Wife and Blood Pressure Problems

[SamIV]

Wanted to put this out there to see is any of you have experienced or heard of this. Since January my wife has been having an issue with we seem to believe is related to her blood pressure. She also is hearing deficient and has tinnitus. She is on blood pressure medicine, on a low salt diet, and just recently started taking something for anxiety. Also has tried CBD, NyQuil sleeping aids and melatonin for her sleeping issues.

She has this sound in her head that first started off as sounding like her blood pumping or her heart beat. She also has other sounds that she can’t really describe. The sound has gotten so bad lately that she has not been to able to work and spends most of her time in bed. She also has problems sleeping and the sleep deprivation is not helping either.

She was put on blood pressure medicine which did help her in the beginning with her blood pressure problems probably 4-5 years ago. She had the sound then but at much lower levels and the medicine helped. But it has gotten to the point where she rarely leaves the house. Mostly for doctor visits recently who are only doing tests to check her heart and arteries. She was seeing a GP up until recently and s now seeing a cardiologist, but he seems to ignore her concerns about the noise. They don’t seem to have any real concern or answer for the noise.

Before seeing the cardiologist, the GP upped her dose for her blood pressure medicine which made the noise worse. Hoping someone here has had or heard of a similar issue and found results.

[ILuvTeles]

I have not had any experience with anything like that. I hope her care providers can figure it out. Prayers & mojo sent for you & your wife.

[ID10t]

I acknowledge that I have hippie tendencies and am a tree hugger type guy.
Our house is very cognizant of our diet and I can bore you with details about my philosophy, but I won't unless asked. I am not a doctor but spent a good few years as a paramedic on a busy ambulance.

I would say the head noise is related to blood pressure.
Juice! Seriously every eight days I whip up a batch of juice and measure out servings and freeze and Mrs10t has juice everyday. The most important and key ingredients are Brazil nuts (good for blood/no liver spots), calcium powder (she wants it, she gets it) and fresh ginger root (good for circulation and a diuretic.) Most vegetable scraps are frozen and put in the next juice., always a banana for flavor and texture. It's like a dessert.
I will also throw in a Non-scientific thing that I heard and believe as much as I know that it isn't absolute. "You are only as healthy as what you ate 2 weeks ago." The moral is don't give up on juice after 2 days.

[OMB]

Sam - so sorry to hear about your wife having to deal with these issues. I am hypertensive, have hearing loss and have had tinnitus since being a crew chief for Uncle Sam. I would never attempt a diagnosis regarding her but am able to share a couple experiences. First - she needs to find a good Internist (Internal Medicine). If they have excellent diagnostic skillsets they look beyond the mundane stuff of a GP or the very special focus of a Cardiologist. I have been on quite a few different BP meds. Sometimes they stop being efficient and also may interact with over the counter or other RX meds.

Does she take statins? They really (some more than others) exacerbated my anxiety but I have had anxiety on and off my entire life and had taken statins for 12 or 15 years before they started becoming intolerable. Did the anxiety meds start after the Sound in her head? My tinnitus can take the form of a whooshing sound and sometimes like a Leslie speaker.

Look up Best Doctors or Top Doctors online for your area for an Internist and ask your GP or Cardiologist for a referral since they are not addressing her concerns.

I take a small piece of MJ candy an hour before bed and it helps me get to sleep without any problems. Every couple of months I go a week or two without it just to take back control. Unfortunately for many of us as we age getting to sleep or sleeping through the night becomes a challenge.

[SamIV]

Thanks for the tips. Will look into juicing, I do own a juicer, but never use it. We also have an appoint for an Internal Medicine Doctor next week.

Will look into the side effects of statins. Her anxiety is through the roof at the moment, even with the new meds. She is very lethargic today, with a headache that won’t give. Maybe low blood pressure. And her appetite is next to nothing now, which is not normal for her. Trying to figure it all out.

[ID10t]

Thanks for the tips. Will look into juicing, I do own a juicer, but never use it. We also have an appoint for an Internal Medicine Doctor next week.

Will look into the side effects of statins. Her anxiety is through the roof at the moment, even with the new meds. She is very lethargic today, with a headache that won’t give. Maybe low blood pressure. And her appetite is next to nothing now, which is not normal for her. Trying to figure it all out.

I use a vitamix, not a juicer (got rid of it, never used it.)

Do you own a b/p cuff or machine?
I'm concerned with what you're saying. If you need to take a trip to the ER then do that.

[sabasgr68]

Have no advice to tell or whatsoever, but I´ll be praying for your wife and you, Sam. Hoping doctors can find a way to take care of her health issues.

[SamIV]

Thanks for the tips. Will look into juicing, I do own a juicer, but never use it. We also have an appoint for an Internal Medicine Doctor next week.

