The Hum from Hell

[DaveO]

Hallo.
I have had this irritating life draining hum / vibration feeling in my left ear for about three months now. I believe it all started last spring when I had this annoying ear fullness sensation on and off in my left ear for about a month. I went to my ENT and he made a little hole in my left eardrum and a week after the pressure in my middle ear had equaled. However the same day the ear fullness sensation went away I started to notice this humming/ vibration sound. At first I thought it was some neighbours that was having a party and was playing some music with a loud bass sound. I then took a walk in the neighbourhood but couldn't find any party anywhere. I then went to bed thinking it must be all in my head/ear and it might be caused by the scaring/ heeling of my perforated eardrum. I didn't gave it much thought back then and a week after it was just gone.

However last fall my girlfriend and I moved to another apartment, and I started to notice this humming / vibration again. At first I thought it was coming from the new apartment, but my girlfriend didn't seem to notice it. I then noticed the sound different places and again I came to the conclusion that the sound must be all in my head/ ear. I also noticed that it was only in my left ear as the last time.

I went to my ENT again and he told me that it was tinnitus. I am a medical student and he asked me when my next exam was and I told him in a couple of month. After that he told me that I was stressed which caused my tinnitus. At that time I wasn't stressed at all and I told him that I wasn't buying that. Well that's how it is, he said. Then he made an hearing test which were normal and said goodbye.

Now, 3 month later living in this vibrating humming hell, I just don't know what to do.

Personally I do not believe that I have the classic tinnitus, which is caused by nerve damaging. Primarily because this humming sound acts so different from this high pitched sound that I also have in my head when it is very quiet. Like all the other people on this site which describes this humming sound I have these weird "symptoms". For example the sound disappears when I shake my head. It disappears when I'm outside (and it is windy) and then it sometimes disappears for about 2 minutes when I go inside again. It also disappears for about 2 minutes after I have taken a shower. The sound can sometimes be masked by earplugs but other times it can't. Very strange...

My personal theory is that it is caused by an dysfunctional eustachian tube which might be caused by my allergy.

However I have read a lot of people with these exact symptoms and these users tend to disappear again from this site. I really hopes that it is because that the humming sound disappears for them, and I really hope that one day hopefully soon it will disappear for me as well.

Right now my life is a living hell and I don't now how long I can take this anymore. I can't concentrate. I sleep 11-13 ours a day. I am depressed. My girlfriend has told my that I'm not the same person anymore and has told me that it feels like she is living with person with dementia because I seem to forget all the things she told me to do and I can't focus on anything. However she's really trying to understand what I'm going threw but I know it is hard, when you haven't tried it. So sometimes I but my happy face on just so she doesn't suffer with my. Also one night I also went to the room next to our bedroom and cried into a pillow because I didn't want her to know how miserable I am at the moment. Also at the moment it seems impossible for me to finish my education (which I am one year from finishing).

However I created this thread so I might hear some success stories from people with this hum. I really need some of these at this moment.

Sorry for my bad English.

 

[glynis]

I had humming in my head and I was lucky it went away when put on a low dose Antidepressant Nortriptyline 50mg.
I found a utube video Tinnitus masking by Easyjet helpful too !
Love glynis

 

[Nonna]

My ear started w a loud explosion T. It changed to pulsing, to electrical currents moving back n forth in my head from ear to ear. To a loud dril to cicadas, crickets, buzzing and hissing all very loud and scary. But the moment it hummed I jumped up and ran to grandmommies house.
They all went away and was caused by an allergy.

 

[Nonna]

"The sound can sometimes be masked by earplugs but other times it can't."

My opinion that's a sign it will go away. The sounds are turned up by the canal. I had this same symptom with all my sounds.

 

[Karl28]

Has your ent done that camera up the nose thing to check your Eustachian tubes ?


I had humming and it was due to patulous Eustachian tube. Gained weight and in Went away.

 

[dorje]

For example the sound disappears when I shake my head. It disappears when I'm outside (and it is windy) and then it sometimes disappears for about 2 minutes when I go inside again. It also disappears for about 2 minutes after I have taken a shower. The sound can sometimes be masked by earplugs but other times it can't. Very strange...

My second tinnitus (first one is high pitch T) is kind of similar, but I don't have it all the time. There are days when I don't have it at all. Sometimes it is stronger, sometimes weaker. Mostly I experience this when I sit or lie still, hardly ever when I move around. The worse is when I meditate or go to sleep, then it's most annoying. When I move my head it disappears for few seconds, but then comes back. And earplugs are never able to mask it.

