Hearing a Low Drone / Engine Noise — Did Anybody's Tinnitus Similar to Mine Get Better?

Hi there,

I am really really struggling at the minute. It could be because it is coming up to my one year anniversary of having tinnitus and I honestly believed I wouldn’t still be bothered by it let alone posting on here.

I have an extremely low drone sound in my right ear which is extremely noticeable in quiet environments. If I plug my ear it totally eliminates the sound and if I lie on the affected ear or lie on the opposite ear the sound cuts by half.

I am so distressed and upset by this sound I honestly don’t know how I am meant to live a normal and fulfilling life.

The nurse has actually been a lot more helpful than the three ENTs I have seen and she is convinced it is ETD but my ears are no longer full and she would be surprised if the issue went on for more than a year.

If anyone has experienced this and it has gotten better, please could you reply on this thread or privately message me - thanks so much in advance.

 

8 months in.

It all started with waking up in the morning (at my normal wake up hour) with an insanely loud low drone in my right ear.

That stayed with me for a couple weeks (3?)

Sometimes it was very much in the distance, sometimes it was very loud and it stopped only when someone was talking to me.

Moved down (from my very silent bedroom upstairs) to sleep in the kitchen > kitchen has ventilation background noise that seemed to cancel out the drone (not sure how because the drone was about 5 times louder than the ventilation).

8 months later I sleep upstairs again (in the room of doom) but with my laptop next to me producing a low drone noise (very quietly, just enough to keep my ear/brain busy > that's my theory).

I since then have also gotten electric buzz tinnitus that I mask with a river noise mixed into the drone noise.

The drone comes back when:
1) I sleep on my right ear (bad ear) for a couple of nights... seems that gives my brain/ear enough time to focus on the sound and bring it back.
2) I am sometimes in between a sleep and awake state... just before I become fully awake I "hear" the drone sound.

I have sporadic ear fullness, a soft pure tone in my right ear and as said, electric buzz in both that is sometimes LOUD and sometimes not. (Last night I did not sleep because right electric buzz was screaming).

Hope this helps.

 

I have a very similar sound, unilateral, left ear, very low humming/engine noise, which stops if I cover my ears, or put my finger in it. For me it does not stop if I plug my ear. Weird, isn't it? It also often feels like a physical feeling, like the left side of my head was vibrating. Maddening.

To be honest, mine comes and goes, until this year, it "only" went on for 1-3 weeks, than stopped for a year or so, but it's been with me for almost 4 months. It varies in volume, right now it's quiet, but when it's on, it drives me insane.

I think it might be atypical MEM or ETD, but I don't know, asked 7 ENTs, none of them had a clue, my ears are perfectly fine according to them. But not once was I examined with an endoscope. I never really experienced heavy ear fullness, just some slightly clogged feeling here and there.

I don't know why, maybe I just pay more attention to it, but I feel the low hum is getting more and more common.

I'm sorry that I can't be more of a help. If it is actually MEM, muscle relaxers can help or there is a surgery which cuts the muscles in the middle ear.

I don't think that mine is endolymphatic hydrops, but that could cause low humming too, so I will try out a low sodium diet. Maybe you can try that too?

I know it's horrible, I'm really sorry that you are struggling with this too.

 

I have a very similar problem to you. I developed my low rumbling vibrating noise tinnitus 2 weeks ago and I'm stressing out that it will never go away. If I plug my ears, it completely stops the sound and also if I put my head upside down like doing a handstand. I'm seeing an ENT in 2 weeks but I'm not having high hopes I'm sure they will tell me I need to live with it.

 

I have an engine noise. Most likely eustachian tube issues of some kind as I've lived in the country my entire life, never been to a concert or any loud venue, two separate hearing tests both came back perfect, etc...

I have a crackling sound and slight feeling of abnormal suction in my ears every time I swallow.

Mine was unbelievably loud for the first two months after I coughed mucus into my eustachian tubes. Then it got 50% better overnight, now I can only hear the engine noise in quiet environments. I hear a higher pitched ring/hiss pretty much all the time.

I can tell you with absolute certainty, when the noise was louder my ears were more plugged, stuffed up. It would go back and forth day and night and the difference was undeniable. I could actually reduce the volume 50% instantly when I flushed my sinuses with saline spray, though it would fill up again over time. It hasn't spiked like that in 16 months.

I don't know how I can help but I thought I would share at least.

 

You might be lucky, having it go away when upside down is indicative of ETD I believe.