Hello there, you are not alone. I also hear a heartbeat in my ear and it's very annoying. If you haven't done so already, I invite you to check out Whooshers.com to find more support and info about pulsatile tinnitus. I think it will help you. I am not a doctor, but I have learned that pulsatile tinnitus is actually a symptom of an underlying cause... problem is there are many, many possible causes, so it's often a long road to a proper diagnosis.
Whooshers.com
http://www.whooshers.com/
Gosh! I went through this last year (2008), with other symptoms developing along with it. No one ever adequately diagnosed what happened, and I am continuing to deal with what feels like post-stroke re-learning of certain motor patterns. I continue to have neck pain (being treated). The whooshing sound dissipated, with the exception of a brief recurrence. I would really like to know what causes this, so that I can better understand what is happening to me. Did you ever get any resolution? Any answers?