I'm new to posting although I've been reading like crazy for the last few months. My journey started in earnest in February. Had an 'episode' where I just woke up in the middle of the night with a pounding heart, tingling, anxiety and couldn't get back to bed. Was horrible for days...up and down crying, anxiety; I was convinced I was having a heart attack. Some days it felt like a switch was flipped and I was fine...others no switch, just horrible. I had never before suffered from any type of anxiety or panic, so that was the worst for me. Since then I've pretty much turned into a health anxiety nut! I went to the doctor after a week of thinking I was having a heart attack and she was great, we talked for an hour and she said it was perimenopause. I'm 44.That was news to me! It had never occurred to me since I'd never noticed any cycle changes or problems although now with some looking back I realize that things have been subtly changing for at least a year! I've been getting by since then with few physical symptoms...things seem to come and go. I dwell on them for awhile and then move on to something else. The dwelling and thinking is what's driving me nuts! I'm hypothyroid, although I had a quick bout of 'hyper' in March, I have well-treated HTN and lipids. Most of my health anxiety centers on me thinking I could be having a stroke or heart attack at any moment. Unfortunately, my job involves reading medical records all day which involve Neuro diseases. Never bothered me until 6 months ago! I've just become super-sensitive to everything I hear, read, see, etc.

So here's my latest....I feel/hear? my heartbeat in my head. That's been going on since April. When there's ambient noise, I don't really hear it but I 'feel' it. Almost like the pounding of a headache without the ache. Not always very strong, but definitely there. At first I thought it was a noise in my ears, but now I don't really think so. Sometimes I think it just feels like tension building up. I go get pretty tense in neck, shoulders and head due to my job which has been worse lately. I do hear some ringing, too and notice pressure and other clicking and cracking noises in my ears. I think that's been around longer but I never paid it any attention until lately. When I lay my head down, it's gone which is different than most of the tinnitus I've read about. I'm trying not to think about it being something terrible but of course that's hard for me. I'm super-analytical and especially with everything I have to read at work. I don't want to just dismiss as just some weird peri-symptom...a variant of a migraine, tension, tinnitus...I've thought of them all! I did read about a Eustachian tube disorder that it could be, but I don't seem to just be able to accept that explanation. I have a dr's appt in 2 weeks so we'll discuss it then but I thought maybe some of you ladies might have some great insight! Thanks for listening to my story...this was actually the short version

hi lynnieg welcome to ps you have come to the right place you will get all the help you need here i was in peri for 5 years all i got was hot flashes and night sweats then bang it all hit me anxiety foggy head ear pressure and cracking in my ears every little ache or pain sends me into a panic and yes the heart beat in the head iv had that and other places aswell also feeling dizzy i come here every day and read the posts and replys and it really helps me you can pm me anytime and i will be there to help you take care denise

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Denise. Yes, I feel heartbeats all over sometimes, too! I like to think it's just anxiety, but if I'm not feeling anxious at the time then I can't figure it out...and i spend a lot of time just trying to figure every little thing out. I really feel like the head noise is always there, but more prominent at times when my hormones just cause me to be more sensitive to everything. ANyway, thanks again for your encouraging words...sometimes that's all a gal needs!

Lynn, my peri started the same way> wake up one night sweating-heart pounding and anxiety! I went to the ER it was so scary!

Has a doctor look into your ear recent? I just had impacted ear wax-pain and a sound like you would heard on a ultrasound of a baby heartbeat.
Maybe it's just something like that!
Of course some people just seem to have weird-odd ear problems doing peri

