Frequently, but not always, I hear my heartbeat in one or both of my ears.
Does anyone else have this happen, and if so, can anyone tell me what it's about?
It sorta drives me nuts!
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I HAVE HAD THE REALLY AGGRAVATING BEAT IN THE EAR MINE WAS CAUSED FROM A BLEED AND STILL GET THE SWISHING SOUND ONCE IN A WHILE BECAUSE IT IS STILL ACTIVE BUT IT IS USUALLY A BLEED IF YOU HEAR A SWISHING SOUND
Hi, if you hear a sound (it can be a whooshing, thumping or other sound) that’s in beat with your heartbeat, you may be experiencing pulsatile tinnitus, which isn’t in itself a condition; it’s a symptom of an underlying condition. So, you may think you are hearing your heartbeat, but it’s likely not really your heartbeat. There are many, many possible causes, so you should probably see a neurotologist to have it checked out. An AVM is just one possibility the doctors will (should) explore.
Like you, I found this board when I started experiencing this heartbeat-like sound, and I had convinced myself I had an AVM, but actually it turned out that I do not have an AVM. Everyone here was very nice and helpful as I was going through the diagnostic testing, especially when I had an angiogram.
There’s a support site for pulsatile tinnitus sufferers at http://whooshers.com that has a lot of helpful tips from other “whooshers” and links to articles and medical sites about possible causes.
And yes, the sound drives me crazy, too! Sometimes it’s difficult to get adequate medical attention, too. Pulsatile tinnitus is distinguished from the more common non-pulsatile tinnitus, so it should be diagnosed and treated differently, but since as few as 3% of tinnitus sufferers have pulsatile tinnitus, it’s often difficult to find medical professionals who know enough about it. If a doctor tells you not to worry about it without doing diagnostic tests then, as someone who has been in your shoes, I would find a doctor who knows a little more about pulsatile tinnitus, specifically.
Hope this is helpful!
So strange,but when I was a kid I would hear a heartbeat sound in my ear,and sometimes the swishing sound. Never thought that was or could have been related to the AVM.
Emily said:
Hi, if you hear a sound (it can be a whooshing, thumping or other sound) that’s in beat with your heartbeat, you may be experiencing pulsatile tinnitus, which isn’t in itself a condition; it’s a symptom of an underlying condition. So, you may think you are hearing your heartbeat, but it’s likely not really your heartbeat. There are many, many possible causes, so you should probably see a neurotologist to have it checked out. An AVM is just one possibility the doctors will (should) explore.
Like you, I found this board when I started experiencing this heartbeat-like sound, and I had convinced myself I had an AVM, but actually it turned out that I do not have an AVM. Everyone here was very nice and helpful as I was going through the diagnostic testing, especially when I had an angiogram.
There’s a support site for pulsatile tinnitus sufferers at http://whooshers.com that has a lot of helpful tips from other “whooshers” and links to articles and medical sites about possible causes.
And yes, the sound drives me crazy, too! Sometimes it’s difficult to get adequate medical attention, too. Pulsatile tinnitus is distinguished from the more common non-pulsatile tinnitus, so it should be diagnosed and treated differently, but since as few as 3% of tinnitus sufferers have pulsatile tinnitus, it’s often difficult to find medical professionals who know enough about it. If a doctor tells you not to worry about it without doing diagnostic tests then, as someone who has been in your shoes, I would find a doctor who knows a little more about pulsatile tinnitus, specifically.
Hope this is helpful!
Thanks everyone for your replies. I’m going to do more research about pulsatile tinnitus, and also make an appt. to see my Dr. about it.
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Yes,Tori,let us know what you find out.
Tori said:
Thanks everyone for your replies. I’m going to do more research about pulsatile tinnitus, and also make an appt. to see my Dr. about it.
I always heard my heartbeat in mmy ear and just thought it was normal cause I always heard it. Then, when I was 26, I had a bleed. Didn’t know I had an AVM. During the bleed I heard w very loud whooshing sound, which I hed never heard prior to that. I had an AVM on my right frontal lobe
When I was really tired some nights, I would hear this. It would almost put me in this kinda trance feeling. I have not had it as much sense I had my avm bleed.
Mine was on the left frontal lobe. I sometimes would here my heartbeat,and I would imagine hearing a horse galloping. It would sound like it was getting closer and closer,and then it would stop. It was always in my left ear. Then I would see red dots in perfect rows. I never told the neurologist,because that was about 8-10 years before the AVM ruptured.
te>mary kate said:
I always heard my heartbeat in mmy ear and just thought it was normal cause I always heard it. Then, when I was 26, I had a bleed. Didn’t know I had an AVM. During the bleed I heard w very loud whooshing sound, which I hed never heard prior to that. I had an AVM on my right frontal lobe
Like the others, I have heard sound of my heartbeat (which is actually called a “bruit”) at night before going to sleep,so I thought it was normal and that everybody heard it! In my mid-forties, I started hearing it day and night and much louder.
Connie, did you ask you’re neurologist about that? I’d like to know if that is normal,or if it could be related to the AVM.
e>Connie T said:
Like the others, I have heard sound of my heartbeat (which is actually called a “bruit”) at night before going to sleep,so I thought it was normal and that everybody heard it! In my mid-forties, I started hearing it day and night and much louder.
This may answer some things !
One of the more distinctive signs indicating the presence of an AVM is an auditory phenomenon called a bruit, coined from the French word meaning noise. (A sign is a physical effect observable by a physician, but not by a patient.) Doctors use this term to describe the rhythmic, whooshing sound caused by excessively rapid blood flow through the arteries and veins of an AVM. The sound is similar to that made by a torrent of water rushing through a narrow pipe. A bruit can sometimes become a symptom-that is, an effect experienced by a patient-when it is especially severe. When audible to patients, the bruit may compromise hearing, disturb sleep, or cause significant psychological distress.
http://www.medicinenet.com/arteriovenous_malformation/article.htm
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Thanks Gordon for the info.
