Humming Spaceships, Car Alarms and Lawnmowers, Oh My

hello all.

I'm new here but recently started suffering from a low pitched form of tinnitus that my ENT thinks is related to eustacian tube dysfunction. It all started after I had been feeling dizzy and nauseous (as well as super stressed with work and a little sad about some unrelated things going on in life) when one fateful night in late March I tried to go to sleep and heard a slight ringing. By the morning, the noise was a constant low hum, which morphed over the next week to a multi tonal droning spaceship sound that seemed to get louder at night. It got so bad after the first week my husband took me to the ER, where they prescribed prednisone for fluid behind my eardrums. Oddly enough, my primary care dr and ENT both saw no fluid the following week, but the humming remained.

Over the past six weeks I've tried several rounds of medrol and prednisone, allergy medication, anti stomach acid medication, supplements, afrin and Sudafed, Xanax (I needed sleep!), magnesium, ginkgo, St. John's wort, vitamin b and c, steaming to open my eustacian tubes, chiropractic treatments, acupuncture, essential oils, a plethora of nasal sprays and bargaining with the universe for this to go away.

Unfortunately, while the sound overall MIGHT be a notch quieter than when I started, I've seen no consistent improvement with the meds. I now hear a few distinct and unsettling sounds - the original spaceship hum, something that sounds like a gravelly lawnmower in the next room, off key violins, and my personal non favorite, a droning beeping symphony that sounds like 6 car alarms going off at once.

I've seen very few posts from people who have a low pitched, variable sound like mine and am hoping anyone who does could share their diagnosis and treatment. I'm not 100% confident in the Eustacian Tube dysfunction diagnosis despite having some trouble clearing my ears or having intense pressure on a descending plane. Maybe they're related, but there seems like there must be something else present. I also can't do valsavas or pop by pinching my nose and blowing, it has to be opening my jaw or swallowing to pop my ears.

Low hum sufferers? What's your story?

 

Welcome to Tinnitus Talk.
I know how you feel with a drone sound Is hard to mask.
You may have had labyrinthitus with dizzy spells etc but if so it might settle over time.
Keep music on around you that helps you relax with out a deep base and hope it settles for you.
A ENT refural might be needed if you have it for weeks and have tests done.

Love glynis

 

I used to have this hum.

I knew it was some physical thing in my ears.

I thought it was Eustacian Tube dysfunction but turned out it was the other kind being patulous eustachian tube.

To quote "If the Eustachian stays open (Patulous) as from physical abnormality, one will likely experience another type of objective tinnitus: described as an ocean roar or hollow effect, like a sea shell."

Get your ENT to do that camera down the nose thing and that will tell you exactly whats up with your eustachian tubes.

 

The ENT (who I saw again today) did look in there with a very long camera scope. I don't have patulous etd, mine won't open as needed creating pressure. Since I want responsive to the steroids and sprays, she said a myringotomy was my only next option before tubes.

I don't like the phrase "no options" so I'm seeing a neurologist next.
I actually had a hearing test today that confirmed low frequency hearing loss. I'm believing at this point that this is related if not the cause.

 

I have a new hypothesis that I'm suffering from adrenal fatigue (I've had consistently low blood pressure) and possibly a viral infection, both due to stress. anyone?