Pulsatile Tinnitus

[Boozjee]

Female, age 52, borderline hypertensive, non-smoker, 20 lbs overweight, otherwise healthy.
The tinnitus came on suddenly at age 49 - sound was subtle at first (like a hum). Now, 3 years later, it is pulsating, ringing and whooshing sounds, & considerably louder. Other than that my hearing seems fine.
Don't know if either of these circumstances has anything to do with it but I had just finished meds for an ear infection. It was the 3rd one in less than two years. (Coincidentally, the ear infections began after moving to Texas and stopped when I moved to Arkansas). At this same time, I was working out at the gym doing hack squats on a piece of equipment that I had failed to properly adjust for my height. There was a sudden, excruciating pain in the back of my head and I had to stop the workout. It was maybe a few days after the ear infection and the sudden pain in my head that I woke up with the ringing in my ears.

With different head movements the sound can either intensify or diminish. The sounds vary and change in both ears. I awoke one morning about a year ago to normal silence. About a half hour later, the ringing returned. Since then I've had no reprieve.

I plan on seeing a Peripheral Vascular physician (or other if recommended) when I am able to get insurance but that will be 6-9 months from now at the earliest. Is there anything I can do in the mean time to prevent it from continuing to worsen? Thank you in advance for any information/tips you can offer.

[RadioAstronomyObserver]

I'm sorry, I must apologize,  It was not my intention to suggest you might have SCD but rather I was using that as an example...  I've had this syndrome (birth defect) and didn't know about it.  I've had all these symptoms and thought most of them were normal things that everybody has and the other things I thought I had some major mental problems.  Once I was diagnosed with SCD it changed my life in that I could put a name to everything and I found out that I don't have the mental problems I thought I did, it was the dehiscence that was screwing with me.  Now the problems are not as bad simply because I know what they are caused from,not because they have diminished.  And I know how to control aspects of this problem.

  So, using that as an example, once you know what is causing your problems we can suggest how to relieve the symptoms.  Until then I can make an uneducated suggestion, don't get worked up enough to bring your blood pressure up.

[Boozjee]

Thank you for your response RadioAstronomyObserver. The tinnitus is always there. It only stopped once for about 30 minutes and that was over a year ago. The tinnitus is with me 24-7 now, sometimes softer, sometimes louder, but always there nonetheless.
I will look up Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence to find out more about it. At this point, I believe the tinnitus might be vascular in nature but I'm open to continued research on the subject until I can see a doctor.

[RadioAstronomyObserver]

With Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence, The symptoms are started with some kind of head trauma such as obvious major head trauma from an automobile accedent or base ball bat to as little as straining while on the "throne".  The Dehiscence is a brake in the skull between the inner ear and the brain and among the symptoms is Pulsatile Tinnitus.  But this is only -one of the many- possible reasons for having Pulsatile Tinnitus and for SSCDs there is only surgery that can "prevent it from getting worse" and it only takes laying down and relaxing to keep it from happening for that moment.

  So, without knowing why you have this there is no way to know what to do between now and then.  If you can figure out what you are doing when it starts up or gets worse we can then tell you what not to do till you see the Dr.  In the mean time, I can only offer the suggestion of Relaxing to see if it goes away.  (if it does go away does not mean you have SSCDs, just means it can be relieved the same way).