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headaches and vascular tinnitus
by Quinnthevixen, Jun 07, 2009 02:18PM
I hope this is the right place to ask. Thanks in advance for your help. I'm trying to get to the root of my health problems right now and feeling very frustrated. Basically I'm just unsure of what specialist I should be seeing, if any, or whether or not my symptoms are urgent or something to I just have to learn to deal with.
For the last few months, I've been experiencing what I've now learned is pulsatile (or vascular) tinnitus. It's always in the right ear, and always goes with my pulse. If I apply pressure to my carotid artery, it will stop (this has all been confirmed by my ENT doc.) When it first started, I only ever noticed it at night, starting about 7 in the evening and lasting (on-and-off) until I went to sleep. Then I began to notice it in the morning as well, when waking up. Now, in the past 3-4 weeks, I experience it during the day as well. It isn't constant, but it's very often and it's becoming very distracting. In addition to the tinnitus, I experience daily headaches. I've been told they're tension headaches. Basically it feels like a lot of pressure on my skull, like it's being squeezed in a vice. My eyes also tend to get very tired when I get these headaches.
I recently saw an ENT about the tinnitus and while he confirmed it was vascular, he said that the tests to see what was causing it were expensive and so I should wait and see if it got worse or improved before spending money on a lot of treatment that might not even help. He did I say I was welcome to come back and see him if it got worse, or louder (so that he could hear it better, I think.) At this point, it is really starting to drive me nuts and is becoming very uncomfortable. I'm wondering if I should go back to see the ENT, or if I should see a cardiologist since it's vascular? or should I see my neurologist in case the tinnitus corresponds with my headaches? Should I not even bother?
Other things that may relate to this: had a recent eye exam, my prescription got a little worse but otherwise my eyes were healthy (I'm near-sighted.) Had a brain MRI in december, it was normal. I am overweight (not obese) and have migraines, between 0-2 a month. I take lithium, zoloft, and ambien, as well es excedrin for the headaches (though it rarely helps.)
Thank you so much for your support and advice!
For the last few months, I've been experiencing what I've now learned is pulsatile (or vascular) tinnitus. It's always in the right ear, and always goes with my pulse. If I apply pressure to my carotid artery, it will stop (this has all been confirmed by my ENT doc.) When it first started, I only ever noticed it at night, starting about 7 in the evening and lasting (on-and-off) until I went to sleep. Then I began to notice it in the morning as well, when waking up. Now, in the past 3-4 weeks, I experience it during the day as well. It isn't constant, but it's very often and it's becoming very distracting. In addition to the tinnitus, I experience daily headaches. I've been told they're tension headaches. Basically it feels like a lot of pressure on my skull, like it's being squeezed in a vice. My eyes also tend to get very tired when I get these headaches.
I recently saw an ENT about the tinnitus and while he confirmed it was vascular, he said that the tests to see what was causing it were expensive and so I should wait and see if it got worse or improved before spending money on a lot of treatment that might not even help. He did I say I was welcome to come back and see him if it got worse, or louder (so that he could hear it better, I think.) At this point, it is really starting to drive me nuts and is becoming very uncomfortable. I'm wondering if I should go back to see the ENT, or if I should see a cardiologist since it's vascular? or should I see my neurologist in case the tinnitus corresponds with my headaches? Should I not even bother?
Other things that may relate to this: had a recent eye exam, my prescription got a little worse but otherwise my eyes were healthy (I'm near-sighted.) Had a brain MRI in december, it was normal. I am overweight (not obese) and have migraines, between 0-2 a month. I take lithium, zoloft, and ambien, as well es excedrin for the headaches (though it rarely helps.)
Thank you so much for your support and advice!
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