Humming Sound in Left Ear

#31
Hi all
This is also my first post, but the symptoms and surrounding effects are identical in that other sounds can mask or even mute the hum, but it then comes back louder than before.

My story differs a lot from most. I'm 95% sure this all started from me being on holiday and swimming on my back and water entered my left ear. From then, I had a strange sensation of muffled sound but expected it soon would clear up. From time to time, the sound seemed to correct itself but then it would maybe return a few days later (no hum experienced yet at this point).
When I returned back to the Uk, I seemed to have a couple of minor colds and I decided to go to the Doctor after it didn't seem like this was going to correct itself - he checked and said there was wax in that ear and to use olive oil to clear the wax. I was going between two different phases, the first would be where there was sound and my ear would try to compete with it, but there was silence in a quiet room, the second is as you have all described, humming noise in the quiet, but reducing with competing sounds until they go quiet and the hum is back to ruin sleep time etc!

I'm going to try the Doctor again as this has been 2 months since the swimming and water entering my ear. It's very worrying to imagine that this noise could be there permanently.
 
#32
Lily rata said:
Hi everyone, this is my first time posting. It's so good to see other people with the same problem. I got to work this morning and had a wee cry at my desk (I start at 7am so there's no one around then!). Have pulled myself together again now :) I've had a hum in my right ear for about a year. Sometimes it goes away, then it starts again by 'fluttering' and vibrating off and on, and in about 20 minutes progresses to a constant droning hum. Weirdly I have really numb/tender teeth and sore facial muscles. My TMJ dentist and chiropractor all say the jaw is aligned ok and there are no obvious problems apart from slight wear on the teeth from clenching. So I really don't know if it's muscle spasms, tension or a blood vessel pressing on the auditory nerve, or just something else completely random.
Sometimes when I'm stressed it gets worse, but then other times I'm relaxed so... doctors are baffled...could it really just be all in our "heads"?? :) Anyway so nice to see others here and to share our stories. OUaT I'm sorry it hasn't gone away for you either. I hope you are all keeping it together and not doing too much crying at your desks :)
Click to expand...

Hi Lily,

Your description of a 'fluttering' and vibration is exactly what I sometimes experience with my hum. It's as if there is an electric current running through my auditory canal. I've had this off an on for nearly 20 years. In the beginning, I sunk into depression the likes of which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I couldn't sleep or enjoy anything. I felt like a freak. Listening to music or talking on the telephone made the humming worse. And unlike a lot of the more high-pitched tinnitus sounds (which I also have - lucky me), I haven't been able to habituate to it. It's so painful and distracting, it sucks all the life out of me when it peaks. The good news for me is that it will mysteriously go away for periods of up to a year, and I'll think I'm "cured". But then it will return (like it did a few days ago), and the misery starts all over again.

I've had to accept the fact that I will most likely have to deal with this for the rest of my life. I'm 55, so it's unlikely a cure or treatment will be found in my lifetime. I've been on the same antidepressant (Lexapro) for nearly ten years, so I may consider asking my doctor about a change. It may help me cope when the humming gets unbearable.
 
#33
MariaH said:
Hello everyone!
I've had tinnitus for over a year which started after taking anti-depressants. I had started getting better recently (some of the sounds were actually reducing), but just over a week ago I started noticing a really loud humming in my left ear. Its like being on a boat with a big diesel engine. First it came and went, but now its pretty much constant. :(
The strange thing is that it goes away when I hum and when I hear a plane taking off in the distance, although it then comes back immediately. So strange!
The sounds I got from medication were all high pitched and sounded almost electronic + morse code, but this is quite a different story. The humming is very difficult to mask as it feels like it takes over my whole head. Its really like being on a plane or boat.
I've had no recent changes in stress levels, diet or life style. The only thing is that I've been wearing my ear plugs a lot recently to protect my ears from loud wind and city noise. I must confess that after wearing them for many hours, my ears feel a little humid inside. Maybe this has something to do with it? I've taken a break from wearing them for 5 days now, but the humming is still there.
Has anyone else experienced something similar?? Gosh it feels like I'm back at square one. :unsure:
Thank you so much for any advice or experiences you are willing to share with me!
Nina
Click to expand...
I also have low frequency humming sound (like a motor) in my head, and it disappears when I make a humming sound with my own voice. The humming in my head re-appears about half a second or a second after I stop making sound with my voice. My tinnitus (humming sound) is probably a side-effect of infectious encephalitis and meningitis I had 30 years ago when I was very young, and due to 20 to 30 severe brain concussions. MRI scan shows bilateral White Matter Loci in frontal and parietal lobes; and partial "Empty Sella" configuration.
 
