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Whoosh [hwoosh, hwoosh, woosh, woosh] noun 1. a loud, rushing noise, as of air or water: a great whoosh as the door opened. verb (used without object) 2. to move swiftly with a gushing or hissing noise: gusts of wind whooshing through the trees. verb (used with object) 3. to move (an object, a person, etc.) with a whooshing motion or sound: The storm whooshed the waves over the road. Also, woosh. Origin: 1840-1850; imit.

Pulsatile tinnitus is not tinnitus.
Pulsatile tinnitus is a rhythmical noise that is synchronous with the patient's heartbeat.

One day, a doctor told me that I was the only patient he'd ever seen complain of what I described as Pulsatile Tinnitus and to "live with it."
Then I created Whooshers.com.
Today we have over 17.5 THOUSAND members in our Private Facebook Group Discussion Page.
 
Whooshers.com has received over ONE MILLION hits, and
we founded the FIRST NOT-FOR-PROFIT DEVOTED TO THE PULSATILE TINNITUS COMMUNITY at PulsatileTinnitus.com.
 
*The majority of underlying causes of Pulsatile Tinnitus CAN be identified and treated.*
 
Read on for the SUPPORT you need!

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Poll Results: I Am ...

A Female Whoosher: 80%

A Male Whoosher: 20%

Thanks for voting!  Please see this week's new Whooshers.com poll.  

Wed, September 30, 2009 | link          Comments

Does Your Whoosh Sound Like ...

Any of THESE sounds?

Or how about this one

Maybe there is a sound from this large collection that sounds like your whoosh? 

Finally, click on these to see if any match your whoosh.  

Clicking on the links above will open a new window to the Web site(s) that provides these sound files.  Many of these are sounds of heart murmurs... remember, just because your whoosh sounds like these doesn't mean you have a heart condition!  The aim here is to find an audible file that you can share with others, not to self-diagnose.  

IF YOU FIND A MATCH TO YOUR WHOOSH, PLEASE COMMENT BELOW!  It would really help your fellow whooshers, and we would love to hear from you.  Also, let your doctor AND your family and friends know because it could help them understand what you're hearing. 

Please don't despair if none of the sounds above matches your whoosh; everyone's whoosh is different, and that's why we're trying to find more.  If you find another audio file or collection of audio files with similar sounds that you think should be posted here, please email whooshers@gmail.com.

Thu, September 24, 2009 | link          Comments

Poll Results: The Sound (Pitch or Tone) of My Whoosh Changes ...

Sometimes:  36%

Often:  27%

Never:  27%

Other:  9%

Thank you for voting.  Please see this week's new poll!  

Sun, September 20, 2009 | link          Comments

To Test or Not to Test, by Blondie from Tales from Clark Street

Since the development of Whooshers.com, I’ve been thinking about going back to the doctor. What is stopping me? The bills.

I’ve already had tests done. Hearing tests, brain scans, artery checks. That was years ago when the whooshing first started. I had a few of the tests repeated. And each time, the doctors looked at me and told me that nothing was wrong. And then promptly mailed me a bill for a few thousand dollars.

I don’t want to get into what is wrong with the American health care system (that’s a whole different post), but what bothers me the most is that I do have something seriously wrong with me, and I have no choice but to Live. With. It. I’m whooshing. All the time. For YEARS. Given, whatever is causing this may be benign, but I would like to determine the source. Except I don’t have the funds.

I do have medical insurance, but it doesn’t cover everything. And since I’ve moved into freelancing, I’m now faced with getting new insurance, which plops my ear whoosh into a “pre-existing condition.” Greeeat.

I know you understand. We whooshers face the daunting decision of just letting it go and whooshing forever or going into incredible debt trying to figure out a disorder that baffles the medical community. I’ve spent endless nights thinking I have a carotid artery that is about ready to BURST. I freak myself out and become convinced that I’m on the verge of a fatal aneurysm. I already suffer from anxiety disorder. The whooshing doesn’t help.

Since I’ve been living with my condition for years now, I’ve been able to curb my paranoia. If it was something horrifying, I would be dead by now. Right? This is what I tell myself to justify the fact that I’m not seeking medical treatment. (Well, and also? The doctors never know what is wrong with me.) But then I read scary articles about a whoosh that was a symptom of something much greater. My internal teeter-totter moves to the left. I decide to go to a doctor. Then I get a bill for the propane for my farmhouse. The teeter-totter moves to the right. I would like heat in my house this winter.

Basically, now I would only consider going to the doctor if:

A.) A magical benefactor appeared and said he/she would cover all my bills.

