Pulsatile tinnitus when I wake up in the morning, getting worried

[ButterscotchLatte]

Hey everyone, I hope this is okay to post. The past couple months I've noticed that I keep waking up every few days to what I can only describe as the sound of a screaming goose in my right ear, in perfect rhythm with my heartbeat. It goes away after I sit up and get out of whatever position I was sleeping in. I have been feeling very unwell the past month or so. Headaches, dizziness, vertigo, muscle aches and tension, and numbness/tingling on the right side of my face. My doctors assumed I had something viral at first so they just told me to rest. That didn't help and the numbness in my face was getting worse so my doctor came to the conclusion that it was probably sinus related and gave me antibiotics for that. It didn't help. The past few days I have slowly started to dissociate as the day goes on until I'm in full blown panic mode when night hits. My anxiety is through the roof and I haven't experienced this level of derealization in years. Today I woke up to the pulsing screaming in my right ear again. I've also been having severe pain and migraines on just my right side, worse than ever so far as of today. I have noticed this only happens when I wake up and realize I've been sleeping HARD on my right side. I did some googling (I know, I know, don't google) and learned about intermittent pulsatile tinnitus. Along with my other symptoms, it really sounds like I'm compressing my carotid artery and disrupting blood flow to my brain on the right side while I sleep. This could cause an aneurysm to build and rupture, or cause me to have a stroke. I'm so freaked out. I'm also having severe shortness of breath right now which started the last hour or so. Its like deep in my chest and throat it itches really bad and aches if I try to breathe in all the way, like I just went jogging in cold weather and I'm trying to catch my breath. Absolutely terrified that I'm going to die tonight in my sleep or something. I've been panicking all day so bad I forgot to eat. My whole right upper body hurts. I can't see my doctor until Monday, so I will have to sit with this all weekend unless I go to the emergency room, and I'd really rather not do that. Does anyone else have any experience with this sort of thing? The shortness of breath is making me so worried that I've caused myself some sort of aneurysm in my aorta. So scared to sleep for fear of making it worse. I seem to automatically end up sleeping on that side no matter how I fall asleep.

[ButterscotchLatte]

Should also mention since the chest pain started, my cheeks and forehead have been red and extremely hot. Not sure if I have a fever. No thermometer because I check obsessively if I own one. No chills though.

[ButterscotchLatte]

Sorry for updating so much, just thought I should mention I'm definitely running a fever now and feeling exhausted and foggy in the head like I've got the flu. Its getting late and I really don't want to go to the hospital if I don't need to. Fevers terrify me especially when I don't know the cause. I should probably add that I took a Diflucan/Fluconazole today for oral thrush due to the antibiotics I was on. I've taken it before, fairly recently, and had no side effects. But maybe that has something to do with it? My face seems to be fluctuating in heat. Not sure if this is related to my sleeping too hard problem. I'm trying really hard not to let my OCD get the better of me and get me focused on a very specific deadly virus that I fear /:

[ButterscotchLatte]

I slept on my left side throughout the night, the other night, and it didn't happen at all. Last night I accidentally rolled over onto my right side while I was asleep apparently, and I just woke up with the entire right side of my face feeling weirdly numb (before it was just the upper half) and the screaming pulses again. There is pain and stiffness in the right side of my neck, especially where my carotid is. I really think I'm kinking my artery while I'm asleep or something and cutting off blood flow to the right side of my face, head and brain. This really scares me because I've read that we can only survive about a minute with one of those cut off before permanent damage can happen, and the damage can come on weeks or even months later. So scared I have an aneurysm. Was trying to hold out until Monday so I could see my regular doctor but I think I may need to go to the emergency room today because this cannot be good.

[Fishmanpa]

I'm trying really hard not to let my OCD get the better of me and get me focused on a very specific deadly virus that I fear /:

Its apparent you have something going on and your OCD and HA are going down the rabbit hole but you're making mountains out of molehills here. If you have a fever and are feeling bad, its worth a visit to the doctor or urgent care but the ER? Nahhh.... Get tested for COVID as well if you go. Sounds like you may have a bug or virus but most definitely NOT your worst fear ;)

FMP

[kyllikki]

FMP is right here -- but if you can, I would try to see an ENT. Bring the exact list of symptoms you described above. There's no shortage of (Common! Treatable! Non-fatal!) things this can be, and they'll be best positioned to check it out for you.

I have positional PT in one ear myself, along with its asynchronous brother, MEM in the same ear. I personally find the MEM even worse.
Both get WAY worse when my anxiety rises. So far imaging has turned up nothing but some normal variant anatomy.

Good luck to you.