Post Tympanometry — Low Humming Sound

So almost one week ago I had a major exacerbation of my tinnitus due to tympanometry.

2 days ago I woke up in the middle of the night because my tinnitus had changed again.

Now there's a low humming sound that "feels" kinda different than the other rather high pitched hissing noise I have.

It's waaaay more intrusive and bothersome but it seems to go away when I cover my ears or put on ear muffs. I'm not sure if that's because the blood rushing masks the sound then or if it's something else.

Has anyone else got a similar sound that behaves like this?

 

So sorry to hear this. Maybe is TTTs??? Myself and others in the group have this form of t. Can you mask it??

I hope and pray it goes away for you.

 

Actually it’s really hard to mask and I‘m wide awake now. It’s 3:30 a.m. here...

 

Can you hear next to the fridge??? If you cant then good...that means you can mask it with other devices/machines like air purifiers, air conditioners, fans...

 

I don’t know exactly. During the day it’s not as bothering so I guess a „richer“ sound environment masks it better. The last 2 nights were hell though because a variety of different noises (pink/white/waterfall) couldn’t mask it. Watching tv shows was a tiny bit better but still very hard. Before the last onset my tinnitus could easily be masked. The first few days I actually thought „ok this is considerably louder but even if it stays this way I think I can manage“. But with this low humming thing - I‘m not so sure. It’s everywhere in my head. A bit like when you’re dizzy (without the feeling of dizziness).
I hope this stops

 

After I had my tinnitus worsened by tympanometry last week (still hope it's just spiking) I took prednisolone twice (60mg Saturday evening and 60mg on Sunday morning) but decided to not take the next dose on Monday because I developed a new, very low drone noise Sunday night. Actually the exacerbation of my high pitched hissing doesn't bother me that much but this new low pitched sound is driving me crazy! I have a really hard time falling asleep since only noises like showering or traffic seem to mask it and i keep waking up from it. White or pink noise don't help at all. Watching TV works a bit better but the drone sound is still every present all the time. What's strange is that the sound seems to go away when i cover my ears be it hands or ear muffs.

I have a few questions regarding this

1. I started wearing surgical masks all day the day I started the prednisolone because both of my kids had a bad cold/cough which I did not want to get infected with (because of the suppression of immune system by prednisolone). Could the slight pressure on the neck have something to to with the low noise?

2. Has anyone ever had "low pitched noises" as a side effect of steroids? If so, did they go away and how long did it take?

3. I also have congested sinuses and my eustachian tubes feel a bit clogged too. Has anyone experienced this to be the cause for low pitch tinnitus?

4. Does anyone have the same issue with the sound "disappearing" when covering your ears?

Jeez, I hope this goes away....

 

Hi, @Bill_ . I also had the low drone, and yes it is much worse that a high pitched sound, to me at least ( also depends on the volume of course). Mine was not due to tympanometry, but it is gone now! ( touch wood) So, there is a good chance that its not permanent! Please don't lose hope.

" I also have congested sinuses and my eustachian tubes feel a bit clogged too. Has anyone experienced this to be the cause for low pitch tinnitus? "

Yes! The (second) ENT I saw told me that this was probably the reason I got the low tinnitus. I was given a corticosteroid and it worked.

 

1. Who knows!

2. Not my case.

3. I'm not sure. But when my low drone/humming started I had a bout of allergies. Now after 4 years the low humming is still here AND that's after taking allergy shots for 2 years.

4. Yes, exactly the same.

I hope it goes away for you and me both.

The different machines placed in different rooms in my house help me mask the low drone/hum.

 

why did they do typanometry on you? god what is wrong with ENTs

 

Congested sinuses can have relation to tinnitus:

How to Cure Tinnitus Linked to Eustachian Tube...

I have sometimes the low tone in the right ear, tapping on rear head helps for me like this:

4 possible cures for tinnitus

(but then on the other side)

peter

 

@Bill
How are you doing??

Which one exactly? Glad it went away for you.

 

in Bulgaria it's called Nasonex.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mometasone_furoate

 

I believe here in USA too. How long did you take it for and how many sprays per nostril?

 

Twice a day, sprayed two times in each nostril. I noticed some relief right away. I had ear fullness and the low drone, and it faded away after a month of applying the spray.

 

How is your low frequency humming doing now @Bill_ ?

I've had that issue in the past and have also experienced the weird sensation of having the "hum sound" disappear when I plug my ears.

I've found that for myself, my low frequency hum usually kicks up when I have TMJ/TTTS/jaw stiffness, or really stiff shoulders. I know there are lots of muscles that connect from our neck along and behind your ears, and when stiff, can aggravate T sometimes.