B.) A medical study on the whooshing appeared where I could get tested/treated for free.

C.) I end up in the hospital and the cause turns out to be the whooshing and they tell me without surgery I will drop dead in 24 hours or less.

It’s not a good feeling to live this way, folks. I know that at least this community understands how I feel. It’s horrible to realize you have to choose between searching for someone who can help you medically or buying groceries. It shouldn’t be this way, but it is.

But now, we are getting more attention. People who come to my blog are there because of Google searches for ear whooshing. Each week, roughly 80% of my key word searches are one form or another of the term. You are out there. We hear you—and your whoosh. Even if your friends and colleagues don’t.

To the bewildered:

Dear Friends of Whooshers,

If you don’t understand, try this experiment. Put on an iPod, but only put one ear bud in one ear. Turn on some music so that you can still hear someone talking to you a little. Just a little though. Make the song something super annoying, like a marching band that is practicing. Now go through a whole day like that. Try to hear what people are saying. Try to read a book. Try to work. And then perhaps you will understand what we are going through.

Love,

Blondie

To those who can help:

Dear Medical Community,

On behalf of the whooshers, I ask—no beg—that you look into this disorder. Please help us. It’s not tinnitus. We are not ringing. We are whooshing. And we are scared, frustrated, and worried. You have the power to help us. We ask that you dig deeper, and help us find a cure—or at least a cause that explains why people are whooshing all over the world.

Most Extremely Sincerely,

Blondie

(Click here to read Blondie's previous post, "Tips for Battling the Whoosh")

Wed, September 16, 2009 | link          Comments

Pulsatile Tinnitus and Pregnancy

When looking online to investigate possible causes of pulsatile tinnitus, it's obvious that each case is different and that there are many possible causes of this very annoying condition.  Some pregnant women have reported experiencing a "whooshing" noise, like a heart beat or pulse sound in the ear, sometime during pregnancy, and sometimes even after child birth.

Pulsatile tinnitus is annoying and can be anxiety provoking no matter who it affects, but mothers-to-be who encounter the symptoms after they find out they're pregnant have unique concerns.

Whooshers.com would like to know, is pulsatile tinnitus common among pregnant women?

Are you a pregnant whoosher? If so, we'd love to hear from you, particularly regarding the type and timing of your symptoms and whether they subsided after your pregnancy.  Also if you have any tips for others about coping with the constant whooshing sound that would be great!  Feel free to write in the "Comments" section below or send an email to whooshers@gmail.com.

WhooshEr

Sat, September 12, 2009 | link          Comments

Poll Results: I Hear The Whoosh In...

my left ear: 54%

my right ear: 23%

both ears: 23%

Fri, September 11, 2009 | link          Comments

Where Do You Whoosh?

Hi, Whooshers!

Please let us know where you're writing from and how long you've been whooshing.  Real names aren't necessary... we respect your privacy! 

Soon we'll post a map to tag the locations of whooshers around the world.  There are a lot of us out there!

Also, we're making some changes to the site soon, so please send any suggestions/ideas/comments to whooshers@gmail.com or post them in the "Comments" section below.  Thanks!

Tue, September 8, 2009 | link          Comments

Poll Results: Have You Experienced Loss of Hearing with the Whoosh?

Yes, I had a hearing test that revealed I have a major loss of hearing. 0%
Yes, I had a hearing test that revealed I have a slight loss of hearing. 75%
I think I have loss of hearing, but my hearing has not yet been tested by a doctor. 0%
No, my hearing was tested and I have no loss of hearing. 25%
No, my hearing has not been tested and I do not think I have a loss of hearing. 0%

Thank you for voting.  Please see this week's new poll! 

Sun, September 6, 2009 | link          Comments


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RESOURCES

Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulsatile Tinnitus, Dr. Maksim Shapiro, NYU Neurointerventional Radiology Section, NYU Langone Medical Center - neuroangio.org

Radiation Dose Chart - American Nuclear Society (ANS) Public Information Resources Page: Click here for an interactive dose chart for various medical diagnostic tests. A downloadable and printable version is also available on this page. Discuss with your doctors.

Find a Neurotologist: American Neurotological Society (ANS) Membership Roster

Find a Neurointervention Specialist: Society of Neurointerventional Surgery (SNIS)- Click on "Doctor Finder"

Find a Neuro-Ophthalmologist: The North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS)

Site: Neuroangio.org - Your neurovascular education and information resource. Patient Information.