Will look into the side effects of statins. Her anxiety is through the roof at the moment, even with the new meds. She is very lethargic today, with a headache that won’t give. Maybe low blood pressure. And her appetite is next to nothing now, which is not normal for her. Trying to figure it all out.

I use a vitamix, not a juicer (got rid of it, never used it.)

Do you own a b/p cuff or machine?
I'm concerned with what you're saying. If you need to take a trip to the ER then do that.

Think I have one of those extreme blenders as well. Mom
Had it all and I inherited it. We do have something to take her blood pressure with and monitor it. But when it is abnormal, this gets her very agitated as well. So we tend to check it only when necessary.

[Partscaster]

Best wishes and prayers for your wife solving this, Sam.
Wish I knew about it.

[tlarson58]

I have nothing to recommend but I hope that she finds some relief.

[idiotsdelight]

I 2nd getting a Dr that will listen to her concerns. Otherwise you're wasting time/money.

[Rollin Hand]

Talk to a doctor, first and foremost.

She could be experiencing something I have,which is unrelated to BP, and is called superior canal dehiscence syndrome. This is basically a hole worn in the bones of the inner ear.

I have some hearing loss, and sometimes get noise in the ear like a whine, or sometimes even almost an echo effect. I looked into treatment, and let's just say that the surgery is a last resort. It has been useful knowing the name of the beast, but that's about it.

That said self medicating on top of other medications is a dangerous game -- please be very, very careful.

[DonM]

Sorry to hear that. I’m a pharmacist, and also have high blood pressure. Over the years I’m on my third different medicine. As time goes on it’s not unusual for the hypertension to get worse, even though you’re on medicine for it. At that time you need to increase the strength of your current medicine or try a different one. There are many different anti-hypertension medicines with different mechanisms of actions and associated side effects too.

Hearing your heartbeat in your ears is a classic symptom of possible high blood pressure. She needs to go see her doctor and get evaluated ASAP. This is something you don’t want to mess around with.

[jtcnj]

Sorry to hear and hope she finds answers and relief.

The tinnitus I experience I thought was from using power tools - mainly a router -without hearing protection.
I did not do this a lot, and always use hearing protection since.

I am on BP meds and my doctor said the buzz/hum/ or whoosh I hear may be caused by or exacerbated by the BP meds.
It started after I started the BP meds, probably 20 years after the unprotected power tools thing.
At first I thought it was from using ear buds pretty loud more recently, but I dont think so.

Not to make light of the situation, but the title prompted my thought - "Yes, my wife and my high blood pressure are related".

[RiverDog]

I'm sorry to hear this Sam. Unfortunately I don't have any helpful suggestions for you but I do wish you and your wife the best in getting her health issues sorted out.

[PoodlesAgain]

Maybe we should send some more old-time mojo to South Louisiana, hoping that it will do some good?

[sabasgr68]

Maybe we should send some more old-time mojo to South Louisiana, hoping that it will do some good?

It´s great you brought this up again. I´ve been doing my thing too for Sam and the wife, hoping it´s all as well as possible.

[SamIV]

Thanks all. She is doing a little better. She actually came to the store with me the other day, but we had to leave as soon as we got there. Going see a hearing neurologists next week. Never knew of such a thing. Been off it work for a month now. Money seems to fly out of the bank when you have nothing coming In. But as long as she is improving. Thanks again for the kind thoughts.

[Buddha Pickups]

How's her BP? What are her numbers with and without the BP meds?

I have the same issue.

First, the anxiety can absolutely contribute. The anxiety can be helped by treating the gut. The vast majority of our serotonin and dopamine is produced in the small intestine. Is she taking meds for acid reflux? Killing your stomach acid is a good way to create an environment that is too base/not acidic leaving the door open for bad bacteria to thrive causing anxiety and depression. A very good probiotic over the course of a few months can do wonders.

As far as diagnosis, the scariest is to rule out the possibility of something circulatory going on. Whether it be a weakened artery in risk of popping. This is not as common as the rest below.

The more common would be pulsatile tinnitus, which is the fancy term for hearing your heartbeat in your ear. Stress and anxiety can make you more aware of it, though we all have blood flow very close to our ear canal.
Does the thumping coincide with her heart rate?

The other common causes could be ear muscle spasms. Can be from tmj or just a simple dysfunction of the ear muscles. This can sometimes be in response to sound.

My problem I believe is eustachian tube dysfunction. The treatment is the insertion of a small balloon in your eustachian tube and inflating it. The eustachian tube is a small tube that connects your throat to your ear.