HI THERE! MY PERI SYMPTOMS STARTED EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. ONE NIGHT LAST OCTOBER, I FELL ASLEEP IN MY RECLINER. WHEN SUDDENLY I WAS WOKEN UP IN A PANIC STRICKEN MODE AND THIS BUZZING GOING ON IN MY HEAD. I FELT REALLY SICK, HOT, AND LIKE I HAD TO GO TO ER. I DIDN'T WANT TO WAKE MY FIANCE UP, SO I WOKE UP MOM INSTEAD. IT WAS LIKE 12AM. WE JUST TALKED UNTIL I CALMED DOWN AND WAS ABLE TO GO BACK TO BED. THE NEXT 4 DAYS I CALLED OUT OF WORK BECAUSE I WAS MAKING DR APPT ON TOP OF DR APPT TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME. FIRST I WENT TO MY ENT. JUST A LITTLE BACKGROUND, I HAD INTRA-NASAL SURGERY LAST YEAR TO REPAIR A CEREBRAL SPINAL FLUID LEAK. MY ENT (EAR NOSE THROAT) WAS WHO DID THE SURGERY. I WENT TO HIM BECAUSE WHAT WOKE ME UP OUT OF A SOUND SLEEP WAS LIKE A GURGLING NOISE IN MY THROAT SO I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT MY LEAK WAS BACK. HE CHECKED ME OUT AND SAID I WAS FINE. AS FOR THE RINGING IN MY EARS, HE SAID HE THOUGHT IT WAS STRESS RELATED. I WAS SENT TO AN ENDOCRINOLOGIST TO CHECK THYROID; SHE SAID IN INTERVIEW SHE DID NOT THINK IT WAS MY THYROID, BUT SHE WOULD TEST ANYWAY. ENDED UP BEING FINE. REGULAR DR DID GIVE ME XANAX FOR WHEN ANXIETY HIT. I THINK SINCE OCTOBER TO DATE I'VE ONLY TAKEN MAYBE 5 PILLS. I WAS AFRAID OF THEM AT FIRST, BUT THEN DIDN'T NEED THEM.
ANYWAY, I'VE HAD THE HEAD BUZZING EVER SINCE. IT STARTED OUT REAL LOW AND LIKE YOU SAID, WOULD GO AWAY WHEN YOU LAY DOWN. BUT NOW IT'S SOMEWHAT LOUDER, AND DOESN'T GO AWAY WHEN I LAY DOWN. SOME DAYS IT GETS REAL HISSY SOUNDING. MOST TIMES ITS JUST LIKE A CONSTANT HEAD BUZZ; LIKE WHEN YOU HEAR AN OUTSIDE STREET LAMP BUZZING. PRETTY MUCH GETTING USED TO IT. I DID TELL MY DENTIST ABT IT. HE ASKED WHAT SIDE; I SAID MY BOTH SIDES; BUT MAINLY THE RIGHT; HE SAID THAT'S WHERE I HAVE AN IMPACTED WIDSOM TOOTH AND MAYBE SEE SURGEON TO REMOVE IT. NOT READY FOR THAT YET.

AND YES, I HAVE THE CRACKLIN NOISE AND SOMETIMES SOUNDS LIKE FLUID IN EAR AND I GET DIZZIES. JUST LEARNING TO LIVE WITH IT. IT'S EITHER THAT OR KEEP PANICKING THAT MY LEAK IS BACK! MAYBE THAT'S THE HEALTH ANXIETY PART OF PERI!

FEEL FREE TO PING ME ANYTIME!

NANCY

Thanks for sharing, Nancy! It's really news to me that EVERY function in my body is affected by these hormones. I really think my thyroid is suffering the ups and downs, too. I guess I've just been oblivious forever and should just be thankful that I never really suffered from PMS or any other horrible symptoms until now. That's what I try to remember, that many women have it a lot worse than me and have many more stressors in their lives. Finding other things to focus on does help, but sometimes I just can't get out of my own head! And like I said...it's noisy in there:)
It was pretty wild when you said you had a CSF leak. I work for neurologists and neurosurgeons so of course I've read about that and in the last 6 months & I know it's crossed my mind that maybe I could have that. All these things I'd never even heard of until I started this job and now I think I could have everything! I hope everything stays well for you with that.

If you've read about CSF leaks, does that mean your office has treated patients for them? Just curious. I was told these cases are not very common, so really don't have anyone to talk about it to.