UCSF Pulsatile Tinnitus Clinic

Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus: Differential Diagnosis and Radiological Work-Up," Sjoert A. H. Pegge, Stefan C. A. Steens, Henricus P. M. Kunst, and Frederick J. A. Meijer, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, The Netherlands. (SEE TABLE 1).

Presentation: "Algorithm for Evaluation of Rhythmic Tinnitus," Douglas E Mattox, MD, Patricia Hudgins, MD, Jahrsdoerfer Lecture, University of Virginia, March 25, 2010. (This link is to the abstract/summary)

Presentation: "Imaging of the Patient with Tinnitus," Mary Beth Cunnane MD, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dec 2013. (NEW! Mentions Pulsatile Tinnitus and Whooshers.com. Republished with Permission.)

Article: "Imaging in Pulsatile Tinnitus: Diagnostic Pearls and Potential Pitfalls," B. S. Purohit, R. Hermans, K. Op de beeck; 1SINGAPORE/SG, 2Leuven/BE, European Society of Radiology, 2014.

Article: "Imaging In Pulsatile Tinnitus : When Should It Ring A Bell?" G. Bathla1, V. Chong; 1singapore/SG, 2Singapore/SG, European Society of Radiology, 2012."

Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus: Contemporary Assessment and Management," Aristides Sismanis, Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head & Neck Surgery: October 2011 - Volume 19 - Issue 5 - p 348357 doi: 10.1097/MOO.0b013e3283493fd8, Otology and neuro-otology: Edited by Myles L. Pensak.

NEW Article: "Emergence of Venous Stenosis as the Dominant Cause of Pulsatile Tinnitus," Eytan RazErez NossekDaniel Jethanamest, Vinayak Narayan, Aryan Ali, Vera Sharashidze, Tibor Becske, Peter K. Nelson, Maksim Shapiro, Originally published8 May 2022 https://doi.org/10.1161/SVIN.121.000154, American Heart Association Journal - Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology. 2022;0:e000154

Article: "Temporal Bone: Vascular Tinnitus," William W.M. Lo and M. Marcel Maya, Vascular, pp.1361-1374, 2003.

Article: "Diagnostic Clues in Pulsatile Tinnitus (Somatosounds)," Carlos Herraiza and José Miguel Aparicioa, Unidad de Acúfenos; Instituto ORL Antolí-Candela, Madrid, Spain; Unidad de Otorrinolaringología, Fundación Hospital Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain; Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Quirón, Madrid, Spain, Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp. 2007;58(9):426-33. This is a link to the article abstract.

Article: "How I Struggled with (PULSATILE) Tinnitus," The Story of Actor Graham Cole, Daily Mail Online, January 10, 2007.

Article: "I Got Lifesaving OP for Whooshing Thanks to US Help," David Powell, Daily Post UK, DPW West, Feb 19, 2013.

Article: "Vital Signs: An Unwelcome Ringing," by Dr. Christopher Linstrom, Discover Magazine, April 2010. (About a cured patient with pulsatile tinnitus symptoms!)

Article: "Tinnitus Highlights Poor Doctor Patient Communication," Martin Young, MBChB, FCS(SA), Diagnosis and Treatment, KevinMd.Com, November 2010.

Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus: Recent Advances in Diagnosis," Aristides Sismanis MD, Wendy R. K. Smoker, MD, The Laryngoscope, Volume 104, Issue 6, pages 681-688, June 1994. ABSTRACT (Summary)

Article: "Neuroradiologic Assessment of Pulsatile Tinnitus," Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL: Dr Kircher and Dr Leonetti; Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI: Dr Standring; Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery, Chicago, IL. Sept. 22-24, 2008. (CLICKING THIS LINK WILL DOWNLOAD THE PDF FILE)

Article: "Imaging of Tinnitus: A Review," Jane L. Weissman, MD and Barry E. Hirsch, MD, Radiology, August 2000.

Article: "Imaging in Pulsatile Tinnitus," G. Madania and S.E.J. Connor, Clinical Radiology, Volume 64, Issue 3, Pages 319-328 (March 2009).

Article: "Imaging of the Patient With Tinnitus," Mary Beth Cunnane MD, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, December 31, 2013. (NEW! Mentions Whooshers.com and PULSATILE tinnitus as well.)

Article: "Imaging of Pulsatile Tinnitus: A Review of 74 Patients," Guner Sonmez, C Cinar Basekim, Ersin Ozturk, Atilla Gungor, Esref Kizilkaya, Clinical Imaging, Volume 31, Issue 2, Pages 102-108 (March 2007). (This is an abstract/summary-you have to pay to see the article in its entirety)

Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus: A Review of 84 Patients," Daniel Waldvogel, Heinrich P. Mattle, Matthias Sturzenegger and Gerhard Schroth, Journal of Neurology, Volume 245, Number 3, 137-142, DOI: 10.1007/s004150050193, November 12, 1997.