#34
Hi everyone. I have just joined this thread as I also suffer from an engine sound in my right ear. It comes and goes and is set off by another sound, for example someone shutting a door. It also stops with the same type of action. My husband snores and that also stops and starts it - thus lack of sleep is an issue.

I went to the doctors about it last year and was booked in for an MRI as they wanted to rule out any tiny tumours etc., The MRI was clear.

I have just realised today that the noise has not happened at yet and it is now 2pm in the afternoon. This prompted me to think about why. I have just retired from work and showered everyday, obviously getting water in my ear but for the last couple of day I have not showered and this has reduced to almost nothing at the moment - not sure if this has anything to do with it but when I next shower I am going to put a silicone ear plug in that ear and see what happens.

I am sceptical because it's such a bad annoying noise but will have to see if this has got anything to do with just plain water in the ear. I will be annoyed if it is but also extremely happy!!

I can fully understand how people feel and unfortunately other people do not realise how bad it is.
 
#35
I just got mine last night, when I was done watching videos on YouTube with my headphones on. I was going to sleep till I hear this him, I was freaking out and worry. Should I see a doctor? I need help.
 
#36
Suffer with the hum, mainly at home and sometimes parking up in the car outside home. It's more prevalent when going to bed. I went away for the New Year, to Italy and never heard it! Should I go to see my GP?
 
#39
My tinnitus is more of a hissing sound... Sometimes in my right ear, sometimes my left ear,sometimes in the middle of my head... The level of the hissing varies from day to day... There seems to be a certain amplitude below which my brain copes with it and I function normally... But there is a threshold, which if exceeded, my brain can't handle and I have a horrible day coping with the hissing... Been to doctors and ENT's and the only think they suspect is I have had a bad loss of all high frequency hearing in both ears... The ENT says my brain might be trying to compensate for the hearing loss and this is creating the phantom hissing in my head... I notice it's much worse while in my house watching the TV... It's lowest when I am outdoors as if the frequency response of the ambient environment I am in affects the tinnitus... Weird... I sleep with white noise on my computer running and it seems to help me get a better sleep...
 
#40
@valeri Hey Valeri, I've been meaning to send you a note. I just stared Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy in NYC last Wednesday. I have to go once a week. I feel positive and pray this technique can help me move on. I have habituated 2 times now in 4 years... now I am trying to habituate for a 3rd time. It has been a long road for me. I just continue to look for something that may work for me...at least a little.

How are you doing?? How do you mask the hum? Is there anything that helps you?? I was reading here last night that someone said that with lots of hot steams he can get rid of his hum for a while... I didn't bookmark it and now I cant find that thread... I hope you are doing better these days. Big hug. Mary
 
#42
OnceUponaTime said:
@valeri Hey Valeri, I've been meaning to send you a note. I just stared Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy in NYC last Wednesday. I have to go once a week. I feel positive and pray this technique can help me move on. I have habituated 2 times now in 4 years... now I am trying to habituate for a 3rd time. It has been a long road for me. I just continue to look for something that may work for me...at least a little.

How are you doing?? How do you mask the hum? Is there anything that helps you?? I was reading here last night that someone said that with lots of hot steams he can get rid of his hum for a while... I didn't bookmark it and now I cant find that thread... I hope you are doing better these days. Big hug. Mary
Click to expand...

Good to hear from you, hope it helps.
Is the drone noise still present and bothersome? Can you mask?
 
#44
I also have the same. Started maybe 3 months ago when we lived in another house. Just out the blue could hear a really loud rumbling noise like a car was approaching but never did. We do live on a road but a quiet road. It was a relief when a car did command go past but then the low hum would still be there. I spent night wandering around outside in the dead of night trying to find cause. But could not really hear it outside. After a few nights (could hear it in the day but less so) it seemed to stop. Then to started a few weeks later. Then we moved to a new house and while not as bad and definitely not as loud I can hear it, especially at night. We are again in a village at the end of a lane. It now seems mainly in my left ear. If I put my finger in my ear it stops.

