Tinnitus or The Hum

[Guineapiggy]

I have noticed a few posts that describe problems with low-frequency sounds, which are completely different from typical tinnitus noises.

If you hear low rumbling noise, like an engine, around the 40-100Hz frequency, check out thehum.info/ and see if this helps to diagnose your problem. Unfortunately, there is no suggestions about a cure unless you think you can identify an external source of the noise. White noise can give relief, especially if you hear the lower frequencies that also cause a feeling of pressure and vibration on your ears.

[Lynne-H]

Hi Guineapiggy

I have a humming noise (as well as other noises) but I know what causes mine. It is caused by hearing loss which means I pick up the sound of my carotid artery which apparently is very close to the hearing nerve. I was told this by an ENT Consultant six years ago.

Previous to this before my hearing loss became moderate I used to experience the sound of what I thought was an engine running - this used to happen when I was lying in bed. It was only later that I realised that the sound was actually coming from inside me.

Lynne

[Guineapiggy in reply to Lynne-H]

The Hum site seems to come to the conclusion that the sound is internally generated if you can't identify an external source. There is another theory that exposure to low frequency noise causes changes in the cochlea that makes it pick up sounds that the majority of people cannot hear. This may be what you heard prior to your subsequent problems as your description in your second paragraph is the classic Hum description.

Hopefully, someone will find a cure.

[BambooFighting in reply to Lynne-H]

Exactly the same with me, lol! I used to lie in bed wondering why that idiot was running his car at 3AM, only recently realized the idiot was me all along!

[Lynne-H in reply to BambooFighting]

Hi BambooFighting

Yes and that`s when the panic sets in - when you realise that the noise is coming from inside you. Turned me into a nervous wreck.

For me that was in 2014 when I suffered hearing loss due to a virus. At the same time I also had pulsating - I could hear my heart and circulation working but at that time I wasn`t aware that this was what I was actually hearing.

I had an MRI scan and a doppler scan and was eventually told that I was picking up the noises from my carotid artery which apparently runs very close to the hearing nerve.

Took me a while but I did eventually come to terms with my noises then in November last year I acquired musical tinnitus after having my ears syringed.

Lynne

[BambooFighting in reply to Lynne-H]

This sounds just like me. Mine (wifi in right ear, engine in left, pulse at night) was always completely ignorable and never bothered me for probably half of my 33 years. Then I had the dreaded microsuction which I think actually cured it for a few days then came back with a nuclear bomb of new noises, and all the old ones rushing back has been a nightmare now that I know where it comes from. Especially ones I hadn't realize were tinnitus, like some reactive ringing I get in my right ear that can come with some pretty bad headaches. I've even noticed a lot of hearing loss that I had assumed for months was speaker issues or weird audio work in movies - never suspected I was the issue! 🤣 So a lot of our issues sound very similar.

But I've been reading about habituation, and sometimes just having that in mind is enough to dampen the sounds out a lot for a bit. I'm sure we can each get through our individual struggles, and it seems like BTA has a lot of supportive people and these forums that will help us get through our worst days.

[Lynne-H in reply to BambooFighting]

Yes I know it is possible to habituate - I was in a very dark place in 2014 when I first experienced tinnitus.

After six months of despair and desperation I found the BTA and they told me about a local support group which helped a lot because I met people who had tinnitus and were just getting on with their lives. I also like you find this forum helpful.

I also had counselling with an NHS hearing therapist and I joined the BTA and started to receive the Quiet magazine where I found lots of success stories.

This all gave me hope and I could see that the only way out of this was to accept the noises. A friend who also has tinnitus told me this was the only way I would ever get any better. So I used to pretend that I liked my noises that I didn`t mind them and eventually I did get my life back.

Having just recently acquired these new noises - music, bagpipes, still have the humming etc was a bit of a setback but because my head is in a different place now I feel I am dealing with it better - although obviously I do get a bit panicky at times.

I hope you too manage to find a way through this.

Lynne

[Bigears1]

Hi ,

So the hum is way more prevalent in the last 4 years than its ever been before. Research on this topic is all pointing towards the Microwave Auditory Effect. (Frey Effect)

As to what is causing it, or where its coming from, well there are only a few possibilities and none of them make for good reading. But i encourage you to educate yourself on the topic.

More and more people are beginning to pay attention. Unfortunately though there is a media blackout on the subject.

That should concern us all.

If you find its being rubbished by people or organizations then you know your over the target and should keep looking.

Good luck