Article: "Role of Angiography in the Evaluation of Patients With Pulsatile Tinnitus," Edward J. Shin, MD; Anil K. Lalwani, MD; Christopher F. Dowd, MD, Laryngoscope 110: November 2000. (PDF FILE)

Article: "Angioplasty and Stenting for Intractable Pulsatile Tinnitus Caused by Dural Venous Sinus Stenosis: A Case Series Report," Li Baomin, Shi Yongbing, and Cao Xiangyu, Dept of Neurosurgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, Otol Neurotol. 35.366-370. Dec 2014.

Article: "CT Angiography as a Screening Tool for Dural Arteriovenous Fistula in Patients with Pulsatile Tinnitus: Feasibility and Test Characteristics," J. Narvid, H.M. Do, N.H. Blevins and N.J. Fishbein, American Journal of Neuroradiology 32:446-453, March 2011.

Article: "Brain Dural Arteriovenous Fistula (BDAVF)," Patient Information, www.NeuroAngio.org

Article: "Usefulness of C-Arm Cone-Beam Computed Tomography in Endovascular Treatment of Traumatic Carotid Cavernous Fistulas: A Technical Case Report," Sato, Kenichi MD, PhD; Matsumoto, Yasushi MD; Kondo, Ryushi MD, PhD; Tominaga, Teiji MD, PhD, Neurosurgery: August 2010 - Volume 67 - Issue 2 - p 467470.

Article (Abstract): "A Convenient Sonographic Technique for Diagnosis of Pulsatile Tinnitus Induced by a High Jugular Bulb," The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, Minoru Nakagawa, MD, Norimitsu Miyachi, MLT and Kenjiro Fujiwara, MD, Department of Neurosurgery (M.N., K.F.) and Clinical Laboratory (N.M.), Kosei General Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan, J Ultrasound Med 27:139-140 0278-4297, 2008.

Article: "Surgical Treatment of the High Jugular Bulb in Patients with Ménières Disease and Pulsatile Tinnitus," V. Couloigner, A. Bozorg Grayeli, D. Bouccara, N. Julien and O. Sterkers, European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Volume 256, Number 5, 224-229, DOI: 10.1007/s004050050146 (ABSTRACT)

Article: "Brain AVM," (arteriovenous malformation), MayoClinic.com

Article: "Chiari Malformation," MayoClinic.com

Article: "Ménière's Disease," National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Article: "TMJ Disorders," MayoClinic.com

Article: "Anemia," American Society of Hematology, Hemotology.org

Article: "Pseudotumor Cerebri," (also called Benign Intracranial Hypertension) MayoClinic.com

Article: "Pulse-Synchronous Tinnitus," The Intracranial Hypertension Research Foundation

Article: "Coarctation of the Aorta," MayoClinic.com

Article: "Man Cured of Hearing His Eyeballs Move," www.bbc.co.uk, July 27, 2011. Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome (SCDS)

Article: "Diagnosis and Cure of Venous Hum Tinnitus," Laryngoscope, Chandler JR, 93(7):892-5, July 1983.

Article: (Abstract) "Sinus Wall Reconstruction for Sigmoid Sinus Diverticulum and Dehiscence: A Standardized Surgical Procedure for a Range of Radiographic Findings," Dr. DJ Eisenman, Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Otology Neurotology, 32(7):1116-9; September 2011.

Article: (Abstract) "Awake Embolization of Sigmoid Sinus Diverticulum Causing Pulsatile Tinnitus: Simultaneous Confirmative Diagnosis and Treatment," Park YH, Kwon HJ, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Interv Neuroradiol. 2011 Sep;17(3):376-9. Epub 2011 Oct 17. (NEW!)

Article: "A New Therapeutic Procedure for Treatment of Objective Venous Pulsatile Tinnitus," Sanchez TG, Murao M, Medeiros HRT, Kii M, Bento RF, Caldas JG, et al. Int Tinnitus J. 2002;8(1):54-57.

Article: "Glomus Tympanicum," The New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 362:e66, Number 22, June 3, 2010.

Article: "Resolution of Pulsatile Tinnitus Following an Upper Mediastinal Lymph Node Resection," Wang YZ, Boudreaux JP, Campeau RJ, Woltering EA, South Med J. 2010 Apr;103(4):374-7.

