My Rumbling Tinnitus — 10 Years On

Just my story about my very annoying loud rumbling tinnitus, you know, the usual car parked outside with engine idling type sound.

Back in 2005 I started to use ear plugs as my neighbours dog would wake me up at 7am every day when the postman or paperboy came. After 4 days I got annoyed by a sound in my left ear, I assumed it was a tractor working on the field near by. I found when I put my finger in the ear the incredible vibration noise would ease completely off, although I could still hear a slight high pitch whine and crickets sound. But I was still sure the vibration noise was external.

I travelled the whole area and could still hear it, I thought it must be the near by factories working. I work from home so don't travel far much, which meant I didn't get much chance to test if I could hear it elsewhere. I did find though that the sound wasn't there in supermarket car parks and such like, again making me think it was external, I later found noises of cars and other things can cancel it out.

I eventually put it down to tinnitus. I saw an ENT, was just told to mask it, no other help at all. So now I live all the time with very loud fans and air conditioners on. I manage to sleep now with such a loud noise that no one else would be able to cope, if I wasn't single I don't know what I would do. I find that airplanes in the distance or motorbikes going past afar can also cancel out the hum, but it comes straight back when they pass. I am sure all I need to do is find the right frequency and I could cancel it out.

I find it comes and goes in severity, but is always there in silence. Right now it is through the roof and awful, and I am unsure if is due to me being bunged up last week, there-fore filling the Eustachian tube with mucas, or whether perhaps my new cpap machine has blasted air too much in to the middle ear. Or it could just be one of those months or years where it is worse than before.

I find that if I try and plug the noise with a ear plug I can feel pressure, like the noise is trying to penetrate the plug. Also the noise won't be stopped unless the ear plug is fully surrounding the ear, if it is just slightly off then it will escape through. It sounds like a rush of blood or something when covered, I am sure it is either the slight high pitch noise I have or flowing blood being amplified by something in my ear. It gets worse at colds due to the blockage inside making me hear it more.

Has anyone ever cured vibration/low pitch bass style humming like this ? 10 years on and I still hate it.

 

hi, I have very similar experience to yours. I have low rumble and it feels like strong vibration :

1. sounds like engine on nearby

2. I too started searching the area at first, around the house, etc

3. I hear faint high hiss too

Reading your story, I tried putting my fingers in both ears. One thing I notice is that the low rumble is almost completely absent in right ear, but VERY strong in left ear.

I have done all the usual stupid tests but there's always the nagging feeling that it's all a misdiagnosis.

I have read in a medical paper that low rumble is usually pulsatile T, even without pulsations.

I still prefer it to high hiss T, though. I get hiss spikes and low rumble is definitely MUCH easier to get used to. I pretend I live inside the stow of a ship.

 

I've had the hiss for almost 20 years. Things that make it deviate in loudness are (1) Caffeine, (2) Exposure to loud sounds, and (3) Lack of exercise. I thoroughly recommended reducing your caffeine intake, avoiding loud noises, and exercising. The high from the dopamine coming off of exercise will be at least a psychological lift for you if you find tinnitus as depressing as I do.

Cheers,
Franka

 

Ha! It sounds like me when I first got the rumble. I was sure that someone had left a car engine running, and looked for it everywhere. Strangely, it also reduced when I put my fingers in my ears.
I get other tones at the same time; I've had forms of tinnitus for 25 years, getting worse.
I agree with Franka about caffeine, exercise and sound. But I would add that neck position and food intolerance can make it worse. Does yours change with food, mood and position?

 

Oh god I'm only half way through!
I don't think I will ever make it to 10th aniversary with this noise in my head