New 'Rumbling' Like Tinnitus

[stab]

Recently I've noticed that I have a 'new' type of tinnitus. It is an extremely low pitched sound. Volume is pretty low but audible at night. It sounds like there is a machine or helicopter making noise, but very far away. At the same time, I'm sure it comes from within my head. Really in the middle.

It does seem to vary slightly on the rythm of my heart beat.
I think I have it for a couple of months now.

I already have a (not very loud) constant high pitched tinnitus as wel as a pulsatile humming tinnitus.

What could this new tinnitus be caused by? Are low pitched tinnitus more like to be caused by something serious, like restricted blood flow or tumors or anything?

Anyone any idea or experience?
Thanks!

 

[Karen]

Hi, Stab,

I don't know much about low-pitched tinnitus myself, because mine is like your high-pitched kind. I have a high-pitched hissing-ringing, and a constant pulsating sound, neither of which is in the low ranges.

A couple of questions for you, though:
1. Have you been thoroughly checked out by a doctor? What, if any, tests have you had so far?
2. Are you taking any prescription drugs?
3. Any accidents, or sudden changes in your environment?
4. Any changes in your health status, or recent operations?
5. Have you had a hearing test recently, and do you have any hearing loss?

It's possible that a change in your health may have occurred that you're not aware of that could have affected your tinnitus.

I'll be interested to hear your answers, and about anyone else's experience with low-pitched tinnitus.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[JC Denton]

I've had something akin to this. For me it sounds like a car outside the house with it's engine idling.
It used to be there constantly along with the high pitched sound and the chirruping crickets sound, but then it just seemed to disappear.

 

[Mark L]

had that this morning but always the high pitched whine

 

[Karen]

I'm afraid mine is a constant high-pitched ringing, along with the rumbling undercurrent (which in my case is pulsatile).

@JC Denton , How long have you had tinnitus, and was your rumbling sound constant? It's great that yours has disappeared!

 

[JC Denton]

Yeah, a constant rumbling/deep bass sound for about 3-4 months. Given that i haven't bothered visiting a doctor or had any significant diet or lifestyle changes i'd have to say it just disappeared of it's own accord.
Saying that, i'd much rather have kept the rumble and got rid of the high pitched whining and the crickets.

 

[Mark Griffin]

Ah the old rumbling, i have it and i have noticed that it responds to sound. If i've had a car journey and i walk in to a quite room, the rumbling tone is much louder which settles after a few minutes. It's the strangest thing. I'm no longer bothered by the high pitched sound but its this rumbling which annoys me.

 

[Blacknoise]

Recently I've noticed that I have a 'new' type of tinnitus. It is an extremely low pitched sound. Volume is pretty low but audible at night. It sounds like there is a machine or helicopter making noise, but very far away. At the same time, I'm sure it comes from within my head. Really in the middle.

It does seem to vary slightly on the rythm of my heart beat.
I think I have it for a couple of months now.

I already have a (not very loud) constant high pitched tinnitus as wel as a pulsatile humming tinnitus.

What could this new tinnitus be caused by? Are low pitched tinnitus more like to be caused by something serious, like restricted blood flow or tumors or anything?

Anyone any idea or experience?
Thanks!

From what I know about sound and tinnitus, and as you mentioned, one reason why you're hearing that is some kind of vascular condition you've acquired, maybe from a change in diet or something else.

Otherwise, I have a theory on the low rumbling part myself; low frequency noise exposure. My theory is that if it's noise exposure at the lower spectrum, the different low frequencies that the listener is exposed to are more obviously discordant. Since they are lower tones, the frequencies will noticeably beat against one another causing muddy, deeper, rumbling kind of sound.

I'm still not sure what exactly defines pulsatile tinnitus, but from the looks of it, it's more related to vascular issues as oppose to noise exposure. When it comes to these vascular issues, this is when the weird diets may have chance of improving the condition. If it's noise exposure, probably not.

 

[wishingluck]

Guys, I have exactly the same! My tinnitus started as a low rumble, just like everyone here says, like a car engine parked outside, on idle! Also a very faint high pitch. I had no clue about tinnitus and started searching the aread for current generators, before realizing the noise was generated by myself, after asking some neighbours if they could hear this low rumble (they all said no, of course).