My thumping only coincides with sound if I'm listening to something. If I listen to a video on my phone for example, i get thumping in my right ear. Wreaks havoc on my ability to take peoples blood pressures.
My ear also starting popping excessively with swallowing and yawning a year ago when I had a bad fever and sinus issues for a week. I'm actually not sure if it was covid but it messed my ear up even more. I've had the thumping tinnitus for 10+ years.

It can certainly be frustrating to diagnose and I've been to at least 6 ENTs.

Let me know if you have any questions or need any more info on some treatments for each.

I dont treat tinnitus as a therapist but I do treat BPPV frequently (vertigo and dizziness from ear dysfunction).

I'm still not 100% but mine is either ear muscle spasms or eustachian tube dysfunction.

[LightWingStudios]

Get an MRI of her head. Something may be amiss there.

[uwmcscott]

I have been affected by tinnitus, both regular and pulsile ( hearing your heard beat in your ears ) for about as long as I can remember. When I was very young I used to get horrendous ear infections constantly, to the point of my eardrums rupturing multiple times. I had tubes put in my ears at one point but that was also back when it was somewhat new and most ent's I've talked with feel that it is all rooted back in damage done during that time. I do not have high blood pressure thankfully, both my dad and brother do though.

I've eventually just learned to live with it. I've dealt with anxiety over the years too and that definitely exacerbates the situation, but for the most part I really don't notice it unless I think about it. Exercise does make it worse ( the pulsile kind ) or loud sounds. I like to shoot firearms and especially at an indoor range, even if I wear ear plugs with muffs over the top, after a while I sometimes get a little lightheaded/dizzy.

I wish I could give you and answer but I've never found one that makes it completely go away. Working on the Anxiety piece was big, and not just in that area - @Buddha Pickups is right that your mind can literally manifest physical symptoms.

[SamIV]

How's her BP? What are her numbers with and without the BP meds?

I have the same issue.

First, the anxiety can absolutely contribute. The anxiety can be helped by treating the gut. The vast majority of our serotonin and dopamine is produced in the small intestine. Is she taking meds for acid reflux? Killing your stomach acid is a good way to create an environment that is too base/not acidic leaving the door open for bad bacteria to thrive causing anxiety and depression. A very good probiotic over the course of a few months can do wonders.

As far as diagnosis, the scariest is to rule out the possibility of something circulatory going on. Whether it be a weakened artery in risk of popping. This is not as common as the rest below.

The more common would be pulsatile tinnitus, which is the fancy term for hearing your heartbeat in your ear. Stress and anxiety can make you more aware of it, though we all have blood flow very close to our ear canal.
Does the thumping coincide with her heart rate?

The other common causes could be ear muscle spasms. Can be from tmj or just a simple dysfunction of the ear muscles. This can sometimes be in response to sound.

My problem I believe is eustachian tube dysfunction. The treatment is the insertion of a small balloon in your eustachian tube and inflating it. The eustachian tube is a small tube that connects your throat to your ear.

My thumping only coincides with sound if I'm listening to something. If I listen to a video on my phone for example, i get thumping in my right ear. Wreaks havoc on my ability to take peoples blood pressures.
My ear also starting popping excessively with swallowing and yawning a year ago when I had a bad fever and sinus issues for a week. I'm actually not sure if it was covid but it messed my ear up even more. I've had the thumping tinnitus for 10+ years.

It can certainly be frustrating to diagnose and I've been to at least 6 ENTs.

Let me know if you have any questions or need any more info on some treatments for each.

I dont treat tinnitus as a therapist but I do treat BPPV frequently (vertigo and dizziness from ear dysfunction).

I'm still not 100% but mine is either ear muscle spasms or eustachian tube dysfunction.

Lots to look into here. Thanks @Buddha Pickups. She is not taking a thing for gerd. She has been on blood pressure meds for around four years. Going to take as much of this information down as I Can to ask the Neurologist this week coming. She does not have any vertigo or dizziness. Often gets light headaches Now that she is on a low sodium diet. I prepare all of her food now. Lucky I have a back ground as a chef. She also mentioned that she has lots of ear infections as a kid.

In the beginning she could hear her pulse, now it is way past that. Closest she can describe it is like putting your head out the window of a car going 60 MPh with the wind blowing in your ear. Also said her jaw cracks quite often. She saw a cardiologist over the last four weeks and he said all looked good after extensive testing . But she started seeing an internist who looked over her tests and has some questions about something see sees in her test done on her neck.

See all the very smart and helping people we have here. And he makes great pickups. Thanks so much. Lots to think about here.

[SamIV]

I have been affected by tinnitus, both regular and pulsile ( hearing your heard beat in your ears ) for about as long as I can remember. When I was very young I used to get horrendous ear infections constantly, to the point of my eardrums rupturing multiple times. I had tubes put in my ears at one point but that was also back when it was somewhat new and most ent's I've talked with feel that it is all rooted back in damage done during that time. I do not have high blood pressure thankfully, both my dad and brother do though.

