Hello, my name is Blondie, and I'm a whoosher. I have been whooshing since March 2006 when I heard my heart beating in my left ear loud and clear while trying to fall asleep one night. I've written posts about this over at my blog. You can read all of the posts labeled under ear whooshing/pulsitile tinnitus if you are interested in my back story and the information I initially gathered. Basically, there has been no help for me. Just a LOT of medical bills.

So what do I do? I'm NOT a medical doctor, so be sure to check with your own doctor about what is right for you. But in the interest of helping out my fellow whooshers, this is what has worked for me so far:

•    Xanax  Xanax (and its generics) is an anti-anxiety medication. I find that when I'm excited about something, the whooshing gets louder and louder. I originally started taking Xanax for anxiety in general, but I've found that taking one when I'm whooshing really loudly helps me to calm down--and read books in silent rooms. Xanax can be addictive, so check with your doctor about dosage and usage. I know a LOT of whooshers who use this medication without any problems.
•    Ambien  Ambien (and its generics) is a sleeping pill. I take one of these every night to help me fall asleep. If I don't take it, I sit there and listen to the whooshing, which makes it louder, etc. I started with a very small dosage and then the doctor bumped it up a bit when I kept waking up. I hear there is a version of this that is controlled-release, but I haven't tried it. Ambien has some wonky side effects, including sleep-eating (which luckily I don't have), so be careful if you try it. Before I got the prescription, I used over-the-counter Unisom. That one left me rather groggy the next day, and I still had trouble falling asleep. I don't have this problem with Ambien.
•    White Noise Machine  I personally have a Marpac which cost me roughly $50. I'm not a fan of different noises while I sleep, so this one mostly sounds like a little fan. There are volume controls, so you can choose your preference. Sadly, I can actually still hear the whoosh over the machine, but it's the best one I've found and is well worth the cash.
•    Bedroom Ceiling Fan  Most of these are designed to be quiet, but the ones in the apartments I've lived in since the whoosh tend to make some kind of noise. Not enough to drive me crazy, but enough to slightly distract me from the whoosh. Combined with a white noise machine, ceiling fans can really help.
•    Signs  I currently work in my home office, but when I worked in a regular office environment, people often spoke quietly to me and then thought I was ignoring them. I placed a sign on my cube entrance that said, "Speak up, please. I'm whooshing." This was a gentle reminder to take my whooshing into account when sneaking up behind me. Surprisingly, it worked really well.
•    Messing with My Own Blood Flow  I've found that if I push on my jugular for a moment if someone is whispering and can't talk any louder, the whooshing stops. I do NOT recommend doing this often because it's not a good idea to cut off your blood flow, but this will work in a pinch.

I continue to be intrigued by the whooshers I've met who have been cured, including my friend from Norway who recently beat her whoosh after 5 years through a new surgery. Please write to us with any tips, news stories, doctor referrals, or information that you feel would be useful to our community. Personally, I live near Omaha, NE. If you're a doctor from the area who is interested in my whoosh, contact me at: blondietales@gmail.com.

Best whooshing wishes,

Blondie

Thanks for all of the great emails and feedback about Whooshers.com!  Please continue to post experiences and thoughts here, even anonymously. 

The "whoosh" is getting attention from media and medical communities from all over, so every comment is heard.  More content will be posted in the near future, so keep coming back!

Now let's get down to business.  The business of venting.  Enough already.  Enough of the constant noise.  Enough of having to turn up the volume on the television and asking people to repeat themselves when they speak softly in a perfectly quiet room.  Enough of the questions from friends and family (okay, I know they mean well, but I'm venting here) who keep asking, "do you STILL hear the noise?  Yes.  Yes, I do.  Of course I do, because NO ONE knows how to fix it yet. 

It helps to know that there are many of us out there, but it's easy to forget when you're surrounded day-to-day by people who DON'T know what it's like, nor how much energy we spend to simply ignore it and get on with life as if nothing is wrong. That's why it's important to vent.

Some of us are just beginning to understand how to "cope" with this, and others of us are agressively seeking answers, from doctors and fellow whooshers, because we reject the notion that we have to live with this forever. Some of us are scared to find out what could be wrong with us.  

I'm frustrated that the majority of information online about tinnitus doesn't include much detail about pulsatile tinnitus, specifically the causes of pulsatile tinnitus. And oh, how I miss the sound of silence while reading a book!  And listening to soft classical music after a long day.  I hate that my mornings start with the whoosh and my evenings end with the whoosh.  I'm frustrated that I have spent lots of cash for medical tests and feel no closer to the end of the whoosh. 

And by the way, I challenge any of the "pulsatile tinnitus cure" companies out there to write me (whooshers@gmail.com) with a detailed account and PROOF that your product really works.  I want user testimonials and medical endorsements.  If you can support your claims of success, I promise to happily post the product and company name on this site.  I'll even highlight some of your success stories.  But really, I'm tired of seeing the ads in the search engines with the claims that a supplement will cure me and other sufferers of pulsatile tinnitus.  If I can't lose 10 pounds with a magic pill, how am I supposed to believe the same will cure my whoosh? I. DO. NOT. BELIEVE. YOU.  You take money from those of us in desperation.  Shame.  On.  You.  

What drives YOU crazy about hearing the whoosh?  Keep the comments rolling.  We're listening! 

I never thought I'd consider buying a sound machine.  After all, a sound machine is a late-night infomercial product, like a clap-your-lights-off device or a piece of plastic that claims to fold your clothes for you, right?  They usually don't live up to the hype.  Or do they? 

I've tried the small ones that go underneath the pillows; no good.  I've exhausted the white noise soundtrack I downloaded to my iPod, and anyways, I'm tired of wearing headphones in bed.  I think I need one of those large, industrial sound machines that hums and rattles like an old air conditioner needing cleaning. 

 Has anyone found a GOOD sound machine that masks pulsatile tinnitus?