Pounding noise from Herceptin or??

Rich66 · 07-10-2009, 02:50 PM

Mom has had this thing at times where she asks me if I hear a pounding noise.."thump, thump" etc. I never do. It's been brought up but the only suggestion from an NP was Claritin. Mom also has the Herceptin runny nose and some congestion but I figured I would ask if anyone has thoughts.

juanita · 07-10-2009, 03:05 PM

ever since i did the herceptin i swear i can hear my pulse in my right ear, and always have this pressure feeling there. can't find any reason for this and i think the drs think i'm crazy. let me know what you find out.

Laurel · 07-10-2009, 03:37 PM

How's your Mom's BP?

07-11-2009, 11:30 AM

I had the same sensation while on herceptin. I thought I heard a phone on vibrate. I saw a substitute onc and she didn't seem to take me seriously. It happened about 4 times.
Marilyn

Rich66 · 07-14-2009, 10:24 AM

Wow...I didn't mention it but Mom hears the pounding mainly in the right ear too. She doesn't think it's pulse but maybe they could monitor pulse at clinic and ask her if it is in sync.
Her BP is generally normal. But when she first sat down at her last infusion it was initially elevated. Maybe next time she hears it we'll check it with a home style monitor. Maybe it happens during a BP spike?

Laurel · 07-14-2009, 05:17 PM

Another thought, Rich, with our ever plagued sinuses we sometimes have fluid trapped behind our eardrums. It can can cause a multitude of sensations. I feel a "flutter" deep within my ear. When I am quite congested my hearing is affected. The pressure at times can become very uncomfortable. I also know, and the reason for my BP inquiry, that some folks have a pounding in their ears with elevated BP.

Rich66 · 07-14-2009, 11:04 PM

She also feels occasional pain in the right ear and sore throat on the right side. Anyone tried Claritin D or the like for this?

Karen Wheel · 07-15-2009, 08:31 AM

Wow - I thought I was crazy - but I too have a sensation of a pulsating in my ears - and I asked the doctors here about it and they said it was a sign that my blood pressure was high - so they started checking my pressure every day and its low 80/100 .... so they think I am crazy too... however I have the sensation mostly when I lie down to sleep - it seems like a rushing sound almost and I hear what seems to be my heart in my head --- I was trying to ignore it but now I guess others have this too, so must be the Herceptin...

juanita · 07-15-2009, 02:47 PM

take claritin every day and that has made no difference. and my blood pressure is always low so that's not it. different sounds seem to make it worse.

margo · 07-24-2009, 08:17 AM

I have the same problem in my right ear and the same sinus issues. My oncologist states that it is caused by my anemia. However, he sent me to a specialist for testing and a functional MRI (fMRI). The otolaryngologist stated it is a drug-induced side effect of the carboplatin. Platins are considered to be ototoxic. So, in my case it is proabably a combination of the two causes.

Reference website:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2686891
"Tinnitus is also a side effect of some oral medications, such as salicylates, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, aminoglycoside antibiotics, loop diuretics, and chemotherapy agents (e.g., platins and vincristine)."

The otolaryngologist had me use a sound therapy device (at night) that produces soft sounds, and it helped me. The pulsatile tinnitus has not gone away completely; however, there is much less noise and I am getting more sleep.

Hope this helps.

Ellie F · 07-24-2009, 09:07 AM

Hi I have also had the pressure feeling in my ears and an occasional pulsating sound.It was there when I was just on herceptin and I wondered if it was related to the bunged up sinus problems. I had3 months off herceptin and by the third month it had completely resolved. Now back on taxotere with herceptin and it's back again. It used to make me feel slightly light-headed and dizzy also.

Ellie

BonnieR · 07-24-2009, 10:58 AM

How interesting. I have been trouble shooting a pressure in my right ear/temple area for several months. Now wonder if it is related to tx.
You learn something every day here!

Rich66 · 07-26-2009, 08:18 PM

This is very interesting, considering it seems to be collectively viewed as isolated symptoms. (?) Margo..What kind of sound therapy device do you use?

juanita · 07-27-2009, 11:31 AM

will print this off and take it to my pcp when i go later this month.

margo · 07-27-2009, 02:31 PM

Hello Rich,

The otolaryngologist gave me a list of three. The second one I purchased was from Brookstone. It has three categories of sound: relax, sleep, and renew. It was called tranquil moments. I have the travel size.

The key is to get a unit that allows fine tuning of the sound in small increments. The otolaryngologist stated that the brain begins to "over focus" on the pulsatile tinnitus and it actually becomes louder (auditory habituation). The tinnitus eventually becomes a deep pathway that the brain cannot avoid or go around.

The sound therapy is a form of retraining the brain and making the tinnitus pathway shallower.

During the first week, I used an earphone in my right ear, because the pulsatile tinnitus was so loud. I really stuck with this therapy and after 2.5 months the sound had diminished considerably. I hope this helps your mother. Let me know if you need additional information.

I wonder about the Herceptin effects too.