Hi Nancy,
Sorry I didn't reply sooner. Hope you see this. The neurologists I work for don't 'treat' the problem. The neurosurgeons do and I know I've read about it in some records. I've only seen it once or twice in 4 years so I think you're right to say it's not very common and I don't really have any knowledge about it.

Have you or anybody else noticed that these 'head noises' would get louder closer to your period? I just feel like my head is an echo chamber and then other times in the month I have to try really hard to notice the noise. Just wondering if anyone has anything else to relate to my story. Thanks.

I do notice that the level of noise does fluctuate...and I would say it gets louder wheni get closer to my period; but my periods have been crazy since this surgery; lasting like 4 weeks at a time. I started to keep journal, but then slacked off. I should start again.

boy i can see how your job would really kick up the anxiety !!!! i my self had to stop watching all health programs or all reading involving health issues, i could not do it, simple as that !!!

Hi Ladies

I have had the hear beat noise and pain in my ears for quite some time now, it got worse when I was put on Anti depressants. I am now off them due to teh side effects. I went for a MRI scan of my ear but they did not find anything. I asked the ENT consultant if he thought it was vascular, he was unsure so arranged for a doplar scan which is a ultra sound scan of my neck which I am having tommorow. I will let you know what they say. I am seeing my consulatant again in a few weeks to dicuss the results of tommorows scan. I think its all anxiety related but like most of us we panic and think there is something wrong. I still get the heartbeat in my ear and I get pain now and again but no one know what it is!!!, which is frustrating as I wish they could tell me what the cause is. That's why I put it down to anxiety. Its awful especially ehn you try to sleep.

I will let you all know what they say.

Keep your chin up girls.

Love and hugs to you all

Ina xxx

Good Luck with the test, Ina. I'm sure it'll be fine. I keep reading more and more about women with noises and pulsing in their head during perimenopause. Not always anxiety, but actually just extra sensitivity related to fluctuating hormones. I think my 'noise' might be a little different than some I've read about because it seems to be positional related. When I turn my head in certain positions, the sound disappears....I know my heart is still beating, but I know longer 'hear' it in my head. It's also NOT a problem when I lay my head down...it disappears then, also. I feel like it's somehow related to something in the back of my neck...pressure that's there from certain positions or something like that. Anyway...hope your test went fine and you have some peace of mind.

wow......parts of your post could have been written by me! Especially this:


[i]So here's my latest....I feel/hear? my heartbeat in my head. That's been going on since April. When there's ambient noise, I don't really hear it but I 'feel' it. Almost like the pounding of a headache without the ache. Not always very strong, but definitely there. At first I thought it was a noise in my ears, but now I don't really think so. Sometimes I think it just feels like tension building up. I go get pretty tense in neck, shoulders and head due to my job which has been worse lately. I do hear some ringing, too and notice pressure and other clicking and cracking noises in my ears. I think that's been around longer but I never paid it any attention until lately.[/i]

In the beginning, several months ago......it freaked me out.......but not any more.......it seems to come and go...........it seems to be related to pressure building in my head........tension headache? Why can't i just have a hot flash like everyone else.........why must i have this crazy head surge!!!

bleck.......but i try to keep a good attitude. Riding my bike and running helps a lot..........Nothing seems to help. I am on the vivelle patch.......i'm also hypo thyroid......which my doctor says makes menopause waaaay worse.......(oh yay)

thanks for posting.......i don't see much about ear/head noise........

