Low Frequency Tinnitus

Hi, I have just joined this forum (read my story at "introduce yourself") and I am now trying to find someone that has also the low frequency tinnitus. I have the high frequency T in my left ear (whistle / ringing) quite loud and I have the low frequency T in my right ear (car engine and glass vibration).

From what I have read, most of the people here have the high pitch variation. In my personal case, the low pitch variation affects me much more.

I totally ignore my high pitch tinnitus but I am obsessed with my low pitch tinnitus.

Anyone else has low pitch tinnitus? Like an engine, a vibration?

Thanks!

 

You just described me!!!
I have been struggling with the drone/generator sound for 3 years now.
It's absolutely horrible.
When on a low side it's somewhat bearable but when it goes up my whole head vibrates with the noise.
I know that high pitch is not a breeze but this is much much worse I believe.
This is where the pitch comes into play.
I fully understand what you are going through.

 

@Rachel Murray does your low pitch T sound like a TV on a wrong channel? Like a shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?

Mine does... it varies in intensity throughout the day but my baseline is shhhhhhhhhh.

For some reason, I am glad that it is like that because the sound eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee would annoy me much more!!

 

Hi ampumpkin, thank you for explaining what you feel - mine is different: in a good day, it is more like a window glass vibrating when a plane or a big truck passes by it. I can almost feel my eardrum vibrating. When it is worse, it is like a being inside a big truck or a bus that is not moving but has the engine working (imagine a big truck stopped on traffic lights, for example). I live in the terror of getting the "big truck engine" forever, as I had already experienced it twice before.

I think my father in law something similar to your noise: he calls it "the shower" noise.

 

Thank you, valeri, it's so good to speak to someone that understands what I feel and hear!

 

@Rachel Murray do you experience ear fullness?? or spasms in your ear along with the vibration??

 

@ampumpkin I don't have spams but I have ear fullness - but better than before - first 2 months after the ear drops had totally the ear fullness symptom - I asked the doctors several times to wash my ear! Now it is better - but the vibration is worse.

 

You know I was wondering if I had low frequency tinnitus in my one ear. But I do not think that is the case. The way I can describe it is that it's almost like I can feel the ambient noise of the environment. Or maybe this is low frequency tinnitus? I would not really describe it as being a sound based thing but a feeling based thing. If the feeling went away, then there would be no problem. Then factor the occasional click in that ear and now I believe it's more due to muscular tightness around and in the ear. I also suspect this is why I might be able to feel some low frequency sounds also. I used to be able to feel these sounds in my other ear, but that went away.

Is this familiar to anyone?

 

@NeoM Hi, NeoM, believe me: if you had low frequency tinnitus you would know for sure, no doubts about it! Unless it is very, very soft, and in that case just ignore it!

 

Rachel do you mind me asking how loud is your t?
Can you mask?

 

@valeri in my left ear I have high pitch tinnitus (whistle/ringing) quite loud and sometimes very loud - I can't mask unless I'm in a very noisy place; in my right ear I have low pitch tinnitus (vibration / engine working) that it depends on the days - can be extremely loud (like a truck engine - totally unbearable )or loud (like a car engine and a window glass vibrating). There are days I can mask it with music or noise around me, there are days that the only thing that masks it is walking in the street. When I go to bed the vibration is transformed in a very loud continuos sound, like a fridge or an air conditioning working - very difficult to get asleep and to have a good rest. I just have the truck noise when the doctors put something inside my ear to observe it -it usually stays, day and night, for 4 or 5 days - I live in the terror that one day it will stay forever.

What about you?

 

@Rachel
I have that drone noise in my right ear as well, even though when I stop and listen it feels as if it's in the whole right side of my head.
It's a very disturbing sound, it spreads and vibrates, it's not a clean sound you can really pin point.
Mine can be masked as long as there is the same noise around, aircon, central heating, any hum or drone noise will cover it.
At home I have a fish tank (no fish in it ) that is on 24/7 and that helps me find some relief and watch tv at least.
Sleeping and waking up with this horrible noise is another problem.
When it gets worse than it feels as if my whole head has it's own generator rumbling away, horrible horrible.
That's why I can't understand how can people get used to this maddens in their heads, but I guess there is tinnitus and there is TINNITUS

 

Rachel, I just joined this forum because of your post. I've had a high pitch ringing in my ears for years, that I was used to and could ignore. But my new form, which started in April, is mostly low frequency sounds and they are much worse! I have the same sounds and sensations you describe, a low motor noise that can make my whole head vibrate, etc. I also sometimes have what sound like pipe organ pedal tones, which randomly change octaves, and other times a bass drum pounding away. I consider it a good day if the sounds are soft or medium loud and if my ears stay pretty open. A bad day is when the sounds get really loud and one or both ears close up. I haven't yet found any kind of pattern to this ... it seems totally random. I am able to sleep though, because I also have fibromyalgia and for that I take 1 Tramadol and 1 mg of Klonopin at night. You might want to try a sleep aid of some kind ... it really helps, and good sleep is essential. Good luck!

