Let's Get to the Bottom of This Humming!

There seems to be lots of threads on here about humming/low frequency buzzing that behaves differently to 'regular' tinnitus. However, there doesn't seem to be any clues as to what is actually going on. I figured it might be useful for us to collect some info so we can try and figure out what the * is going on!

My history - 2019 after a steam train whistle went off less than 6 feet from me, I started getting thumping in my left ear (non pulsatile) which was triggered by yawning, stretching and burping. I'd have hours and hours of this per episode and i could have daily episodes. Three months later the episodes stopped and I had almost two years with nothing. In June 2021 I started getting a high pitched hissing in left ear brought on by stress I think, although coincidentally it was also three weeks after my second vaccine. Shortly afterwards the thumping episodes started again.

In December 2021 I had an operation to cut the Tensor Tympani muscle and the Stapedius Muscle to stop the thumping. So far this has worked as I have had no more thumping episodes.

Before my operation, whenever I'm stressed/tired/ill I have been aware of what sounds like an HGV or truck engine idling outside in my head which stops when I talk, however this has usually gone by the morning and may not return for days/weeks/months.

About 4 weeks after my operation I became aware of this humming in my left ear again but this time it was louder and is stopped by other people talking and other external noises too which makes it much harder to ignore, particularly on teleconferences as all I can hear is hummm... hum... hummm between people's words.

So... I've written a list below of possible causes of this hum and why it is stopped by noise (literally stops, not masked):

• Ear wax - Unlikely, I have seen inside my ear canal and there is no wax
• Inner ear muscles spasming (Tensor Tympani and Stapedius) - Unless they have reconnected in 7 weeks, this is unlikely
• Hydrops/Meniere's - I don't have any vertigo so I can't see this being the issue

I am curious to know how many other people have this hum and whether it behaves the same as mine (stopping with talking etc).

Thanks for your help!

 

I'd also be curious to hear more about people's experiences. There are a bunch of people here suffering from humming and it seems like we can't figure out what it is.

Here's my short experience with it:

- Got it since 2020 in my right ear, I got badly sick (perhaps COVID-19) and it developed following that viral infection.
- Since that day, I would get random episodes of clogged ear then followed by this "vwoom vwoom" lightsaber sound when it gets unclogged, usually for a day or so. Then it would stop until the next clogged ear episode.
- About 8-9 months ago, the pattern changed and was more frequent even without any clogged ear episode.
- About 3 months ago it almost completely stopped and thought I was rid of it, still hasn't come back since (or very faintly).
- Since last week, I got the same issue with my left ear now (clogged then followed by humming). Not sure what to make of that, it is way more faintly than what my right ear was able to produce.

I'm now suspecting hydrops but I have barely any proof of that.

 

I started hearing a typical high-pitched hissing in my head back in 1996. A few months later, a low-frequency hum was added to the mix. I eventually habituated to the higher frequency, but the humming completely changed my life for the worst. I could only sleep a few hours a night as it sounded like an electric current was vibrating in my ears. I went to more doctors that I can remember, had three MRIs, and multiple hearing tests. Everything came back normal. In fact, my hearing was above average. This particular form of tinnitus was definitely reactive. Listening to music, strumming my acoustic guitar, and even talking on the phone made it worse. It was like a sleeping giant that could easily be awoken. If I shook my head from side to side, the humming would stop as if it were being "interrupted." But as soon as my head was still, the beast would return. That made me think there was some kind of mechanical cause. But the doctors couldn't find the cause (which isn't uncommon). Masking never worked for me, in fact, it made it worse.

The only thing that would temporarily relieve it was a kind of residual inhibition. Going to see a loud, live band while wearing ear plugs would "fool" my brain into believing that something had replaced the noise. I would have virtual silence for a couple of nights. But a few days later, it would come back in all its glory.

This went on from 1996 to 1999. I had no quality of life because of the loud hum in my head. It was a living nightmare every day. My doctor strongly recommended an antidepressant as he could tell I was not doing well. In fact, there were a few times when I considered suicide. After having no success with various AD's, he put me on Effexor XR. Within a few weeks, the humming in my head started to fade away. Eventually it disappeared altogether. I had my life back. I could listen to music again without fear of a lingering noise afterward. I started writing music again on my guitar. I felt free and clear of the demon.

This solace lasted about a year. Then, in September of 2000, it mysteriously returned one morning. I hoped it was only temporary, but it stuck around for a week and then a month. My doctor increased the dosage of the Effexor, but all that did was make me feel like a zombie with tinnitus. I decided to ween myself off of it.