Right now my life is a living hell and I don't now how long I can take this anymore.

I've been having it for about a year now, but somehow it was never big concern for me. And everything I know about T now, I learned only 2 months ago, when high pitch appeared. But what I wanted to say, when I started having this a year ago, it was much stronger. Then somehow it started to loose its power, and when I have it these days, it's much, much weaker. So keep calm and don't loose hope, it may be same for you.

My best guess, like someone said to me on this forum, it might have something to do with vascular system around the neck. Otherwise how to explain this phenomena, that it disappears when ones move its head?

 

[DaveO]

I had humming in my head and I was lucky it went away when put on a low dose Antidepressant Nortriptyline 50mg.
I found a utube video Tinnitus masking by Easyjet helpful too !
Love glynis

How long did you have it? Thanks I will try that!

Has your ent done that camera up the nose thing to check your Eustachian tubes ?


I had humming and it was due to patulous Eustachian tube. Gained weight and in Went away.

No he hadn't done that. However that could very well be the problem. I am at bit under underweight so I guess I should start gainning some kilos, and hope it might help. Did you have this humming sound as well when you had the patulous Eustachian tube?

 

[Suzerman]

It might be your tensor tympani muscle spasming. Do you also feel a flutter in your ear and do you experience a thud after loud noises, or noise sensitivity ?

 

[glynis]

I had it for about 2-3months roughly.
ove glynis

 

[linearb]

@DaveO High-pitched tinnitus is "easy" to diagnose because it's almost invariably tied, to some extent, to high frequency hearing loss -- which typically occurs before low-frequency loss. However, low-frequency "humming" T can certainly be a symptom of low frequency loss (I think this is what happens in meneire's?) -- though I think it can also have vascular causes.

I often notice an intense low-pitched hum like a car idling when I meditate, especially first thing in the morning, which means right after I sit up and get out of bed. So, I have mostly attributed that to blood pressure changes. I can see how it could be quite distressing; I think I do always have some amount of low-pitched buzz, but it's so much quieter than my high-pitched squeal that I don't really hear it unless I tune into it.

Have you been evaluated for Meneires? Do you have any dizziness or other inner-ear symptoms?

 

[Karl28]

No he hadn't done that. However that could very well be the problem. I am at bit under underweight so I guess I should start gainning some kilos, and hope it might help. Did you have this humming sound as well when you had the patulous Eustachian tube?

Definitely get him to do that camera up the nose thing to check your Eustachian tubes. It's quick and easy.

I did have humming with patulous Eustachian tube. Pretty sure it's a symptom as wiki describes it as a roaring ocean like sound. Anyway weight helped mine as I've always been underweight.
Ate lots of peanut butter and also cups of oats. But still get him to do the nose camera thing to tell for certain!

 

[DaveO]

@Suzerman Yes sometimes I do feel a flutter in my ear. Maybe once a day. Often when I hear a hight frequent noise. That could very well be my left tensor tympani muscle which is spasming, but it disappears after a few seconds. But I do not experience any noise sensitivity.

@linearb the ENT made an hearing test and it didn't showed any hearing loss in the low frequency area. However it only went down to 200 hz., and the sound I'm hearing is lower. Around 40-70 hz I believe. I haven't been evaluated for Meneires, but I havn't experience any dizziness.

@Karl28 I will do that. I have found a new ENT, which should be better, but my appointment with him is in april, which seems long in the future. Did you have any other symptoms. Could you hear your own breathing and stuff like that? How many kilos did you gain?

 

[monkey legs]

Nortriptyline

Hi Glynis, do you think i should try Nortriptyline? You say it reduced your Tinnitus?

Thanks.

 

[glynis]

Worth a try and helps you sleep.
Love glynis

 

[Karl28]

@DaveO

I couldn't hear my breathing so that was lucky.
I gained about 15 kg

 

[OnceUponaTime]

@DaveO how are you doing?

 

[DaveO]

@OnceUponaTime

Thanks for asking.
The sound/hum is pretty much the same but I'm dealing much better with it now. However it's the first thing that I think of in the morning and the last thing that that I think of before I go to sleep. I have experience some periods (hours) when it is totally gone and days when it is less significance, but it doesn't last for long. However my hopes are high and I keep believing that by time the hum will diminish or disappear. Guess it's the only thing i can do..
The weather is also improving which means that I can enjoy the balcony of my appartement - the winds outside make the hum disappears - which gives me some relief.
I still have good and bad days when it comes to my mood, but there is more good days know. When the hum drives me to much crazy I start the fan in the oven or turns the dishwasher on (the kitchen and the living room is the same room) thats also gives me some relief. Infact the dishwasher is turned on as i write this

Actually this weekend something really strange happened. After a walk outside I got this high pitch tinnitus in the same ear as the hum. At the same time i felt an ear stuffness. The tinnitus was much higher in volume compared to the hum BUT the hum was gone! This "more normal" tinnitus was more pleasent but the feeling of ear fullnes was quite annoying so it was a bitter sweet experience. However I went to bed an in the morning everything was back to normal - meaning the hum was back.