 

@Della what changed in April?? what triggered the new T?

 

@valeri I totally understand you - we have exactly the same! It is so difficult... sometimes I think I can't live with this because I can't rest, I can't think, I can't enjoy life... but then I think of my son! Be strong, there is nothing else we can do! And you are right: there are tinnitus and TINNITUS!

 

@Della how I understand you... believe me, I understand you! Low frequency sounds are a nightmare - I can't believe I have to live like this for the rest of my life! The bass drum is CRAZY! I have it every time a doctor observes my ear and then it stays for several days in a row... a nightmare! Be strong, that's our only option!

 

@Rachel
You are lucky if you only get it when they observe your ear!
I wouldn't stress about it if that was me, I mean how many times dr checks your ears?

 

@valeri the big truck engine I just have when they put something inside my ear - but the car engine /vibration I have all the time and sometimes it gets so bad it is almost the truck engine...

I am talking about being observed because I am taking the chance that I am going on holidays to my home country to be observed by 2 different recommended doctors there - so I know next week my ears will be observed in 2 different days...

And I have it sufficiently bad with all the constant loud vibration, whistles, ringings, rumblings, roarings and friends inside my head, I don't need the big old truck engine to come back...

 

Oh sorry, I misunderstood your post.
Yes, totally agree that we don't need big truck noise.
It's horrible and very hard to explain, also hard for others to understand.
Good luck with your next visit to a dr. Keep me posted!

 

@valeri no problem, sometimes it is hard to explain what I feel, as I have so many variations!

Valeri, when you are walking in the street can you mask your drone? I can, so every time I start freaking out at home, I just go for a walk.

 

@ampumpkin, what changed in April was that we had a worse than usual oak season, and my allergies went ballistic. Austin is considered one of the allergy capitals of the US, and it seems to be getting worse each year. Oak, juniper, and ragweed regularly lay many people out, and mold levels are high year-round now. Anyhow, I got what I thought was a sinus infection, with stopped-up ears and the new T. I saw an ENT doc who gave me antibiotics & prednisone, and for about 10 days it seemed to be getting better. Then the T got much worse. When I finished the meds and went back, the ENT was surprised ... he did a ct scan and my sinuses were completely clear! I was shocked and really depressed, as that meant there wasn't going to be an easy fix. He gave me a tentative diagnosis of Meniere's and/or vestibular migraine, put me on a diuretic and low-sodium diet, and sent me away for 6 wks. And here I am, a week away from my next appt. I ditched the diuretic and the diet last week since they weren't helping at all, so we'll see.

And @Rachel Murray, thanks! It helps just to know others who know what I'm talking about! I too have a bewildering number of different sounds going on, which change from day to day and during a day. I also have a hard time distinguishing some of them from actual sounds in the environment, especially the motor-like sounds. I'm constantly asking my husband "Do you hear that?" "Is that thunder or a lawnmower or is it in my head?" etc. Then other times he'll say the neighbor is mowing his lawn and I can't hear it at all. It's SO WEIRD.

 

@Rachel
I don't hear it when I'm outside, I do if it's quite like Sunday morning in my backyard (we live few streets from the main road) but as long as there's cars going I don't hear it.

At home I have my "fishless" fish tank going on 24/7 and that's how I mask at home.

When the truck comes masking at home is hard because the noise sometimes goes over the fish tank.

I'm so "glad" there are other people out there with the same noise.
This is the first time somebody can relate to what I have.

@Della
Thank you for joining this forum
How are you coping with your drone noise?

 

@valeri, when the drone noise is soft or medium loud, I can usually mask it with fans or music, etc. When it's loud I try to get out of the house and work in the yard or take a brisk walk or something. I do find that exercise seems to help, I'm not sure why. One day it was driving me crazy though ... it had been going all day really loud, and I was driving to a dance rehearsal and about to go batty. I started trying to hum the same tone, and when I found it I started humming other tones along with it. I discovered that I would then hear a 3rd tone, so I could make different chords! (Musicians know this as an acoustic phenomenon called "difference tones".) It kept me entertained until I got to rehearsal, where I put my ear plugs in and let the drummers drown out my drone, at least for a couple of hours.

 

So, until now, we have: myself; Valeri; Della; Ampumpkin.

Anyone else with low frequency tinnitus (drone / engine/ vibration noise) - or both high and low - around here?

Low frequency tinnitus is even more disturbing than high pitch T, in my opinion (I have both) and I find that explaining it is even more difficult than explaining the high pitch one.

It gives me great comfort to know that there are people out there that have exactly what I have as this can be a pretty lonely experience!

 

Hi Rachel I hate a day when low,it goes inwards,when high it doesn't,why is that ?sends anxiety up. Do others when low T feel the same,do there's give anxiety off ? The low pitch stays all day. Then I can get a high scream pitch out of nowhere just from turning my head ,my aunt gets it the same ,on high day I can get 3 different tones in 1 day don't like that either,it's harder to dismiss it,no matter how I try tld hand at tinnitus,but hey yes it's still bothersome.
My husbands is up and down ,but he doesn't understand how mine behaves at times.so it just goes to show even to another 30 years plus tinnitus sufferer as he is.Weird this tinnitus is that's for sure.