I tried other AD's, but none of them worked, not even on my depression, much less my tinnitus. But then in 2005, I learned of a new AD called Lexapro. A friend of mine had used it (he didn't have tinnitus), and had very good results. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I gave it a shot. To date, it's the only AP I've used that's made me feel like myself again. And the humming in my head has dissipated to the point where I no longer notice it. I still have relapses where the hum surfaces again (like it did last night) for no apparent reason. It will stick around for a couple of days and then fade away again. But being the anxious person that I am, I'm always convinced that the hum will NEVER go away again.

I'm not suggesting that Lexapro is a cure for tinnitus. In fact, some people have said that AD's make their tinnitus worse. I've never had that happen. My depression also rises and falls, but I've had depression since I was a child. The success I had with Lexapro led me to believe that my tinnitus was psychological, some buried unresolved issue in my subconscious. But that's unlikely. I was in therapy for many years and exhumed plenty of buried crap.

I haven't even been on this or any other tinnitus board in several years. I didn't want it to continue to be a part of my life or a distraction. But last night was the first time in several years that I had trouble falling asleep because of the humming. It felt like a cancer had returned after being in remission for five years.

Thank you for reading this long post. I hope others can gain something from it.

 

When you say that it sounded like an electric current, did it feel that way, too? I’m experiencing a high frequency electrical hiss that I can feel. It feels like electricity or shocks. It sounds like a fuse box or a lit stick of dynamite. I was curious as to whether the Lexapro eliminated the feeling, too, of electricity if you had it? Thanks. Glad to hear you’ve found a way to successfully manage your tinnitus.

 

I've had a low rhythmic rumbling sound in my head ever since experiencing a loud pyrotechnic blast at a rock concert some years ago.

At the time of the blast, I experienced temporary deafness and a burning sensation down the side of my face. I stupidly remained in the concert instead of going to hospital. I got no high frequency tones until another concert several years later.

Mine too stops when I hear other people talking, and also when I play ambient music with deep bass. I sometimes listen to audiobooks to take my mind off it.

 

Yes, it is definitely a physical sensation. At times, it feels like a helicopter is flying around in my head. Or like someone is constantly plucking a string on a bass guitar. I will also occasionally feel it in my throat when it's at its worst.

Assuming the Lexapro had anything at all to do with my respite, the physical sensations did go away when the humming went away. But I've considered asking my doctor about another antidepressant as I've been having a rough time lately for other reasons, too.

 

Wow, interesting story.

So it used to be a lot louder and now is mostly non-existent?

A lot of people with the hum got it after an acoustic trauma or lots of loud sounds which led me to believe it was some uncommon form of damage, whether that be to the nerve of Tensor Tympani muscle or outer hair cells. But hearing stories like this over such a long period give us hope.

Hearing damage would suggest it gets worse or eventually comes back. But 10 years is a long time if it’s almost gone now. How often does it come back for a few days? And did you handle it between 2000-2005?

Is it possibly the same low volume and antidepressants just stopped you focusing on it as much?

I have some theories as to a cause that explain a lot of the symptoms. I’m just digging a little deeper first.

 

It came back last Sunday out of the blue and has been coming and going since. No changes in my diet, meds, routine, etc. Of course, I explored every possibility 25 years ago but no pattern or cause was ever found. It's a mystery that will most likely never be solved. My only hope right now is that every time it resurfaces, it eventually fades away as mysteriously as it appeared. As I write this, I feel like I'm at the bottom of a well. It's an all-too familiar feeling. It robs me of my ability to enjoy the things I usually look forward to. And sleeping is a real challenge.

It may be time to switch (or supplement) my current antidepressant. Because I can't go through again what I went through in the late 90's (and I won't).

 

Oh I'm sorry to hear. I think it's pretty amazing that it's been gone that long though. I think that is what you should focus on, if I had that much of a break I'd be over the moon and any time it came back it would be easy to focus the idea of it going again.

Were you saying the Lexapro actually reduced the sound or that it faded by itself?

May I ask how loud it is comparatively to something? Like you mentioned it may be how you're reacting to it that makes it worse.

I'm fairly frustrated when mine comes on nonstop for a few weeks and can seem quite loud, but it tends to quieten down when I need to sleep thankfully.

 

The loudness varies, but when it's at its worst, it can be heard over normal, ambient sounds. But even if it's drowned out by traffic, I can still feel it. This affliction is also a physical sensation which feels like an electric motor is inside my head and ears.

It's amazing how one's entire view of life can change when there is a health crisis. I know we're not talking abut a life-threatening disease such as cancer or ALS, but everyone's pain is their own. The depression that goes along with the tinnitus only compounds the suffering. I just hope this is a temporary setback and that I can return to my "normal" existence again soon.