Tinnitus and pulsatile tinnitus

[Crazycat]

Joe.....You're right! When I close my eyes or move them to either the left or right it gets louder.

   Leaving for appointment with my doctor in a few minutes. We'll see how the MRI looks from last week.


             Paul

[Joef]

Here are a few links on the subject

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=tinnitus+eye+movement+gaze-evoked+tinnitus&btnG=Google+Search

[okiesandy]

Leigh,

In answer to your salt question. I am on a very restricted low salt diet. Only 1500 mg per day. Try that for bland. I argued with my doctor that I didn't ever eat salt and didn't even like the taste of it. He  laughed and handed me a booklet to keep track of my salt/sodium intake per day. Only about 3500 mg for this person who did not eat salt. One Mexican or Orential meal 10,000 mg sodium.

As for the tennitus and low salt. As long as I stick to this diet the tennitus seems to be some better. The pitch is different and the pulsating stops. It has also gotten rid of the stuffy ear feeling and a bonus is the blood pressure went way down on the 4th day. I am used to the taste of no salt now and have learned another way of eating. Drop in weight hasn't hear either.  Get on the Internet and see just how much sodium you are consuming and read labels. In order to benefit from this the intake has to be very low. Potassium is need when you go this low.

At one point my husband and I went to a casino and when I came out I could actually hear someone singing and music. It took me a while to realize that was what was going on in the casino. When I take a hearing test the tinnitus mimics the sound that are heard in my only hearing ear. Very difficult to get an accurate reading and the person is giving the test gets confused because I am saying yes when there is no sound.

If you can stand a life with no salt then go for it and see if it helps. It just has to be very low. Sure can't hurt and has some other great benefits.

Sandy

[SKT]

Sandy - I will certainly take the salt and sodium issue on board and see what happens!

Crazykat - Please let me know how you go.  I've raised it with my doctors before and they've never suggested that the pulsating is due to anything other than a symptom of the surgery.  I've never turned my mind to it being something alot worse.....  I feel that it responds to things like tiredness etc so it's really just another form of tinnitus, just a lot meaner and more disturbing.  I'm 2 years 4 mnths post surgery - I really do feel that it is not due to anything other than surgery as it started happening a month or so after surgery and I've had 3 MRI's since surgery.  I can't recall how recently your surgery was.  I do know you had a very large tumour.  Mine was 3.5cm and pretty much all o that was compressing on the brain stem.  Let me know how you go.

Sofie.

[Crazycat]

Sofie,

     Had my consultation today. I'm happy to report that my 8 month MRI - not very long - came up good - no regrowth detected. Next checkup to be scheduled in six months. So far, so good!
   I asked the good doctor about our pulsating tinnitus problem. He said that he was aware of other patients reporting the same problem but that so far it really hasn't been an indication of anything worse happening or another serious complication. It's like whenever I shift my eyes to the left or right and the tinnitus intensifies. I asked him about this as well and he said that, as a neurosurgeon, it was a bit out of his realm of expertise; that I'd be better off asking an ENT about it.
     Aside from that, it was pretty much a very lighthearted and upbeat exchange. I told him about this forum which he already knew about.
I also told him that I posted pictures of my initial MRI on here. We both kind of chuckled about that. I asked him if he had dealt with anything bigger than the growth I had. He said there was one case he had, a woman, whose growth was so massive it exceded or went beyond the space that these tumors usually occupy, into areas that they never go in the brain. But generally, however, they usually don't go much beyond the proportions I had.


     Take care........Paul

[Larry]

good news Paul.

[ppearl214]

...and Paul and his gf and I celebrated last night!  He's doing fantastic, looks terrific and heck, who'd know he had surgery last year! 

YAY PAUL!!!!!!!! 

[matti]

Glad it went well, you know how much we love good news.  

Over the past 8 years since surgery, I have asked my surgeons, ENT's, neurologists and pretty much anyone who has an M.D. after their name, all the issues regarding my tinnitus. I too have the pulsating and also the tone changes when I blink or move my head. Sometimes I actually get the sound of a helicopter.  I have yet to get a good answer. One doctor told me that the brain is still unchartered territory and will be years before it is totally understood. (Glad he didn't operate on me)

Since my surgery I can not tolerate the taste of salt, even in the slightest of amounts. For me I do not see a decrease in my tinnitus, but I know I am much healthier without salt otherwise.

