[Rose76]

Starting 2 weeks ago, I've been able to "hear" my heartbeat in my left ear. I notice it especially when I'm awake in bed. Also, when I'm watching TV, if a program becomes boring, then I start noticing it. If I'm busy, doing something interesting, moving around, driving, then I don't usually notice it at all. Sitting still, I can always hear/feel it. It is my heartbeat. I've timed it. It is a soft sound and not distressing at all.

I went to the doctor. He ordered an ultrasound study of the veins in that part of my head. The imaging center said they are backed up and scheduled me to come in for the test in December! Like I said above, I'm not in any discomfort or bothered by this thing. Most of the time, I don't notice it.

I googled the topic and found out it can be a sign of being at risk for a stroke, or it may mean nothing important at all. Still, maybe that test should be done sooner. The test will show whether my carotid artery is clogged up.

Has anyone out there heard their heartbeat like this? If so, did you find out what it meant? Thanks for any feedback.

[unaluna]

For me, it usually means one of two things, and correcting them has stopped the noise:
1. I forgot to take my blood pressure meds the night before
2. I take my diuretic (also for high blood pressure) about 3 times a week, and I have let too many days lapse between doses.
But your doctor would have taken your blood pressure at your visit and found then whether or not it was in within normal range. Also I take cholesterol meds. I am not sure if I ever mentioned feeling this to my dr. Has your weight increased, are your pants too tight? Seriously, I read a tight belt can be a (an easily solved) problem. Good luck!

[anna342]

Sometimes I can hear mine, and can see it in my stomach too. It's not high blood pressure for me. But I've always been able to, since I was young, so I'm not worried.

[Rose76]

Anna, like you I've had this experience before - going back to being quite young. That's why I'm not real alarmed by it. When I was thinner I could sometime see pulsation in my abdomen, too, if I was lying down.

Hankster, unlike you I am told that my blood pressure is fine, and I check it myself. My blood work has always been great on things like cholesterol and triglycerides. Then, again, my blood pressure isn't quite as good as it used to be, and I have gained 30 pounds of excess weight over the past 20 years. Something now tells me that weight isn't doing me any good. I was 10 pounds heavier, which I lost. It might be more than wise to keep losing gradually.

Thanks, both of you.

[shezbut]

Hi Rose76,

I began hearing my heartbeat very regularly when I was pregnant (with my second girl) 7 years ago. I was sent to some specialist, who put a stethoscope up to my scalp and he heard the heart beating as well. He was concerned, but didn't want to do any thing until after I had my baby.

It turned out, I went to Mayo Clinic. They did CT scans, which determined that I have abnormally large veins inside of my head. But, I am fine. Healthy. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

[Queen of Chaos]

Three years ago this summer I was eating lunch with my family when I realized my heart was pounding so hard I could all but hear it. Within a week I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. What I have is called "palpitations" and, even with medication, mine are still so strong I feel like I hear them.

Our veterinarian has had heart valve surgery and I remember him saying he woke up one morning and he could hear his heart, that it sounded like a flat tire. My husband has had valve replacement surgery but never had that symptom.

Last week my cardiologist changed my blood pressure/pulse medicine to Toprol XL and it has helped with the palpitations but they're still noticeable. The general concensus seems to be that my thyroid problem is causing all the heart symptoms and I'm probably going to have my thyroid surgically removed in September - I have nodules that are growing, etc.

A simple blood test might indicate a thyroid issue, Rose76. I've been told that heart symptoms are very often the way thyroid problems are initially diagnosed.

Please keep us posted. I hope you don't have to worry about this until December.

[mgran]

When I have a bad cold or sinusitus I can hear my heart beat. When I was pregnant I could hear it.

[Open Eyes]

It is so funny that you bring this topic up. I have been having a real problem with hearing my heart beat rather loudly in my right ear. I went to an ENT specialist today and she said my ear drums look fine, I do have a deviated septum but I always had that and my throat is sore an a little swollen but that has just been over the last three days. She prescribed me some prednizone to see if that helps. Oh, they took my blood pressure and that was great, always is, and I have to let her know in three weeks at the next appointment how I feel. The next step is a cat scan.

