Heartbeat In Left Ear--please Read

I developed tinnitus 3 mths back while taking nsaids for pain in my mouth after 3 teeth were removed. I really dont know what caused it, I have pulsating tinnitus, whooshing sounds when I lie down at night, high pitched sounds during the day, like electricity, sometimes hissing, it's really getting to me, I have had to wait til 2nd may for an ent appt. I also have earache sometimes, and itchy ears with strange sensations like theres something inside them. Its good to know im not alone, lets keep eachother updated! Dawn.

I've developed the whooshing in the left ear about 4 days ago. I found this site this morning while researching symptoms. From what i've read, i've noticed some similarities. I can see this is quite a problem!

I've had ear problems all my life – ear infections galore with flushings, purple indigo, hot water bottle (telling my age here) flushings, antibiotics. I've not had the pulsating in my ears before so this is new to me.

While this is not related (?) I want to mention one particular ear problem that took a long time to be diagnosed. It's called a cholesteotoma. In 1987, I developed a severe ear infection. After several series of flushings and antibiotics which would temporarily clear up the infection, my ent and I began researching for the root cause. After many doctors and tests, I was referred to yet another doctor who finally found the problem. A cholesteotoma. At the time, there was only one documentation in the usual medical research forums – journals, publications, articles, even contacting universities. The normal function of the ear is to push the ear debris (dead skin cells and wax) out the ear canal. When this does not happen (in my case), the skin cells and wax begin to form a mass of enzymes which literally eats away at whatever it is connected to. This is a slow growing mass, developing over a long period of time thus, constant ear infections. This one had started to affect the hearing bones. Surgery was required to remove the tumor-like mass (not cancerous). With this process, surgical entry is behind the ear, so no visible scars. After the surgery, I went to the ent to have the debris removed every 3 months progressing to every 6 months. I did not experience any ear aches or infections. Over time, I stopped going to the ent – mistake! Ten years later. While I was walking I suddenly became very dizzy and my head was swimming. I lost all balance and fell not being able to move. Then just as quick, it disappeared. I immediately made an appt. With the ent. Another mass had developed.

This new mass required yet another surgery. Between the new mass and scar tissue on the hearing bones from the previous surgery I had mild permanent hearing loss – high and low pitch. They removed the mass and scar tissue and reconstructed (enlarged) my ear canal for better functioning of the ear. I was told that with the normal aging process I would continue to lose hearing but to what extent is not known. That was in 1997. I am hopeful that with the ever increasing advancement in knowledge and technology the “predicted” outcome will be different.

This is a long post but hopefully it will help someone who visits this site. I wish everyone the best. As in any medical situation without results, it can become very frustrating, discouraging and costly. I don't want to sound pollyantic but don't give up. Ask, ask, ask. It's your life, your body. Sometimes you just have to ignore some of the “medical professionals” and do your own research and be determined to do what is best for you! Keep doing what you are doing by searching sites like this. You are not alone!

Hi amanda, do you know if there is a name for this, and how did you dr see the mass. Thanks

Hi,
about 3 weeks ago I started to have pain at night. The pain was mainly in my left shoulder and left arm and worsened considereably when I got up. In fact the pain in my arm was so intense that it felt like my arm was set to explode. After about half an hour the pain would wear off and I could return to bed. After a few hours in bed again it would gradually come back and initially I thought I was having a heart attack even though the pain was not in the chest area.

In the day the pain was less although I was very restricted in movements I could make with my neck. A doctor diagnosed a bulging or slipped disc and said it would settle with rest.

About a week later the symptoms of a beating heart developed in my left ear. A return visit to the doctor about both conditions gave me the same diagnosis about my arm/neck and a referral for tinnitus to an ent specialist who I have yet to see.

I have had problems with the pressure in my ears for years but presently find it hard to have my ears anything other than popped open(the senation you have when you hold your nose and blow hard). The beating sound is loudest when my hearing is like this and at times it can drown out exterior sounds. At night it has become almost impossible to sleep.

Together with this I feel a fair bit of head pressure at times, mainly at the base of my skull. All these things are drivng me nuts and i'm really anxious about it all. I've convinced myself that it's a tumor.
Are the arm/neck conditions connected to the ear and pressure or are they unrelated?

Thus far the doctors have been reluctant to send me for further tests etc but the last few days things in my ear are worse so I guess i'll have to demand some action.

Glad I found this site, at least i'm not alone.

Andy

I went to an ent appt last tuesday, (i live in uk), and they gave me a nasal spray to take for 2 mths until my next appt, then they may do an mri. My hearing test was ok. They are quite concerned about the pulse in my ear more than the whooshing. Dawn.

Hi. I just started hearing the whooshing sound of my heart beat in my left ear a few nights ago. It's now happening during the day too... Starts and stops. I was surprised to find so many people in this forum with the same thing.

I've been having headaches and sinus pain (pain in the eyes and around the bridge of the nose) for a few weeks now. I had pneumonia in april. Wonder if it's related. I'm also extremely tired and have been for quite a long time.

I googled pulsitile tinitus, and it seems to be unrelated to sinusitis. The causes are pretty scarey. I'm hoping that it's just a build up of fluid in the inner ear because of this sinus thing.

I'm going to make an appt. With my internist tomorrow to get the sinus checked out, but i'm sure she'll laugh or brush it off when I tell her about "the heartbeat in my ear."

anyone else have sinus problems too? How often do you hear the "heartbeat in your ears?"

Hi to everyone on the forum!

I'm so glad that i've found this site because most of the information about pulsatile tinnitus on the web is quite frankly, scary!