Hi Mary,
Thanks for posting on this. This just continues to be a nagging issue for me. Right now, most of my 'symptom's have let up to the point that I feel pretty normal. It seems that as long as I can see that things are fluctuating with my cycle, they don't bother me as much. The 'head noise' thing continues, though. It's like it's always there, lurking, sometimes I think it's an allergy thing and then sometimes not. My husband has said that it's probably a sound that's always there...always has been...and it's the hormone fluctuations that make me more sensitive to it. I do agree...and I've read that elsewhere... but it still bugs me. AND I use it in my mind for my excuse for skipping my exercise. Even though I know that when I exercise I notice it even less. See, I DO sound crazy! Maybe that's the real problem
Thanks again for your insight, I agree that there's not a lot on this 'head noise' topic but I do notice in reading many of the ladies' postings on other issues, they sometimes slip in references to the weird head noises, feelings, etc...it's just not their main issue.
Take care!

yeah....mine is hardly noticeable sometimes.............like i had a couple of weeks where i felt really great and the head noise was only noticeable at night.....but barely........then this past week.......it's been really aggravating. When it's at it's worse, it sounds like little b b's spinning in a metal bowl...or like nonstop crickets......it's weird......it seems to be worse when my heart is flip flopping. Not sure if you've had that......but for the last week, my heart has been nonstop flip flopping and my head noise has been bad AND i've had a headache. These things always come together.........and then they go away.........and i can barely hear the head noise........then it comes back!!! LOL! i laugh because it's just getting so ridiculous that you can't do anything else.

I also have hypothyroid........and i'm having my numbers checked again.......head noise goes along with hypothyroid too......if your meds are not right........

I'm on the vivelle dot....and that has helped my anxiety a lot.........

I agree totally with your husband.....that the noise is always there.........but when we have these hormonal surges.......we just hear it more..........

I know my hearing has gotten ultra outta control sensitive.........i can hear the tiniest sounds..........it's unbelievable! So I think when i get the head surge thing.....the normal head noise gets ultra loud......

sorry for rambling........trying to get as much info down but too lazy to organize my thoughts.........

talk at ya soon.....

mary

Love the rambling...it's the way I think in my head so it seems fine to me when I'm reading, too. THe laughing, too. It's really necessary in these trying times! I have had some heart things, too. Same as you...coming at the same time as the other things are most prominent My hearing is super-sensitive, too. Of course that feeling comes and goes like everything else. I guess I'm just glad that all of my 'feelings' have come and gone... to the point that I can see patterns and somehow it's the patterns that give me comfort even though the feelings may be uncomfortable. I know I've read others talk about the fact that it's frustrating that the cycle they could always depend on is now so unpredictable and scary. I agree, but I'm starting to feel ok with the fact that sometimes I won't feel like myself. It's like I'm just learning to accept that my cycle is changing, but I can still see a definite pattern and feel ok with that. In the last few days I've noticed the head 'noise', felt headachey & tension. I checked my calendar and for the last 3 months on the same days in my cycle (9-14), I've made the exact same notes about what I'm feeling. So, seeing that has actually helped me get past some of my 'health' anxiety and just accept the cycle for what it is.
I don't mean to sound like a philosopher, but I seem to have had some revelation and feeling of acceptance which I know I've read a lot of other ladies(mostly the ones that are well along on their journeys) refer to. Even early on in this process, I had some older, wiser women tell me that I may just have to accept the fact that I would feel different...not bad, just different. I'm all about feeling good physically, I don't think any of us should have to suffer that way. I'm referring more to my feelings of well-being, comfort, emotions, etc. Of course, it could all go out the window tomorrow if I get some weird twinge or twitch

I think a big part of my satisfied feelings right now is just the ability to go to these forums and find that I'm not alone in all this. That all of these crazy ups and downs are validated and there's 'safety in numbers'.

Oh and your comment about being hypothyroid and 'head noise' being a problem if your numbers are off. I've read that, too. Makes me think that maybe our thyroid numbers are fluctuating with our other hormone fluctuations to the point that that's when the head noise heats up. I know my doctor told me that estrogen fluctuations can have a definite effect on the effectiveness of the thyroid meds and therefore the level of those hormones. If I understood her correctly, when the estrogen drops...it makes more room for the thyroid hormone to work in the bloodstream and therefore the medication becomes more effective and vice versa.

WOW...talk about rambling! Happy reading everyone