I have seen an ENT although did not mention the noise just had a general examination and he did not find anything. I have used ear sprays to clean my ears.

If I hold my nose and blow and keep the pressure up it stops that hum noise and I can just "hear" the pressure in my head and my heart beat (I think). When I stop the hum is gone for maybe a second until it starts again.

Worried its something more sinister. I can live with it and does not stop me sleeping. Just having lost a few family members to cancer over the last couple of years now rather paranoid.

But I can't find any reference to any brain cancers or tumours etc causing this symptom except maybe one that is nearly always benign anyway.
 
#45
Rachel hi, I have exactly the same where if I block my left ear for a bit or blow and hold it makes the hum go away. Sometimes it goes but sometimes it comes back after a few seconds. What the hell is it? T as I know it as I have been living with the high pitch ringing for 11 years doesn't stop or go away when you plug 9our ears. This leads me to think it is something physical happening in our ears like a vibration of the bones or little muscles or even the eardrum because when you plug your ears you're creating pressure, possibly stopping vibrations? Mine started 4 months ago but for two months I thought it was coming from outside somewhere so I ignored it until recently I realised it's me! Been to all sorts of specialists and they have not only never hear of it but find it quite funny. Its anything but. At first I could hear it when I stepped out of my car and I'd look up into the sky and I'd take it indoors but it would subside. Nowadays I have noticed driving aggravates it so it's there after driving wife I turn the car off and it's quiet. It subsides after 30 secs or so and is gone until I drive again the next day. In saying that tho sometimes and only maybe three times it hasn't done it so finding the exact cause is hard as it's not consistent. Rachel and anyone else that has the same thing, can we keep in contact with this until someone finds out what it is? I'm on Facebook under gypsy gee and I'm patting the donkey. I see lots of people suffer with something very similar but no definitive answer are ever given. OK please contact me and we can discuss it and compare and maybe cry together
 
#46
Hi everybody. I have been researching why there is humming noise in my ear from time to time and i got an answer for us all finally. When your middle ear ventilation tube is narrowed by allergy or cold, it will accumulate moist and condensate fluid, overtime it submerge part of your eardrum and hearing sensor, it then starts to detect and pickup low frequency sound from lower part of your middle ear tunnel that is right next to lower back of your skull, and your skull is connected to muscle on your neck and next to blood vessels. When there is turbulent blood flow in the blood vessels and spasm in your neck muscle it will send low frequency vibrations to your middle ear tunnel. When your middle ear eustachian tube is blocked or narrowed and with some fluid build up in your middle ear you can hear it more, without fluid hear less. so i experienced it comes and goes depending my neck muscle tension and eu tube function. I tried therapy which relax my neck muscle and lower my blood pressure and keep my middle ear ventilated with flonase and mint gum and it worked everytime. I like to share this and help everyone who suffers from this mysterious and miserable hum.
 
#47
I haven't found this thread myself but I got the exact same hum. Came to me after using earplugs. It varies from unnoticable and it builds up randomly and it has spiked 2 times. It also disappears when I plug my ears and it goes away outside. Then when I'm inside it comes back after 5-15 minutes.

I have it for 3 weeks now but haven't gone to a GP. Should I've done that or what do you guys think? My Eustachian tubes were never really checked out by anyone. Does a GP have the tools to properly check my tubes? I got this sound a week after I visited an ENT and going to one yet again will take another month or so.
 
#49
Hi I'm new to this thread and I too have this constant hum in my left ear. It's been approx a month and it's at its loudest when I'm at home esp when trying to sleep. At times I can even feel the vibration of this hum. I was told that it could be a build up of ear wax and I've been using eardrums for the past week but there's been no improvement. I'm convinced the hum has gotten louder since I started the drops
It's giving me a headache as I also have a high pitched noise alongside it now.
 
#50
I'm back to this forum again.

As expected, my hum came back right after I posted a message where thought I recovered. I underestimated this vicious symptom.

It is hard for anyone to believe how difficult to treat this condition. I myself too went through all kinds of exam to look for the cause.