So I don't really have an answer.

But I have a question. I did look it up and it did say that it could mean a thyroid issue. Can that be found out through a blood test? How does one know if there is a thyroid issue going on?

Open Eyes

[Rose76]

Thanks Everyone. Monday Night, when I did not get a call back from my primary care doctor, I got scared and went to the Emergency Department of a big, teaching hospital. That turned out to be a good move! Everyone there took it very seriously. I was there for 16 hours. I had to wait quite a while, because they are a trauma center and had trauma patients coming in via ambulance. It was worth the wait.

The top doctor in the ER said that there was a chance that the cause could be something as serious as a cerebral aneurysm. (That's a bulging out blood vessel that is in danger of rupturing and causing a stroke.) He said that was unlikely to be the case with me because my general health is very good. HOWEVER, he said there is still a slight possibility that something like that could be going on and that it was wise to check for that.

So I was given these tests: a carotid duplex study (ultrasound of the arteries in the neck), 2 CT scans (one without contrast, and one with iodine contrast put in intravenously - an angiogram), and blood tests (most importantly checking for thyroid issues).

It turned out that I have a little hardening of the carotid arteries, but no more than is considered acceptable. I have excellent blood circulation in my brain. I have no aneurysms, and no tumors, and nothing else weird in my brain. My thyroid was fine. They concluded that the cause is not something to be scared about, but they said I should see my primary care doc and do whatever he recommends. They said there are a bunch of possible causes, but none of them is any big deal.

WHAT A RELIEF TO FIND OUT I'M NOT ON THE VERGE OF HAVING A STROKE! Everyone at the Emergence Dept. said I made a wise decision to go in there, and the concern shown to me was just wonderful. The ER staff conferred with an ear specialist, the chief of vascular surgery(who was in the middle of doing surgery when they called him, but he still gave them feedback), and a neuro-radiologist (who recommended and read the CT scans.)

Everyone at the ER agreed that the idea of me waiting until December for a test was not an appropriate plan. So, it can be a good idea to "push the envelope," if you feel like your're getting blown off. No one at the ER thought I was being an alarmist. They commended my pro-active self-advocacy.

With my regular doctor, I'll explore other causes for this problem. Most importantly, I'm not scared anymore. Oh, they said it could be some fluid in the middle ear, which I'll discuss with my PCP. I appreciate all the feedback from on this thread.

To: Open Eyes, Every adult over the age of 40 should get blood work to test thyroid function. That should be re-checked every few years. The main test they do is called a TSH. If your thyroid glad feels enlarged, when the doctor feels for it while pressing your neck, then they are apt to order a thyroid scan, which produces a picture of it. That's not commonly needed. I may try to see an ENT about my problem, like you did.

[Queen of Chaos]

Originally Posted by Rose76

WHAT A RELIEF TO FIND OUT I'M NOT ON THE VERGE OF HAVING A STROKE! Everyone at the Emergence Dept. said I made a wise decision to go in there, and the concern shown to me was just wonderful. The ER staff conferred with an ear specialist, the chief of vascular surgery(who was in the middle of doing surgery when they called him, but he still gave them feedback), and a neuro-radiologist (who recommended and read the CT scans.)

Everyone at the ER agreed that the idea of me waiting until December for a test was not an appropriate plan. So, it can be a good idea to "push the envelope," if you feel like your're getting blown off. No one at the ER thought I was being an alarmist. They commended my pro-active self-advocacy.

With my regular doctor, I'll explore other causes for this problem. Most importantly, I'm not scared anymore. Oh, they said it could be some fluid in the middle ear, which I'll discuss with my PCP. I appreciate all the feedback from on this thread.

To: Open Eyes, Every adult over the age of 40 should get blood work to test thyroid function. That should be re-checked every few years. The main test they do is called a TSH. If your thyroid glad feels enlarged, when the doctor feels for it while pressing your neck, then they are apt to order a thyroid scan, which produces a picture of it. That's not commonly needed. I may try to see an ENT about my problem, like you did.