To find anything good from this nightmare I will say that i appreciate all the small things in life much more. Like a walk in the sunny weather and stuff like that.

This monday a have a time with a new ENT doctor, which I have been waiting for since december, so i hope that he can give me some answers or can help me but I doubt it.

 

[volsung37]

Doctors know nothing unfortunately

 

[DaveO]

Well I went to my ENT in april. He couldn't find anything of significance. Everything was normal - Surprise!! We talked about it and we came to the agreement that it might be a good idea for me to get an hearing aid, which could make an backgroundsound that could mask the humming. So he gave me an referring to the local clinic of audiology. However I just got i mail from the clinic today. They have a long waiting list and they could only offer me an appointment next year at this time... :-(
The good news is that I have got a fan which is able to mask the humming sound. So at least I have the possibility to get some relief when I am indoor or studying

 

[Bill Bauer]

They have a long waiting list and they could only offer me an appointment next year at this time

What country do you live in?

You might try contacting various clinics within a 3 hour drive of your home, asking them about the length of their waiting list.If you find one with a shorter wait list, you can get your ENT to give you a referral there.

 

[Karl28]

Did he do the camera up your nose thing?

 

[Dylansdad]

If you live in a nation with socialized medicine and you must wait a year for a simple hearing test, then that is a warning to Americans. Here you may have to pay for it, but you can schedule a hearing test for the same day with an audiologist. Wait a year? OMG.

I have the humming all the time, low and never ending. I don't hear it in the car due to the noise and radio. But once I get out of the car, it seems even louder. I wear hearing aids and they cut through the noise so that I can hear other people. Sometimes the humming can be so loud that I have trouble hearing people, especially girls with light voices or guys with very deep voices. I have not yet tried masking sounds on the hearing aids, but that is probably the next step.

 

[DaveO]

Called the patient service center to hear about my possibilities. They told me that the referring that my ENT has sent to the clinic of audiology included an hearing test and talk with a doctor. Because of that it could only be at a clinic where they also have doctors working and not just audiologists. All the clinics in Denmark had a waiting list of minimum a year, so it wouldn't help me to pick another clinic. Unfortunately there are no rules of how long waiting list should be, when it comes to tinnitus.
I also called my privat health insurance, but they couldn't help me either.

 

[Dan.L]

Called the patient service center to hear about my possibilities. They told me that the referring that my ENT has sent to the clinic of audiology included an hearing test and talk with a doctor. Because of that it could only be at a clinic where they also have doctors working and not just audiologists. All the clinics in Denmark had a waiting list of minimum a year, so it wouldn't help me to pick another clinic. Unfortunately there are no rules of how long waiting list should be, when it comes to tinnitus.
I also called my privat health insurance, but they couldn't help me either.

I know what you mean about waiting for everything. Most of my appointments I have had to wait at least 4 months. At this point I would rather just pay someone to tell me they can't do anything for me instead of waiting 4 months and having them tell me the same...

Have you had any developments with the low pitch humming? I seem to have the very same symptoms, except mine happened after an ear infection and I also have a clicking/popping Eustachian tube.

I found out that I am B12 deficient, so I am trying to fix that now and I am on day 3 right now. I have also been on an anti-inflammatory diet for 3 weeks, and I have up'd my exercise routine to every day. This includes cardio, weight lifting and neck/back/shoulder exercises to fix my posture. I feel that this is making a slight difference so far.

I am also contemplating taking a low dosage of antidepressants to see if it makes any difference. I would like to say that if I can get my self to really truly relax I feel that the humming gets quieter.

 

[DaveO]

Great news!
I got an early appointment at the hearing aid center and now a have a new hearing aid that can mask the tinnitus sound, however, I haven't used it yet because in the waiting time something really great has happened: I have almost got used to the tinnitus hum! Some days I even forget that it is even there. It isn't gone but it doesn't control my mood and my daily life like it used to. Hope it will stay this way!

