Hello I would like to know from those that had pulsatile tinnitus before the surgery and had it disappear after, did it go immediately or did it take a while?
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Mine went fairly soon afterwards I think, my other vascular symptoms did too, but I was lucky & I hadn’t had those symptoms for as long as others have…and from reading many post-op stories on here that does seem to be unusual!
Have you had surgery, or are you still considering where to go?
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Hi just had mine Tuesday brain fog gone but pt still there 
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@markp - Tinnitus is usually one of the later symptoms to resolve after IJV decompression. It can take a number of months for the brain to adjust to a new level of blood flow. Also, many of our members who’ve had bilateral IJV compression have reported that their tinnitus didn’t go away until both sides had been decompressed. If I recall, you only had one IJV that was compromised so hopefully this surgery will be the only one you need to get good results.
ES surgeries in general can have slow recoveries due to nerves being very slow to heal. Try continuing to sleep w/ head elevation at night to see if that helps reduce your tinnitus at all. If head/shoulders elevation during rest makes symptoms worse, it’s best to sleep in whatever your more normal position is.
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Glad that you were able to have surgery, it’s still very early days & you’ll still have internal swelling…if you’re thinking is clearer already then that’s a real positive, try to focus on that … Where did you opt for surgery in the end , UK or Turkey, & did you need a C1 shave? If you’re well enough to answer questions…Praying you heal well and that the surgery is successful 
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Though I have been diagnosed with pulsatile bilateral tinnitus, I could never hear it actually pulsating. It was constant, extreme and of an almost deafening nature, and I could easily increase the high-pitched volume with head, neck, jaw and scalp movements. After right side decompression, there was a significant and welcome reduction, noticeable right after surgery, but it has not completely disappeared after five months. Last week I had the left side decompressed with a similar result. I’ll use a snow shoveling analogy: There was a blizzard of tinnitus in my whole head prior to first surgery. Now, that that side of the driveway has been shoveled, snow is still falling over there, though more lightly. After the VERY heavy snow was shoveled (by a surgeon in Arizona!) from the left side of the driveway last week, it’s still falling there, too, but again much more gently. I can still modulate the noise (increase the volume, that is), but not nearly as easily as before. Though I had many other symptoms of Eagle, it was the years of screaming tinnitus that pushed me to get proper diagnosis. So, as was the most critical symptom of mine, I am noticing what changes and what doesn’t and will make reports to various doctors I’ve seen about it, especially Dr Nakaji. I’ll gladly accept these post-decompression improvements and, who knows, perhaps it will disappear completely over time. However, if I’m left with some tinnitus after, say, a few more months, I may decide to live with it or explore stents, if future imaging shows I could possibly use them. To sum up, I’m definitely right on top of my tinnitus at this point in time. I do owe it to myself, though, to be vigilant after having suffered severely for decades and I think I owe it to the medical scientists who want first-hand updates from patients in regard to improvements. As some cases of pulsatile tinnitus seem to be directly related to Eagle Syndrome, I think all information would be welcomed in helping to further the science.
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Hi there- I’m 8 months post-op, and I had tinnitus in both ears prior to surgery, although the exact sound I heard was different in each ear. The ear that was only a high pitched ringing sound improved immediately after surgery and has never returned. But the ear that had the whooshing, pulsing sound like what you’re talking about? Yes, that sound hung around for a while, then went away completely for a while, and I now do have it intermittently still, but it’s much better and is not constant anymore. Like, it goes away and then returns only occasionally, so it’s way better than before. But that ear did take time 
Here with you though. I get it. Hang in there! One thing that helped me when it was still bad was using an air purifier and noise machine to create ambient noise in my home so that it didn’t drive me completely crazy.
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I have had bilateral ijv decompression. Always constant tinnitus in left which seemed better immediately after surgery and then returned. and since surgery now i have it occasionally in the right. Such an annoying symptom! But finding out i still have compression, needing possible stent, journey continues
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@Rainbow - Do mind telling us who did your surgery? I’m so glad you’ve had a good outcome & appreciate you sharing details of your recovery, or mostly so, from tinnitus. That’s encouraging! Also your advice about using a “noise machine” for background sound to help distract from the tinnitus when it was more of a problem is a good suggestion. I just got a hearing aid for my left ear which has chronic loud tinnitus. It makes a soft sound that’s designed to help me be less aware of the tinnitus. Jury is still out as to whether it’s helping or not.
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@birdie1, I’m sorry that your IJVs haven’t stayed open in spite of the decompression surgeries you’ve had. Did Dr. Nakaji suggest doing a venoplasty to see if that helps or are stents the only option you have now?
I have been anxiously waiting for a phone call appt i have scheduled with dr Mehta next week. So i hope he can offer me some type of treatment. Then i can forget about this long wait for Dr Fargen, and i have checked back with his office several times and my info is correct. I just don’t understand their scheduling process, very frustrating.
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Yes, my surgery was done by Dr. Payam Entezami at the Mayo Clinic in AZ. But I only got in to see him because I was referred by Dr. Adam Kravietz at AoC Arizona Otolaryngology Consultants in Scottsdale, who knew practically right away that ES was what I had. And Dr. Kravietz was medical provider number 22, so it was a LONG journey to get there! All my symptoms are mostly gone now, except that do still have the GPN which affects my throat which affects my vocal freedom. So Dr. Entezami referred me to the neurology department at Mayo and is redoing all my MRIs by the Mayo team to make sure nothing else is bothering that nerve. So hopefully we can get my last remaining symptom sorted out!
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Thank you for the information, @Rainbow. I’ll add Dr. Entezami to our Doctors List with a note about needing to be referred by Dr. Kravietz. I’m really glad you’ve had such a good outcome. Having had to see 22 doctors before you finally got a diagnosis is just pathetic! How can so many doctors be so uninformed about ES?! We have a number of members who’ve been down that path though. 
Please let us know what you find out once you’ve got some information from the neurology department. I hope something is found so that a solution can be suggested. Since your voice being affected, too, your vagus nerve may also be involved vs just your glossopharyngeal nerve since the vagus plays a primary role in vocal cord function. It would be worth considering that nerve as well.
We have members who’ve had residual nerve pain, & the ultimate solution was to take a low dose of a nerve pain medication for the long-term which has been very helpful for them.
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@birdie1 - I also hope for you that Dr. Mehta can be of help. Please let us know how your appointment with him goes.
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I’m glad that you were able to get treatment- eventually! And that your surgery has helped with the symptoms, hoping the last one can get resolved!
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