Sadly, I can't use copy holders (have tried). They set off my neck trouble. In fact any form of looking from screen to anything is bad for the neck, it's just that it now affects the balance as well.

I suspect you're right about the pulse. It was that sort of timing. It's gone at present, but I'm sure it will be back again. I can already see the possibility that I'll end up playing quiet music at night just to mask the sound.

There are so many possible causes of tinnitus that it's hard to know where to start. (Impacted wisdom teeth are one of the minor options, ranging all the way up to things like Meniere's disease - although Meniere's really appears to be a catch-phrase for "well, you have all the symptoms, but we don't really know much about it and can't fix it"