My problem began 6 months ago and ever since I hear my heartbeat whooshing and wheezing through my right ear particularly at night. It's very disturbing and, of course, you automatically think the worst (aneurysms, tumours, brain haemhorrage etc etc)

my problem seems to have arisen following syringing of my ears (has anyone else experienced this: can syringing cause pt?) and I also have a partially-eruped wisdom tooth near my right ear (also, has anyone evidence/experience to suggest that this may be a cause?) ......

I'm an nhs patient and it takes forever to be seen by and ent and then to get an mri scan so the anxiety of not knowing what's in my head terrifies me.

Any help/advice/words of comfort would be great!!!

Thanks,

paul

Hi paul,

i did some further reading, and if your middle ear is inflamed, it can cause the whooshing sounds. I am having sinus problems, and I have a feeling that I may have an ear infection which could be causing this.

If your wisdom tooth is infected, it could have gone to your middle ear. Or, you could have irritated your ear from the syringe.
Your regular family doctor would be able to tell if your middle ear is inflamed just by looking in your ear. It could all be cleared up with anti-biotics.

I'm trying to make an appointment today to see if that's my problem. I have a strong suspicion it is.

I know what you're saying about the symptoms being scary. I'm worried too. Keep me posted, and i'll do the same.

Hi there!

Thank you so much for your reply.

I can rule out ear infection because I had a hearing test and ear investigation which threw up nothing. In fact the gp said my eardrums were 'transparent' they were so clear!? :shock:

i'm thinking you could be right about my ear being irritated by syringing though.

Let me know how you get on with your appointment and good luck!

Paul

Please help my ear- I think what you said was very true. I had the same thing wrong with my right ear and every time I went to the doctors they would not understand what I meant when I said "i can feel my heart beat through my ear, and swooshing when im running" some of them even laughed.

What you need to do is go to a hospital and make an appt. In otolaryngology ( head and neck) tnere are ear nose and throat Dr. And nurses that will give you hearing tests in sort of a "bunker" looking thing that is sound proff and then you will get hooked up to some "plugs" ( sorry about my medical terminology) and it will test what they call your bone to ear hearing ratio......

This happened to me and I found out that not only did my middle eat infection spread, which can be harmful if it spreads to your brain!!!!!

But that I also had a hole in my ear drum and that was the swooshing.

I now have a titanium bone in my ear that connects the bone in the middle ear to the bone that allows you to hear. So they had to take some of my cartilage and hold it ( titanium bone) in place

now I am never allowed to get it wet, I use vaseline and cotton swabs every time I shower.

But I can hear and there is no more heart beat.

Wen I think of the specific name of my surgery, ill let yah all know. But it is important...U might need this 2.

I just got back from the doctor's office, and she took one look in my ear, and said.. Uh oh! Apparently, both of my ears are inflamed, and she thinks that's what's causing the pulsing sound.

I'm on levequin (anti-biotic) once a day for ten days. She also perscribed some nasal spray. We'll see what happens. Stay tuned!

Ok.. As promised, here's an update. I am on day three of the anti-biotics and the "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" sound is almost gone.

So, if any of you get this, I would really recommend you see your gp and have your ears checked. I didn't have ear pain, yet it turns out I had an infection.

Even here in the uk where there is supposed to be a free healthcare system you have to wait so long to be seen that if you have any serious condition you'd be dead and buried by the time you were seen by a consultant.

I have to wait 10 months for an mri scan for my pulsatile tinnitus and if I were to go private it would cost in the region of £500 (€1000) and I just can't afford that.

When I tell people about this condition they look at me as if to say "what???" :(

paul

I have this problem which started very suddenly the other night. The difference that I see is that I hear this sound "outside" my head, not in my ear. I hear it with my left ear but it sounds like it is somewhere else. When it first happened I thought it was the washing machine or the people doing construction across the street. So now I am really nervous reading all the possible causes. Mine corresponds exactly with my heartbeat.

Well, i've been on anti-biotics for a week. I actually had a day of peace and quiet, but the swoosh, swoosh, swoosh is back again.

It comes and goes. How about all of you? Do you hear it all the time? It's worse at night and in the morning. It even wakes me up.

Yes I have the whoosh when I lie down, during the day I get pulsating tinitus amongst other noises like hissing and electrical sounds.

Ok, it's gone! I hope for good. Seems like the anti-biotics took care of the ear infection. I've been nearly a whole week without the swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

I had the same problem. I got sick due to an unrelated problem and was speaking to my mom (who is an rn) of the symptoms that I was experiencing and I also mentioned that I hear my heart beating in my ear and she asked me if I drink coffee and I said yes. My mom went on to tell me that the caffeine in coffee causes the heart to beat fast. So I decided to stop drinking coffee. And believe it or not, I stopped hearing the beating in my ear about a week after I stopped drinking coffee. I did this back in march. A few weeks ago I was traveling and was very tired and needed to stay awake so I drank some coffee for about 3 or 4 days of my trip and by the 6th day or so, I began hearing the heart beat in my ears again. So for me it seems that when I drink coffee, I hear my heart beat in my ear. Don't know if this would work for everyone, but you might want to take a try at it if you drink coffee.

Best wises

Hi everyone,
i too have just come down with this pulsating in myleft ear. I am glald to know that I am not alone. I first had it a couple of months ago, and blamed it on diet pills. I stopped the pills right away and the pulsating stoped. Now it's back and it's constant.
I had my ears "candled" yesterday, it was amazing what came out, but the pulsating is the same. Going to Dr. Tomorrow and going to ask for antibotics to make sure there is no ear infection and then we'll see.