Hearing heartbeat in right ear constantly :(

hollyb101

New Member

Joined : May 2011

Posts : 9

Posted 11/2/2011 11:32 PM (GMT 0)

Hi all,

I was hoping that you may be able to provide some solace / advice.

For the past 8 months (on and off) I've been hearing a whooshing of my heart beat in my right ear and it is really frustrating and a cause of my constant worry and anxiety. It's not all the time, but is most apparent in the evenings, or if I'm lying / sitting in certain positions. I've seen the doctor about it and they've put me on decongestants, but don't seem to think it's anything to worry about. Unfortunately, I have committed the cardinal sin and googled my symptoms and have since convinced myself I have a brain tumor. I also suffer from anxiety so it's hard for me to separate the reality from my fears. The doctors seem to think there would be more sinister symptoms if the situation was more serious but I can't help thinking it's something scary :-(

Any sort of advice would be hugely appreciated.

Holly

Scaredy Cat

Elite Member

Joined : Sep 2006

Posts : 28868

Posted 11/3/2011 2:39 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Holly and welcome to the A/P board:) I am sorry that you are being bothered by this problem and that it is causing you anxiety. Catastrophizing symptoms is very common with health anxiety...we see so many posts like yours, and brain tumors are on the top of the list of worries! You are so not alone:)

The anxious brain seems unable to accept that anxiety alone is causing our symptoms, so it seeks to find a reason to attach it to. Unfortunatley, many times the reason is the worst case senario.

Have you looked into therapy to help you with your fears? Many of us here have struggled with health anxiety and been greatly helped by CBT. In this type of therapy, you learn to turn your anxious thinking around, and gain control though constructive and positive thought processes.

Another thing to consider is that your audio problems could be caused by something benign and treatalbe. Make sure to rule out middle/inner ear infection, tinnitus, ect...

I hope that this is helpful to you. I'm sure you will be hearing from others as well.

Take care and post with us anytime!

Scaredy Cat

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