I've noticed a very clear pattern. Whenever I get extreme fatigue, my ears start ringing. Sometimes, it happens shortly before the fatigue hits me, but usually it happens a little while after I start feeling extremely tired. This isn't normal sleepiness, it's the total run-down exhaustion that Sjogren's causes. When it hits me, I have to lay down. I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about.
My question is, what connection could it have with my ears ringing? It happens every single time the fatigue hits me. There has to be some kind of connection. The "ringing" isn't the typical continuous high pitched ringing that everyone probably gets once in a while. It's more of a disorganized kind of ringing, almost like a pulsating. I hope that makes sense. It's high pitched, but not a continuous sound. I'm sorry, I'm probably not describing it very well. It's hard to describe. But there is definitely some kind of connection. I feel extremely tired, and my ears are ringing right now as I'm typing this.
This never happened before all the autoimmune problems hit me.
Have any of you ever experienced this?
I had inflamation in my ears and trouble with my ear drum that the ent said was because of my auto immune illnesses. I had that sound a lot and had to have ear surgery after that I haven't had it as much. I noticed it more when I was fatigued.
I have heard that there is an ear issue a little different from actual tinnitus that is more in line with hearing ones heartbeat. Is that what you are experiencing? Mayo clinic had a decent write up on it that you may want to check out. I do notice more symptoms popping up when I am SS fatigued too. That's not uncommon. I just assume its part of things being flaired up, in general.
PB What kind of issues were you having and what kind of surgery? I have had tinnitus for a long while but its gotten considerably worse over the last few months. Definitely something I will be bringing up at next appt.
Well, the "ringing" is very strange. It definitely does not sound like my heartbeat. (Although I know what you mean, I've had that kind of throbbing or ringing in my ears before, a long time ago, before I had anything related to autoimmune problems). This is something completely different - it's disorganized, without any kind of distinct rhythm. I only said "pulsating" because I really just couldn't find any other word to describe it. I guess if I tried to find a better way to describe it, it almost sounds like a radio with a bad reception, faint hissing going in and out. It's so hard to describe. But it always happens when I get that extreme fatigue. I'm beginning to wonder if it might be something going on with my brain or nervous system. It really seems like something going on with the nerves instead of my ears themselves. All I know for sure is that whenever I suddenly get extremely tired during the day, I start hearing the noise.
It's been going on since I started getting all the other symptoms, but now I can see there is definitely a pattern. In fact, sometimes the "ringing" has actually given me a tiny bit of forewarning that I'm about to get hit with fatigue.