Gordon D said:
This may answer some things !
One of the more distinctive signs indicating the presence of an AVM is an auditory phenomenon called a bruit, coined from the French word meaning noise. (A sign is a physical effect observable by a physician, but not by a patient.) Doctors use this term to describe the rhythmic, whooshing sound caused by excessively rapid blood flow through the arteries and veins of an AVM. The sound is similar to that made by a torrent of water rushing through a narrow pipe. A bruit can sometimes become a symptom-that is, an effect experienced by a patient-when it is especially severe. When audible to patients, the bruit may compromise hearing, disturb sleep, or cause significant psychological distress.
http://www.medicinenet.com/arteriovenous_malformation/article.htm
This works for me .
Keeping you Eustachian tube open well help lessen the noise.There are a lot of way to keep them open I use the scuba diving style,just shut your mouth hold your nose and gently try and blow throught your nose.If one opens and the other doesn’t I place a finger in the one that opened and blow again.I also use a all natural inhaler Brand name Olbas never a nozel spray. Heres a web site that may help
http://www.medicinenet.com/eustachian_tube_problems/page3.htm
Caryn, my neurologist did indeed tell me that it is caused by the AVM.
Caryn Dupree said:
Connie, did you ask you’re neurologist about that? I’d like to know if that is normal,or if it could be related to the AVM.
e>Connie T said:Like the others, I have heard sound of my heartbeat (which is actually called a “bruit”) at night before going to sleep,so I thought it was normal and that everybody heard it! In my mid-forties, I started hearing it day and night and much louder.
I appreciate all the information all of you have shared.
I have another question - when going to a Dr. about this, can they only hear it (if it’s a bruit) when you’re hearing the sound, or can they hear it when you’re not hearing the sound as well? As I said, I don’t hear it all the time, so if it can only be heard by the Dr. when I’m hearing it, it seems like it will be difficult to get an appointment when I’m actually hearing it.
THANKS CONNIE! I am learning so much from all of you that are dealing w/ an AVM, or had an AVM recently. 25 years ago, doctors here didn’t know anything about an AVM. So, if I had told the doctor about the bruit they probably wouldn’t have thought anything of it. Take care!
Gordon D said:
This works for me .
Keeping you Eustachian tube open well help lessen the noise.There are a lot of way to keep them open I use the scuba diving style,just shut your mouth hold your nose and gently try and blow throught your nose.If one opens and the other doesn’t I place a finger in the one that opened and blow again.I also use a all natural inhaler Brand name Olbas never a nozel spray. Heres a web site that may help
http://www.medicinenet.com/eustachian_tube_problems/page3.htm
Tori
The way I understand it the sound is always there other wise that would mean that the blood had stop going through that area of the brain and I don’t think that would be good.I think there are few reason that sometimes you can hear it sometimes not.One would have to do with your blood pressure changing because your using that area of the brain more there for it needs more blood and that would make it produce more sound ,another would have to do with the fact that the only part of your body that can hear is your ears,and sound travels to your ears in more then one way,so when one of thoses pathways are connect you hear it more then other times.And can your doctors hear it sometimes for some of the same reason we can or can’t hear it,but they may not be able to hear it over all the other noise in our head LOL this is my best guess . OH and one other thing I really think some doctors can’t hear ! Gordon
hi, I have had tinnitus for years. Awhile back there was a beating sound. I guess God thought I needed purcussion!!! - the beating isn’t happening often, but the tinnitus is about driving me nuts. It seems to be getting worse all the time. I don’t hear people come to the door anymore. I wonder if that is part of it. Can’t tell by the dogs barking, because they bark if someone THINKS about closing a door three blocks away. It is too late tonight, but I am going to check out the links you posted Emily. Have a good day!! great if you can get it!!! - V
So, I finally saw two of my doctors and asked them about this heartbeat/whooshing sound in my ears - mostly the left one.
One of them was actually the PA I see at the physiatrist’s office. I know that isn’t really their area of expertise, but I asked him anyway. He said it could be due to the fact that my neck, shoulder and scapula muscles are so tight on the left side and also the fact that two or three of my cervical vertabrae are fusing together on that side.
A couple of days later I saw my PC and right off she was really dismissive, which really annoyed me. She said it isn’t related to the AVM or aneurysm, which are in my spinal cord. I told her that I was aware of that, and asked if it could possibly be related to maybe another AVM, possibly in my brain? She kind of rolled her eyes and I told her I wanted her to listen with the stethoscope anyway. So she did and said she didn’t hear a bruit. She didn’t mention anything about tinnitus, and I forgot all about that so didn’t think to ask.
She looked in my ears and said there was some wax in the left one, so I had it irrigated out. That was just a few days ago and I haven’t heard the heartbeat/whooshing sound since about a week before that. Also, I’d forgotten to mention this here before, I had been feeling as if there was something in the left ear, like maybe a piece of hard or stiff cotton. I had hoped that would go away after the irrigation, but I’m still having the feeling.
So because of what I perceived as her having somewhat of an attitude about addressing the issue, and the fact that I still feel like there’s something in the ear, I’m not so sure I trust her judgment about this. However, she did say she didn’t hear a bruit, so that is a good thing.
I’m going to be seeing the neurosurgeon next month for an angiogram, so I’ll ask him about it and that will give me time to see if the heartbeat/whooshing sound returns.