Cheryl

[coralu]

Hey everyone,

I stumbled across this site tonight after a doctor's appointment where I was officially diagnosed with pulsatile tinnitus. I had seen an ENT specialist back in November (the pulsing began in October) and her first response was, "You know, sometimes we think we hear things..." I was so mad because I knew I wasn't crazy! It's now May, and the pulsing has gotten a little bit worse. It's really weird to be able to hear your own heart beat through your ear (mine's the left ear). So I saw a different specialist and he finally told me what it was. He wants me to immediately get an MRI since it's been happening for eight months now.

I have researched it a little bit, but my main question is, what are the main causes of PT? I don't want any surprises when I get the MRI results so I would kind of like to know what to expect.

Thanks!

[SKT]

Coralu  - are you an AN patient?

[SKT]

Crazycat - thanks so much for your reply.

I am so very happy for you and your new results. That's just fantastic. 

I've asked my ENT and neurosurgeon before about the pulsating tinnitus and they've basically accepted that it's yet another symptom.  My ENT surgeon did say that it was a little strange given i don't hear in that ear, but didn't seem to concerned.

Again, I'm so happy for you.  You obviously had a huge AN - you should be so proud of how well you're doing.

[Crazycat]

Hi Sofie!

    Just got back from Florida on Wednesday. I left on the 22nd. Flew down and drove back - to MA.

My ear is still ringing and buzzing. I think the barometric pressure effects the tinnitus.

  Paul

[SKT]

Paul  - this tinnitus is a crazy thing!  Hope it settles for you. The travelling may have been bit tiring - i feel that your tinnitus tells you that you are tired, much before the rest of your body realises it!

[Mannyd]

Permission to come aboard?

I was diagnosed with an earlier this month.  I have dizzy spells that last a few seconds and sometimes lose my balance and step sideways to catch myself.  The reason I went to the ENT was due to the high pitch tinnitus that started June 22.  I remember it well when it started.
Flashback time....
I was coming off the soccer field talking to some of my kids parents and all of a sudden this ringing started in my right ear.  I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying because I was trying to figure out what the heck was going on.  I did nothing for a couple of weeks thinking it would go away.  Finally went to the family doctor who thought it was part of a sinus infection.  I took antibiotics for a week and nothing happened.  I waited a while because he said it may take sometime to go away.  After a month of no improvement I went back to him and told him that the ringing was still there and oh, by the way, could dizzy spells have anything to do with this?   He suggested I see an ENT and had blood work done to rule out diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.  I went through the hearing test with no problems.  Had a balance test done that showed weakness in my right side.  Had a MRI done couple weeks later and found a 2cm an.

I wasn't upset in fact I was happy that something was found and I wasn't going crazy.  All this time I thought the dizzy spells were due to low blood sugar, high blood pressure, being hungry or any other excuse I could think of and my balance problem I wrote off to my bad back.  I was even happier when I found out that the tumor was benign, a slow grower and I had options.

Doing all this research on AN I find out that my memory problem and speech problem may also be caused by my friend.  All this time I thought it was the fact that I was getting old or Alzheimer's was setting in early.

I have been to Dr Kveton ENT and Dr. Joseph Piepmeier NS both suggested trans. surgery with no other possibility.  Since my hearing is excellent I want to try and preserve it if I can so I am making an appointment to see Dr. Gill Ledermen in NY and Dr. Issac Goodrich in CT. for their opinion.

Sorry for the round about way to get at my question. I was wondering if anyone has had radiation and what effect that has had on their tinnitus?  And if so what type of radiation treatment?

Thank you all for being here, it is a great relief to know that there are others who care.

Mannyd

[flier58]

Hi Manny,
Just as You I am new to AN. We are pretty much diagnosed at the same time,side and size.  Welcome to this board not that I wish you and anybody to be a member of this society. However You will find a lot of info and caring here.   As a newbe I found to get most responses if I started a  new thread.  I am still researching my options and  people on this board address pretty much all aspects of this ailment.
Good luck,
Flier58