And you know what? I have NEVER been convinced by this hearing loss theory thing. I have had 2 hearing tests and the doctors both said the hearing is FINE, with just a slight dip in the 6000 hz frequencies, in my right ear.
But here's the question: knowing that, first of all, we don't ear in both ears exactly the same, how do I know that the slight dip has not been there for years, and that there some other physiological causes?

THIS is what I am fixating on. These dumb doctors (and they are really bad) just say 'yeah, it's tinnitus, it's incurable', but I AM NOT convinced.

 

[wishingluck]

Yeah, a constant rumbling/deep bass sound for about 3-4 months. Given that i haven't bothered visiting a doctor or had any significant diet or lifestyle changes i'd have to say it just disappeared of it's own accord.
Saying that, i'd much rather have kept the rumble and got rid of the high pitched whining and the crickets.

Exactly the same for me, JC, except I never heard the crickets thing. But the very low rumble and the high hiss, yes. I too prefer the rumble, infact I was really learning to get used to it, when suddently it disappeared and the f***g hiss got worse, with a 'grating' quality, very high pitched, and MUCH harder to get used to!

 

[wishingluck]

Otherwise, I have a theory on the low rumbling part myself; low frequency noise exposure.

Blacknoise, I disagree. Low frequencies don't really cause acoustic trauma/damage, it's the high frequencies. I have had the very low rumble/parked car on idle thing, and I can tell I never listened to anything with the boosted bass or anything like that.

 

[wishingluck]

the low rumble, according to the findings in this research, is due to meniere disease. Also, I found out that meniere disease symptoms are not always obvious. I don't know, but somehow I feel I need to look a lot more into that.

Check this thread out and download the pdf, it's a very good article. I will need to read it more than once.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/type-of-ringing-denotes-cause.1011/

 

[wishingluck]

Recently I've noticed that I have a 'new' type of tinnitus. It is an extremely low pitched sound. Volume is pretty low but audible at night. It sounds like there is a machine or helicopter making noise, but very far away. At the same time, I'm sure it comes from within my head. Really in the middle.

Stab, I had exactly the same for the first 4 months, except I did not notice a connection with the heartbeat. But, my audiologist said that my symptoms could have a cardiological nature. And I have always had some weird cardiogical problems, for example, sometimes my heart beat slows down considerably for some seconds. It doesn't hurt but it feels like my heart is raising in my throat and that I am gonna die.

There's SO many weird f****g things about my health, going on for years, that I have NEVER been able to find out anything about, all the doctors I meet are dumbasses and ignorant. It seems they just give a look at you and they go 'yeah, seen that before. Next'. But the reality is, they don't know anything.

For example, I used to experience total blackouts. I would collapse to the floor and see everything yellow, and feel like 'a fuzzy drink' in my head, like shaken Fanta or something , lol.

A stupid doctor said to me that they were 'panic attacks'. Uh? Panic about what?
They just have no clue.

For your rumble and your sleep, try what I did, it worked very well for me: have one of these fans, blow in your face. The motor noise and the air blowing should masks the rumble well.

That's why the high pitched noises are much harder to get used to. They are much harder to mask.

All the best!

 

[wishingluck]

Hi, Stab,

I don't know much about low-pitched tinnitus myself, because mine is like your high-pitched kind. I have a high-pitched hissing-ringing, and a constant pulsating sound, neither of which is in the low ranges.

A couple of questions for you, though:
1. Have you been thoroughly checked out by a doctor? What, if any, tests have you had so far?
2. Are you taking any prescription drugs?
3. Any accidents, or sudden changes in your environment?
4. Any changes in your health status, or recent operations?
5. Have you had a hearing test recently, and do you have any hearing loss?

It's possible that a change in your health may have occurred that you're not aware of that could have affected your tinnitus.

I'll be interested to hear your answers, and about anyone else's experience with low-pitched tinnitus.

Best wishes,
Karen

Karen, I have had the low rumble thing for 4 months, still have some left but the rest is gone, however I have an hiss now. So my experience has similarities with Stab's.

the answers:

1. No. I would really like how I do this. I have seen doctors for the last 3 years on a constant basis, for MANY problems: strange infections, pains in chest, you name it. The infection was a total mystery to them, as well as the pains in the chest, like dull aches, but I am sure they weren't there. Also (and I am investigating if this has anything to do with my T) i have VERY bad teeth. Gum disease, abscesses, but ironically, no caries. But my mouth is a disaster, I have the lower jaw protruding outward, called 'prognathism'.

