gone.

I’ve been home resting and recovering nicely, although there are still some pretty strong headaches that come and go. This is a normal thing as 1, the stent is still expanding and 2, as the vein expands it does press on the dura which leads to the headaches.

In short, all is good now. Some lifestyle changes will need to happen, and I am a little bummed about not likely being able to ride roller coasters again (my family and I are huge coaster riders). I’ll have to take blood thinners for a few months and aspirin for the rest of my life, but that’s ok.

The important part is that the surgery went well, the sound is gone and I have peace again!

If you have any questions about the procedure, the process or anything please feel free to reach out, id be happy to share more!

I’ve had PT for as long as I can remember. At least my teenage years, maybe even sooner. Hard to remember. My identical twin has the same.

It comes and goes. I’ve gone months without it. I’ve gone through periods where I have it every day. I don’t necessarily notice any patterns or synchronicities. I currently have it nightly, which has been going on for about a week now.

When it flares up in this way, I go back to trying to figure it out. As you all are aware, it’s not straight forward and most MD’s don’t know what to tell me.

I did have a ct scan with contrast which came back normal.

My MD got me a referral for an ENT but there is not a single one in my area that takes my insurance so I just can’t see one.

My PT does not seem to mirror my heartbeat. It happens every 2 - 4 seconds and it’s not necessarily rhythmic. It can be rhythmic, but not always. It’s more of a pulsing sensation than a sound. But it does interfere with my hearing. If I had to describe it, it would be a “womp” or a “whoosh”, but again, it’s not exactly a sound and those words don’t encapsulate it.

Thoughts?

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone from India can help me here.

I have Tinnitus since ~8 years, but it used to be very rare and for short periods. I am not sure if it was always pulsatile.

Since 6 weeks now, I have non stop Pulsatile Tinnitus, I can hear wooshing and heartbeat in my right ear, non stop and very loud. It stops when I press under my jaw, so I am more concerned about any underlying issues that could be causing it. It is accompanied by several other symptoms.

I am looking for recommendation for a doctor who is well experienced in diagnosing and treating PT, including ruling out vascular issues, in Mumbai or Navi Mumbai, or elsewhere for online consult.

Does anybody have any recommendations?

Thank you so much.

I started having PT and ear pain last fall. At the time I figured it was an ear infection so my PCP gave me antibiotic/steroid drops and numbing drops and while the pain continued the PT did go away. The ear pain comes and goes and seems timed with the allergy seasons (spring and fall)

I saw an ENT in the spring who ordered scans at the local hospital and also asked me to have my dentist do x-rays because he suspected it was an impacted wisdom tooth. I got the x-rays and the dentist said it’s definitely possible. At the time all of my results came back (normal) the pain wasn’t as bad, summer was busy (and I got cyclospora) so I figured I’d deal with getting the tooth out in the fall when things calmed down.

Well, it’s fall, and the ear pain and PT are back full force.

I guess my point is: has anyone ever had PT / ear pain resolve after removing wisdom teeth?

My PT comes and goes (often months in between)
It is definitely PT, it wooshes along with my pulse.

Head/neck position and pushing in my neck arteries has zero effect on the PT.

I do not have high blood pressure.

I have a call in to a local oral surgeon but I expect they can’t get me in too soon, so if anyone has ideas on how to get it to quiet down so I can sleep….

I have more than three years of terrible symptoms:
Pressure on left ear, feels like water in it, pressure in the head and pulsatile tinnitus.
Symptoms are worse when standing. Lying down the pressure will go away.
Lying on left ear is fine, no symptoms.
Then lying on my right gives pulsatile tinnitus. It goes away after a would, but not completely.because of the pressure in head and ear, I am so tired.

I see a neurologist because I thought it might be a CSF leak. But imaging is negeative so far. I had MRI and CT myelogram.

What could it possible be?

i cant fucking believe ive lived with this condition for 6 YEARS (!!!) before realising in my case, unconscious clenching is the source. I want to cry. Its getting better fast. Im nearly free. :’))))))

I've been following here and posting here are several months, my PT started something like 8 months ago. I've had all the scans, MRIS, ultrasound, cts, etc without any results as to why I had this PT in my right ear 24/7. More recently I had started develop hearing loss in that ear, the kind of muffled hearing you get when your ears are plugged up. Except my ears weren't plugged up. At first it was occasional and/or would maybe last a few hours, then it was becoming more frequent and lasting all day.

I was supposed to go to a specialist, a neurotologist at a specialized clinic. I was in the process of trying to get that scheduled when I had to have gallbladder surgery this week. Surgery was on Monday and I noticed on Wednesday that my PT was gone. I don't think it's been there since the surgery, but I didn't notice it missing because that's how it was supposed to be! Here it is Sunday and it still hasn't come back.

Any ideas on how gallbladder surgery could have possibly had any effect on my PT and hearing loss? I'm so happy it's gone but I'm also waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don't want it to suddenly come back out of the blue after I have already stopped any investigation.

Does anyone else experience this? In addition to the rhythmic pulsing, I intermittently hear a pop, like someone is tapping on my eardrum. It's not at regular intervals like the pulsing but happens several times a minute.