I know it can be frustrating to deal with, especially at night when you are trying to sleep. I'm not sure how familiar you are with TTTS, so I attached a document that explains it a bit better how it can exasperate T and H.

Hope you are doing better

 

Is it just a steady humm, or does it feel like a vibrating pulse that's low frequency? Does it change in it's rate, or just continuous? Can it get worse by doing anything like driving and turning car off and hearing it worse, or using earplugs? If it's just a low drone/hum sound, and right after medication, that may be the cause. If it's the second description I mentioned it may be something else entirely.

Can you describe it a bit more?

I reacquired this vibration type sound in my ear (also can feel it) in May after not having it for a few years. I don't usually use the word hum, but maybe it could be a hum. I describe it as a bass like, 60hz tone that pulsates (not to my pulse). It gets aggravated and changes for no reason sometimes, otherwise I can make it worse. It can be a continuous type vibrating sound, so imagine a loud truck idling outside your house. Or it can sort of ebb and flow and have a slight second break inbetween. Sometimes it's rhythmic and can go vroom, vroom, slight pause, vroom, vroom , vroom, slight pause. So there's a lot of changes at times.

It's made worse, so 10/10 when it becomes a continuous vibration without pause, so driving and then turning car off it's like this until it calms down to more of intermittent. Using earplugs or earmuffs or sleeping on the ear, will do the same thing.

Strangely, as I do have TMJ issues on my jaw near the ear from childhood injury (but it never causes anything other then clicking and never had this issue as I wen't 14 years after the injury before getting this) when this issue came back intensely it started to make my jaw sore and even slightly stiff to open, though this improved so I'm not sure if there was a connection, if anything the ear vibration caused the jaw problem.

I also oddly will pick up low frequency sounds easier in the ear and it reverberates inside. Like even the dyer going on the opposite side of house I can't hear it at all in my room. But I can feel the vibration in the bad ear.

I'm terrified this is actually MEM. But so many people have semi-similar type of things with all different reasons it's hard to pinpoint similarities. Any info on what you experienced and felt and how you describe it would be appreciated.

 

@kmohoruk Could you please read the above when you have a chance. Ty!

 

Hello @shasta0863

Sorry for missing your message there. In all honesty, for the most part the sensation that I was feeling disappeared. Like you said, it's tough because many people have many different sub types of those symptoms.

It sounds like you have some somatic elements going on there as well (TMJ). Do you have any any tension issues in your shoulders or neck?

 

Yeah, I've had tmj issues since I was a kid, got hit in the jaw with an elbow during basketball. Never caused problem outside some clicking and maybe occasional soreness if over used. Been to dentist and all that many years ago about it. My bite was fine.

Something of note though is I believe when this first started, I noticed after about 2-3 days my jaw was getting more sore and actually more stiff to open. Only lasted about a week though and seemed to have been caused by this issue starting not the other way around. Could of been the stress of it or perhaps I was unknowing tightening the jaw from stress, not sure to be honest.

Did you actually hear and feel it? Was it like a 50-60hz tone or somewhere in the lower double digit? Did it sort of pulsate at random, and then could be exacerbated by certain actions turning into a more continuous tone and feeling it more?

What's odd is that I can make it so much worse by just sticking my finger in the ear canal for like 10 seconds, or earplugs. Even the vibration of car driving makes it worse once I come home and turn the car off. Apparently even the god damn bass of music sets it off too.

Nobody I've seen can help me or has any good idea. Doesn't make sense, all that happened was the day prior my grandad died (lots of crying and nose blowing and all that the entire day), I awoke the next morning and thought I heard the viberating/sound but it wen't away with in a few minutes. Then I put in these new earplugs and was molding them. After a minute or so i took it out and the tone was out of control and it's been almost 24/7 since.

Somehow a condition from 2015 that was off and on for a few months was brought back from something. Did crying all day and the stress of it and congestion perhaps do something. I don't know. I do suffer from ETD issues in this ear off and on, and my ENT said I did have sinusitis last week and that my tubes were very tight and inflamed. Wants me on antibiotics and singulair but I'm terrified of making my existing T worse. And she wasn't aware of my symptoms being related to ETD at least from her experience in treating ETD issues.

So i'm at a loss, but I know this isn't just "brain" tinnitus that I already have. Just can't be.

 

Are you still fixed for this, or does what you have now the same thing that you now have?

What symptoms did you have for the Eustachian tube issue?

 

@Bill_ How is your humming sound doing?

Btw, do you have the pm/conversation thing here inactive? Tried to contact you directly (because its easier in german...).