 

@Marlene low frequency tinnitus (as a drone, vibration, bass drum, car engine and all the other variations) causes great anxiety - it is scary, it is exhausting, it is annoying and it is very difficult to live with.

That's why I am looking for people who have it - it is good to know I am not alone!

We have to be strong!

 

Thank you Rachel,yes I use to think it was just me,through my husband having tinnitus,I couldn't get a reaction,as he didn't have what I have with it,so it's only others who have it understand how it affects us,how the anxiety is heightened,with this type of tinnitus .this is the one I detest the most,my worst.I have the balance issue as well so when low that's compounded even more.Some on site have this added on issue,so I understand how that's a big problem for them.hard going from A to B living with that,as you feel unsteady,just trying to walk.
I've friends with tinnitus,never thought to asking about theirs but I will do now,not that it will alter anything ,but just out of interest.my cousin first port of call as she has tinnitus with balance problem,my aunt I already know about her tinnitus and issues.
Good thread Rachel.X

 

Funny, I was just thinking about you guys today. Isn't it odd how people across the world who don't know each other can bond through shared suffering? Makes me very grateful to the folks who set up this site. Anyway, I find it hard to believe that we few are the only ones here with the low sounds.

Here are a couple of resources I found online that have been helpful for me ... maybe they will be for you too, for example Marlene when you can't get your husband to understand. These are ways to demonstrate to others the wild variety of sounds T can cause. The first is from the American Tinnitus Association:
http://www.ata.org/sounds-of-tinnitus
The first presentation, by Jack Vernon, is really interesting. It struck me when he said that he thinks of tinnitus as something as personal as a fingerprint. I listened to all the sound files, and found some of my sounds, but not all. That prompted me to go looking for some other way to identify mine, and lo & behold I found this:
http://www.audionotch.com/app/tune/
This one takes a while if you have a lot of different sounds going on, but I found it strangely comforting when I could finally simulate most of them. (Be VERY CAREFUL to keep the volume low on your computer as well as on the web pages when you're listening to all these.)
As an example, here are mine I identified from audionotch:
My flutter sound: Wave Type: BB Noise @ 90 Hz, vol. around 90
Mid-range hum: Wave Type: Triangle Wave @ 200 Hz
High ringing: Wave Type: Pure Tone @ 7500 Hz [KEEP VOL UNDER 10!]
Low drone tone: Wave Type: Pure Tone @ 60 Hz
Low drumbeat: also Wave Type: Pure Tone @ 60 Hz, but pulsing or pounding
Organ pedals: Wave Type: Pure Tone @ 30 Hz, 60 Hz, & 120 Hz, alternating randomly or depending on how I turn my head.

Today I saw my rheumatologist, and the whole time we were talking I had the truck motor noise/vibration, closed-up ears, high ringing, and echoey voices (hers and mine). Tomorrow I see ENT doc no. 2 (the first one was a complete A-hole -- I'm sure you can relate -- so I'm trying another one). Wish me luck.

Best wishes to all!

 

Hello Della,it's a small world with the internet,and how glad I am to the good souls who set this site in motion,and there there to help with any questions as to the site,Marrku helped me out last week, it's friendly,were all in this together,my biggest surprise is the amount of knowledge that's here.
I've often said to my lovely husband,I can't be the only one with this type of tinnitus,with millions in this world with tinnitus,he's said he wished he could understand what I'm saying in regards to what to mine,on these bad ear days I do get extra TLC from him, god love him . So today you've now given me those threads,which we will get up,your a gem.
Today it's low,not good.im stuck with this now all day,so anxiety up a bit,but I've come to know how this low runs,same goes when to high,if it's middling,my day is lot better,anxiety low,as I can ignore it.
The different tones are the absolute pits,I'm wary of any head movements,that will do it.
I wish now with mine it stayed in the middle,I'm going to get my Eustachian tube investigated,as to my balance. My Drs on holiday until next week( I stick to one female ) go have a chat about this,get referred to ENT yet again,but it may turn dividends in the long run next ENT visit.God willing.
I was under a Maxi surgeon last year for a tumor in my neck,maybe get him involved,he said to get back if I had any further problems,didn't give it a thought to say about my balance,my regret now.live and learn even at my age.
Hope you get better help at your visit to ENT,it's so time taking,okay if you get the help,and you can say yes that was a good result this time,end of the day we just want help,but the right help.not continual visits ,so yes I do understand.Wishing you Good Luck Della and again many thanks for your help .Marlene X

 

I also have high pitched and low-pitched T.. I'm only 21 yaaaay.
I find the low pitch T tends to mask a lot better though than the High pitch, for me it's less of a problem - it is extremely loud in silence though and feels like it's taking over my entire head.