I've eventually just learned to live with it. I've dealt with anxiety over the years too and that definitely exacerbates the situation, but for the most part I really don't notice it unless I think about it. Exercise does make it worse ( the pulsile kind ) or loud sounds. I like to shoot firearms and especially at an indoor range, even if I wear ear plugs with muffs over the top, after a while I sometimes get a little lightheaded/dizzy.

I wish I could give you and answer but I've never found one that makes it completely go away. Working on the Anxiety piece was big, and not just in that area - @Buddha Pickups is right that your mind can literally manifest physical symptoms.

She never had a issue with anxiety before. But this has caused her now to be on meds. This noise has been going on for 4 months now.

[SamIV]

Get an MRI of her head. Something may be amiss there.

She had an MRI done last week. There is an area behind each ear that is in question. Going to present the finding to the neurologist next week.

So many intelligent people who play guitar. Thanks for all of the knowledge, well wishes and wisdom. She is having a good day today. Low noise and no headache. I made her some coonass chicken stew and smothered green beans for lunch. No salt of course. She still stays in bed mostly, because it keeps her calm and the noise low. Also bought her a free standing AC to keep her cooler. Going through menopause as well and seems to always be hot

[Buddha Pickups]

How's her BP? What are her numbers with and without the BP meds?

I have the same issue.

First, the anxiety can absolutely contribute. The anxiety can be helped by treating the gut. The vast majority of our serotonin and dopamine is produced in the small intestine. Is she taking meds for acid reflux? Killing your stomach acid is a good way to create an environment that is too base/not acidic leaving the door open for bad bacteria to thrive causing anxiety and depression. A very good probiotic over the course of a few months can do wonders.

As far as diagnosis, the scariest is to rule out the possibility of something circulatory going on. Whether it be a weakened artery in risk of popping. This is not as common as the rest below.

The more common would be pulsatile tinnitus, which is the fancy term for hearing your heartbeat in your ear. Stress and anxiety can make you more aware of it, though we all have blood flow very close to our ear canal.
Does the thumping coincide with her heart rate?

The other common causes could be ear muscle spasms. Can be from tmj or just a simple dysfunction of the ear muscles. This can sometimes be in response to sound.

My problem I believe is eustachian tube dysfunction. The treatment is the insertion of a small balloon in your eustachian tube and inflating it. The eustachian tube is a small tube that connects your throat to your ear.

My thumping only coincides with sound if I'm listening to something. If I listen to a video on my phone for example, i get thumping in my right ear. Wreaks havoc on my ability to take peoples blood pressures.
My ear also starting popping excessively with swallowing and yawning a year ago when I had a bad fever and sinus issues for a week. I'm actually not sure if it was covid but it messed my ear up even more. I've had the thumping tinnitus for 10+ years.

It can certainly be frustrating to diagnose and I've been to at least 6 ENTs.

Let me know if you have any questions or need any more info on some treatments for each.

I dont treat tinnitus as a therapist but I do treat BPPV frequently (vertigo and dizziness from ear dysfunction).

I'm still not 100% but mine is either ear muscle spasms or eustachian tube dysfunction.

Lots to look into here. Thanks @Buddha Pickups. She is not taking a thing for gerd. She has been on blood pressure meds for around four years. Going to take as much of this information down as I Can to ask the Neurologist this week coming. She does not have any vertigo or dizziness. Often gets light headaches Now that she is on a low sodium diet. I prepare all of her food now. Lucky I have a back ground as a chef. She also mentioned that she has lots of ear infections as a kid.

In the beginning she could hear her pulse, now it is way past that. Closest she can describe it is like putting your head out the window of a car going 60 MPh with the wind blowing in your ear. Also said her jaw cracks quite often. She saw a cardiologist over the last four weeks and he said all looked good after extensive testing . But she started seeing an internist who looked over her tests and has some questions about something see sees in her test done on her neck.

See all the very smart and helping people we have here. And he makes great pickups. Thanks so much. Lots to think about here.

Based on the jaw connection, id lean towards that and it's connection to the ear anatomy but anxiety can certainly be exacerbating or possibility manifesting.

Window open swooshing sounds similar to mine. It's not similar to a heartbeat but more like a fluttering. Mine can go as fast as 150bpm so ive since ruled out pulsatile tinnitus as the 2 aren't beating in tandem.
Hopefully the area near her mastoid/behind ear isn't anything.

Based on the tmj issue and the anxiety, a good chiropractor might help too. Alot specialize in jaw/ear issues