 

[Chris809]

Great news!
I got an early appointment at the hearing aid center and now a have a new hearing aid that can mask the tinnitus sound, however, I haven't used it yet because in the waiting time something really great has happened: I have almost got used to the tinnitus hum! Some days I even forget that it is even there. It isn't gone but it doesn't control my mood and my daily life like it used to. Hope it will stay this way!

I am glad you've been able to manage it well and hopefully still!

I got this type of humming sound after someone shouted the following:

The person was sitting on the left of me watching a football/soccer match when he shouted but it wasn't directly in my ear, he was looking toward the screen. Also, ever since then I have had a constant high-pitched hissing/ringing in both ears which has been suppressed a lot after I had a lot of earwax removed from both ears by an ENT. My ENT did the nose, mouth and ear pressure test and all is good, plus my hearing is above average.

Interesting to hear some of you say that the humming/vibration sound (and the ability to stop it by external sounds/head rotation) is possibly a result of an inner ear muscle constantly spasming due to acoustic shock. Neil Bauman, a hearing loss specialist, told me it is likely due to this. However, I did find a study that seems to tick the boxes because it looked at head rotation, external sounds and air travel/transportation which appear to stop the humming for different periods of time respectively. - http://www.tinnitusjournal.com/arti...de-also-known-as-the-hum-or-the-taos-hum.html

If I turn my head upside down the hum stops, if I rotate my head and make external sounds it can stop momentarily and if I fly or drive for long periods there is a time lag before the hum resumes. Sometimes the hum is gone for no apparent reason and I just feel an ear fullness sound, but often I can hear it. I believe there are people here who have this condition, or have similar symptoms, and so I would greatly appreciate some positive reassurance that there is a way through this stressful early period.

 

[OnceUponaTime]

If I turn my head upside down the hum stops, if I rotate my head and make external sounds it can stop momentarily and if I fly or drive for long periods there is a time lag before the hum resumes. Sometimes the hum is gone for no apparent reason and I just feel an ear fullness sound, but often I can hear it. I believe there are people here who have this condition, or have similar symptoms, and so I would greatly appreciate some positive reassurance that there is a way through this stressful early period.

Nothing changes my hum except external sounds that are low in pitch like the refrigerator and other such appliances. I tried flexeril for muscle spasms on my neck and that helped it a little... I was taking it at a low dose and for a short period of time. If I bent down, my ears get fullness and start to twitch. Sometimes I get a faint thud and other times a light flutter.... it suxs. Not to mention the ongoing high hissing pitch that tags along.... sigh

If you are anxious about it and can't sleep, take care of that first. IMHO.
Hope you feel better soon,

Once

 

[Chris809]

Nothing changes my hum except external sounds that are low in pitch like the refrigerator and other such appliances. I tried flexeril for muscle spasms on my neck and that helped it a little... I was taking it at a low dose and for a short period of time. If I bent down, my ears get fullness and start to twitch. Sometimes I get a faint thud and other times a light flutter.... it suxs. Not to mention the ongoing high hissing pitch that tags along.... sigh

I see, hope it will get better with time for you! If there is anything that can mask it that would do me wonders in the day, do any of you use hearing aid maskers to mask over the humming?

Regarding sleep, the other night I was able to sleep with no sound enrichment but last night the humming sounded stronger and I needed to use sound enrichment, which is a bit problematic because I also have the high hissing pitch to deal with. Do you think melatonin or ginkgo biloba could be effective for me to get to sleep easier?

 

[Mister Muso]

I've had my hum for 12 years after a crazy pyrotechnic blast at a Rush concert. It bothered me a bit at first but I gradually got more used to it. I find my new mid and high range tones and hyperacusis much more troublesome tbh.

Some nights it gets really loud and It can be hard to mask, but to distract from it I find the following helpful:

Brown Noise
Songs by Liquid Mind
60Hz Sound by Baby Lullaby on Spotify
Soma FM Drone Zone Radio - internet radio station

 

[Chris809]

I've had my hum for 12 years after a crazy pyrotechnic blast at a Rush concert. It bothered me a bit at first but I gradually got more used to it. I find my new mid and high range tones and hyperacusis much more troublesome tbh.

I'm happy you've been able to manage your hum, it gives me more confidence. Does your hum seem to change depending on sounds/head movements/travel or is it a constant hum?

Some nights it gets really loud and It can be hard to mask, but to distract from it I find the following helpful:

Brown Noise
Songs by Liquid Mind
60Hz Sound by Baby Lullaby on Spotify
Soma FM Drone Zone Radio - internet radio station

Thanks for this, will look into them.