Now i know it wasn't simply I had eustachian tube dysfunction, ear infection or allergy. Sure thing is the fluid build up behind ear drum triggered it, but that is not all it takes. This humming is possible caused by years of stress at work, too much caffeine, lack of sleep and loud working environment. this was waiting to happen just needed that trigger. My ear is recovered from infection, the fluid behind ear drum cleared within a week but the hum stayed with me even until this moment. The hum did go away for 3 or 4 weekends and came right back on Mondays. it comes and goes but it is always around.

It is almost 3 month since it first started. I lost hope many times. There really isn't a lot to do anymore. I still have to live on. Sometimes too many thoughts really hurt. We all need to be strong and live on.
 
#51
Has anyone tried using hearing aids that pump in sound to get rid of this hum? Many people have mentioned how certain sounds (the fridge, a car passing by, a running motor, etc) can stop the humming/vibrating from happening. I'm curious if anyone has tried hearing aids or tinnitus maskers to help with this condition.
 
#52
I just found this forum this morning. I have tinnitus from time to time. Sometimes I have a very high pitched steady sound but it never lasts long.

My main complaint is a low humming sound that sounds like being on a diesel powered boat. It comes and goes and drives me crazy. At present it is gone. Does anyone have this happen? Will a hearing aid sound masker do any good in this case? It is only in my right ear which has a profound loss as a result of meningitis at the age of two. The left ear is completely deaf.
 
#53
Hi all,
After the hum being gone for a long time, I have now been suffering from the same hum for about a month now. How is everyone else doing?
@ChineseHazel so sorry that I never replied to your message! I only just saw it. I took Mirtazapine.
Maria
 
#55
Hi @OnceUponaTime, sorry for the late reply. Thank you for asking for asking. Yes, after many ups and downs in volume, the hum calmed down about two weeks ago. It's still there from time to time, but much less than when it started. I hope it will continue to improve. When it's there, the hum now feels and sounds more like a muscle spasm inside my ear. Tinnitus continues to be a big mystery to me. (n)
Mariah
 
#56
MariaH said:
I hope it will continue to improve. When it's there, the hum now feels and sounds more like a muscle spasm inside my ear.
Click to expand...
I hope it continues to improve. Have you been taking any medications?
Good to hear from you.
Once
 
#57
Sorry to hear about your situation.

My Tinnitus is also a hum/buzz and it is variable. It is not a high pitch at all or crickets. It is like standing next to a city electrical box or power line. When it pulsates, it sounds like faint bass from a distant stereo in the next room.
 
#59
Hey guys I posted in 2017 after having this hum exactly as everyone describes it for a few months. I've now had it for almost three years. It no longer terrifies me as it did but it's still awful yet, luckily I can sleep fine. Almost like having a soothing engine in the background. When it's not peaking in very quiet enviroments it can start to disappear but will return with noise. Certain sounds like plastic bags, phones or tv will trigger it. I read am interesting post above from someone suggestions it's neck muscles etc which I've been suspecting as my neck and posture are horrid but, how can that produce sound? I can live with it but its the not knowing that's horrible. I guess no one has really found out what causes it for them. What can you do but accept when the docs have no idea themselves? I'd like offer another possibility....... Menopause symptoms?
Long time hum sufferer. Email is sesesito@hotmail.com if anyone wants to direct chat about this. A solution or explanation would be like getting a new life
 
#60
@Opus There's several possibilities to all your mentions above that may some have association to your hum.

Dehydration
Not enough movement for blood flow
Too much or too little D3
Anemia

More so:
Hypertension
Hypertension of neck - lots of bending head down - muscles can straighten c spine and cause artery and vein influence.
Hyperextension of neck - often from a sitting back position with bad posture with SCM muscle influence.
C1 or any part of C spine where the vertebral artery goes thru - jugular vein with narrowing or being twisted - SCM muscles, GERD and that can play to your ears, thyroid as well as the jugular vein. With C1, the occipital area which will increase pressure while laying on back.

Complete blood tests and deep vein venous color ultrasound for neck is often ordered by doctors.

Just a starter article to consider
https://www.centrallakesclinic.biz/cardiology/the-venous-hum.html

I have 1000 pages of notes copied from the best physiotherapy and medical journal professional condition sites that relate to tinnitus. It's incomplete as it should be 2500 pages on notes, but I have most therapy for pulse related conditions.
 

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