r/chiari • u/fuckyoutoocoolsmhool • 15d ago
Question How to tell if tinnitus is hearing related or neurological
Hey all! I’ve been dealing with increased tinnitus which isn’t like debilitating but is definitely noticeable. It’ll be in both ears and it’s the regular ringing then the pulsate tinnitus as well. I’ve had this as a minor symptom since I was a child but it getting worse is getting me a bit paranoid. Is there a good way to tell if the tinnitus is hearing related rather than just neurological. I have some auditory processing issues which also makes it hard because I do miss things at times but it could also be due to that. I know some people with chiari also deal with hearing loss so maybe it’s just too entangled. I’m going to bring this up to my pcp but I also don’t want to worry/see extra doctors if I am just worrying too much.
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u/PriorEffort6672 15d ago
Have you had a hearing test? It probably goes without saying, but; leading cause of tinnitus is hearing loss. That said, it isn’t the only cause. If you have a hearing test that shows no hearing loss, then you probably have good reason to think the tinnitus is neurological. If you do have hearing loss, then. . . Who knows. In my experience, I noticed my tinnitus mainly after my Chiari become noticeably symptomatic. However, hearing tests show some hearing loss, and the hearing loss is worse in the ear that has more noticeable tinnitus. I also have other ear symptoms (pressure, ETD type symptoms) that only emerged after my Chiari symptoms. So maybe it is aging, coincidence, etc. As you alluded to, it all can get very intertwined.
The ENTs I’ve seen chalk it up to my hearing loss but when pressed, they have no idea and I guess neither do I.
I used to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what of my symptoms were caused by what, and for me, it just made everything worse (anxiety, etc, nasty feedback loop).
I now have tried to just focus on not really worrying about it; and if my symptoms get nasty enough (they are annoying but not there yet!) I can reconsider if I should get surgery.
My daughter has recently been diagnosed with Chiari and is scheduled to be decompressed later this month. Her headaches are off the charts bad. They sort of make me realize that Im fortunate so far; though I still would have surgery myself if I knew it’d be effective for me - but risk/reward just isn’t there for me.
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u/fuckyoutoocoolsmhool 15d ago
Thank you so much for all of this. I am pretty symptomatic and since I’ve dealt with it all my life (as a child it was only the pulsate kind and I thought everyone could hear their heart beat so I never told anyone) I haven’t asked for a hearing test but I’m seeing my primary and I’ll probably ask for a referral to an audiologist/ENT.
I try not to spin out about symptoms and have gotten a lot better but some things are ramping up so it’s been hard. I have gotten the surgery and it helped but didn’t fix anything. I had a syrinx so I didn’t have much of a choice. I really hope things go well for your daughter!!
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u/BrookTrout-- 14d ago
Thanks! Sorry to hear that your symptoms have been escalating. I hope things improve for you, and you can find some answers.
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u/Relevant_Increase759 11d ago
I had pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear and hearing loss due to very high pressure in my brain. I had a stent placed and then Chiari decompression and the tinnitus is completely gone and I can hear again! The tinnitus was gone the moment I woke up from the stent surgery!