Also I have VERY stiff neck. Even when I lie down to sleep, it feels incredibly tense.

And in TWO hearing tests, I have been told my hearing is 'fine', although a slight dip in high treble in right ear. But how do I know this wasn't there before? I also heard that both ears don't hear in exactly same way. My feeling is that I don't think my T is related to hearing loss, so it must be something else?

2. No. I have been prescribed antidepressants many times, but I never took them.

3. I had an operation to my knee. That was 3 years ago, though, well before my T onset.

4. the chest dull aches, as well as some strange aches in right part of my head. I don't think I ever suffered an headache before, for my whole life.

5. Yes I had TWO hearing tests, and BOTH doctors (different ones) said exactly same words 'Your hearing is fine. Just a slight dip in right ear'. But again, how do I know it wasn't there before, and that my T is not caused by something else?

The Randombio paper cites low rumble as connected to Meniere Disease, and I have read in same or another reputable paper that meniere disease symptoms are NOT always obvious.

Wishing you all the best.

 

[Karen]

Hi, @wishingluck,

Thanks for the answers to my questions! It sounds like you've certainly been seen by a doctor (or doctors) over the last 3 years. It's hard to say what is causing the low rumbling noise and hissing.

Have you had a doctor check your stiff neck to find out what the cause could be? Also, have you had a dentist or TMJ specialist check your for TMJ? That could possibly be the source of your problem, particularly accompanied by a stiff neck. There are some other members on this forum, including @just1morething, who also have had neck problems along with their tinnitus. It might have something to do with that.

I don't know about the Meniere's disease and the low rumble. Have you had any dizziness or vertigo to make you think you might possibly have that? You could also be checked to be sure you don't have Meniere's, if you are concerned about it.

Good luck, and I would like to hear about your progress, if you do decide to see another doctor about it (such as a TMJ specialist), to get another opinion.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[wishingluck]

Karen,

thank you for all your advice. I have never had my neck checked. I thought the 'ear, nose and throat' doctors do it, but all the ones I saw so far only talked about hearing. Am I missing something?

About the TMJ, I saw dentist yesterday and he referred me to hospital to take a very bad tooth, which also causes abscesses etc. The problem is that the dentist is just hopeless, like most health practitioners I saw. When I mentioned TMJ disorders and clicking when I open or close mouth, he said things like ' before a specialist sees you, you need to have problems for a year'. Uh? It sounds like trash. How on Earth is one required to have problems for a full year before he gets examined? Ridiculous.

My understanding is that dentists, like GPs, are not compelled to refer to a specialist. I have now dumped him and today I am going to see another. Fingers crossed...

Thanks for the username of the other user, I searched his posts but so far didn't find the one about stiff neck, but I'll check again later on.

As for meniere diseases, I do not currently have any vertigos at all, so I think it can be ruled out, however in the weeks prior to T onset, I remember clearly that I would feel dizzy when getting up in the morning. That has -never- happened to me before. It's probably not meniere, but something strange is at work.

Thank you so much and be well.

 

[Karen]

Hi, wishingluck,

Good luck with the new dentist! No, that doesn't sound right for the first dentist to tell you that you have to wait a year in order to see a specialist. I went to a TMJ specialist on my own (I found out I don't have TMJ), and he took me immediately. It's good to be checked for that, if only to rule it out.

I hope you're able to find some answers soon from the one of the doctors you'll be seeing.

No, it doesn't sound like you have Meniere's; it isn't uncommon to have some dizziness along with tinnitus. I had it, too, in the beginning of my T and PT, but it is gone now.

Please keep us posted on how you're doing!

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[wishingluck]

Karen,

thank you so much for all your support and your help. Yeah I too thought the dentist was talking trash. If it were for people like him, the world would be entirely a truly miserable place for any poor devil with a serious problem to deal with. I am trying to learn something about tinnitus everyday, and about navigating the health system. It seems to me that I just cannot generally trust doctors, no matter how hard I try. Thank you so much for all your help, I truly appreciate.

All the best to you and be well, WL