Article: (Abstract) "Dissection of the Internal Carotid Artery After SCUBA-Diving: A Case Report and Review of the Literature," Franz Hafner, MD,* Thomas Gary, MD,* Froehlich Harald, MD,* Ernst Pilger,* Reinhard Groell, PD,w and Marianne, Brodmann* "Neurologist. 17(2):79-82, March 2011. (NEW!)

Article: "Carotid-Cavernous Sinus Fistula," Bobby S. Korn, M.D., Ph.D., and Kang Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., N Engl J Med 2011; 364:e15, February, 24, 2011. (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES)

Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus Cured by Mastoidectomy," Duvillard C, Ballester M, Redon E, Romanet P., Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hôpital Général, Dijon, France, Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol, September 2004.

Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus: A Symptom of Chronic Subclavian Artery Occlusion," Marcio Francisco Lehmann, Charbel Mounayer, Goetz Benndorf, Michel Piotin, and Jacques Moret, AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 26:19601963, September 2005 (PDF).

Article: "Carotid Endarterectomy Relieves Pulsatile Tinnitus Associated with Severe Ipsilateral Carotid Stenosis," J Kirkby-Bott, H.H Gibbs, European Journal of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery, Volume 27, Issue 6, Pages 651-653, June 2004.

Article: "MR Angiography Imaging of Absence Vertebral Artery Causing of Pulsatile Tinnitus: A Case Report," *Mehmet Cudi Tuncer; **Yekta Helbest Akgül & *Özlen Karabulut,* Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Dicle University, 21280, Diyarbak¹r, Turkey.** Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Özel Diyarbakr Hospital, 21100, Diyarbakr, Turkey, International Journal of Morphology, v.28 n.2 Temuco Jun. 2010."

Article: "Endovascular Treatment of Sigmoid Sinus Aneurysm Presenting as Devastating Pulsatile Tinnitus. A Case Report and Review of Literature." Mehanna R, Shaltoni H. Morsi H, Mawad M., Interv Neuroradiol. 2010 Dec;16(4):451-4. Epub 2010 Dec 17.

"Pulsatile Tinnitus Caused by an Aneurysm of the Transverse-Sigmoid Sinus: A New Case Report and Review of Literature," Lenck S, Mosimann PJ, Labeyrie MA, Houdart E., Department of Neuroradiology, hôpital Lariboisière, 2, rue Ambroise-Paré, 75010 Paris, France, J Neuroradiol. 2012 Oct;39(4):276-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neurad.2012.02.001. Epub 2012 Sep 29. (NEW!)

Article: "Intractable Tinnitus and Sensorineural Deafness Cured by Surgical Correction of Coarctation of Aorta," S. Rathinam, A.M. Pettigrew, J.C.S. Pollack, Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery 3:431-433 (2004).

Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus," Don McFerran FRCS Consultant Otolaryngologist Essex County Hospital, Colchester, British Tinnitus Association, October 2007.

Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus and Dural Arteriovenous Malformation (Dural AVM)," G. A. J. Morrison, The Journal of Laryngology & Otology (1989), 103:1073-1075 Cambridge University Press (ABSTRACT).

Article: "Medical Mystery: Giving Birth Didn't Ease a Woman's Dangerous Hypertenstion," Sandra G. Boodman, The Washington Post, October 17, 2011.

Article: "That Noise Wasn't Just Tinnitus," Sandra G. Boodman, Special to The Washington Post, July 7, 2009

Article: "What's That Noise In Her?" H. Lee Kagan, Discovery Magazine, January 2006. (About a patient with arteriovenous malformation (AVM) and her doctor whose patience and persistence paid off).

Article: "The 'Rare' Disease That Isn't," Thomas M. Burton, The Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2009

Article: "Diseases and Conditions/ Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD)," Cleveland Clinic. Lists symptoms, details, treatments, and resources including Whooshers.com.

Article: Unraveling Pulsatile Tinnitus in FMD: A Report of the United States Registry For Fibromuscular Dysplasia."

Video: "A Rare Disease That May Be Underdiagnosed," Thomas M. Burton, June 26, 2009 (Hear an example of a whooshing sound in this short video)

Whooshers.com Pulsatile Tinnitus Sounds (Real Ones Recorded by Real Whooshers!)

Audio: Having trouble describing the sound you hear to others? Listen to this collection of sounds that whoosh and see if you can find a match to yours! Demonstrations: Heart Sounds & Murmurs, from the University of Washington Department of Medicine

Whooshers.com Review: SleepPhones- Soft, comfortable headphones to help mask the whoosh for a good night's sleep.

Replace "ringing" with "whooshing," and here it is: our theme song.