It's so good to hear you're getting some answers OR at least getting pointed in the direction of those who'll find answers. In this day and age, if we don't advocate for our health concerns, nobody will. Several months ago I lost a friend to pancreatic cancer. Her doctor told her she had diabetes, then she got so weak she couldn't stand up and different tests were ordered - she died 16 days later!

Thyroid blood tests are strange. Numbers-wise, my hyperthyroidism was barely detectable - symptom-wise, I was classic Hashimoto's Disease. To this day my blood test numbers are barely out of the normal range but I have several large nodules and everytime I have a new ultrasound more nodules are found.

With medication to slow my excessive thyroid hormone production my blood test results ARE NORMAL - but my thyroid continues to cause heart symptoms that nothing seems to help...and surgery has been suggested.

I once asked my endocrinologist if anything causes hyperthyroidism and she said it's often related to one of two situations - severe illness/pregnancy OR chronic stress. I have always enjoyed good physical health, my last pregnancy was 43 years ago but I'm convinced "Stress" is my middle name!!

[Rose76]

I'm told it could be some fluid in the middle ear. It actually went away for a few hours earlier today. I think it could be some congestion in the eustachian canal. I am going to take what I take in the Spring for my juniper allergy. Those medicines open up my eustachian canals and sinuses. (steroid nasal spray, Sudafed, Afrin nasal spray, Benadryl.)

[Rose76]

I see my primary care physician in 11 days, which is soon enough.

The allergy medications aren't doing what I hoped they'ld do. I did more on-line research. What I found out was that it could be a muscle spasm in the eustachian canal (connects the middle ear to the throat.) That allows fluid to accumulate in the middle ear. The fluid transmits vibrations from a small nearby blood vessel to the ear drum. So, I just took an anti-spasm medication that I use once in a while for my back.

I count myself as very lucky. Chronic tinnitus (ringing in the ears) can involve sounds that are very distressing to the person with the condition. Mine is a soft sound that I do not find the least bit stressful. If it stays with me, permanently, I could live with it just fine.

Meanwhile, now I'm sick with a sore throat, swollen glands, and a miserable cold sore on my lower lip. I think the worrying I did, previously, weakened my immune system. My depression is amazingly relieved. Emotionally, this is the best I've felt since Nov. 2010. What a relief.

I would much rather have the flu than be really depressed. I wonder if other members of PC find that physical discomfort can be easier to tolerate than emotional discomfort. (?)

[unaluna]

My first sign that I was getting the flu when I was working was that I REALLY wanted a cup of hot tea - otherwise a coffee drinker. It made me feel unwomanly that I didn't drink tea and EVERYBODY else does. American women, anyway.

[Rose76]

Hot tea with milk and sugar has been on my comfort menu since I was a child. Coffee has its place, but I could live without it.

[Kenzie24]

You should research Superior Canal Dehiscence. I was fortunate enough to be diagnosed with this rare condition after being misdiagnosed with Labrynthitis, Tinnitis, and an inner ear infection. I am having surgery next week to repair a tiny hole above the labyrinth of the inner ear below the brain. This tiny hole has made things miserable. The ringing in the ears, being dizzy, getting car sick, constantly nauseous...but you can hear your eyeballs moving in your head, your bones cracking, and your heartbeat. These symptoms came on suddenly without notice. People think I am crazy, but there are several articles online if you research the disease. It is commonly misdiagnosed because it is rare and hard to find because the hole is so tiny. The ENT must know what they are looking for. I hope this isn't your diagnosis, but if so, this information could be helpful.

[Rose76]

Very interesting. I am grateful for your sharing this information. I am to see an otolaryngologist soon. I will bring this up, though I seem to not have enough other symptoms - just the sound of my heartbeat. But the info will let me start a discussion, and ask that the doc consider non-common possibilities. (Which docs tend not to do.)

I hope your surgery goes well.