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"The HUM", a persistent Low Frequency Noise
As I sit, writing, my left ear is filled with the Classic Hum. Both my ears used to hear it, but after an ear infection in the right ear, leaving no measurable loss of hearing as determined by yearly workplace hearing tests, I no longer hear it in the right.
Certainly, others must hear it.
My wife, largely complete loss of hearing in one ear, high frequency Tinnitus in the other, and myself, excellent hearing as tested by yearly workplace physicals, started hearing the HUM on the same day, in the same location, over a decade ago. We hear it exactly the same in a number of places separated by hundreds of miles. We have experimented by asking if the other could hear the HUM, whether in certain parts of the structure we were in (home we rented in the Country, home we owned in the City) if it was louder, quieter, or audible at all, and had an extremely high degree of concurrence.
It appears to be a real world event, not Tinnitus, but IMHO, the American Medical Community is trying to pawn it off as Tinnitus. I've seen a few references to the National Institutes of Health claiming, on flimsy questionnaires sent out, that the HUM is, indeed, Tinnitus.
My wife heard it, simultaneous to me hearing it, for a decade, I still hear it, but if you mention this to doctors, they look at you like you have snakes coming out of your head. My ENT has been sick, so my appointment with him has been delayed, he's back to work but catching up. I see the ENT due to a cancerous thyroid he removed. But recently, my right ear has been acting up. It makes a spontaneous rumbling noise that I can voluntarily reproduce. But telling this to my family doctor, that I can voluntarily make this rumbling (not the HUM) and also mentioning the HUM, since I hear it in my left ear but the right ear is acting up, on both counts, I don't think he believes me, or understands. Yet, yesterday, I found an article that says that some people have voluntary control over a muscle attached to the Tympanic Membrane. That's my voluntarily induced rumbling (not HUM).
So, there are some forms of Tinnitus, "Pulsatile Tinnitus (PT) is a symptom that affects nearly five million Americans. The sensation of hearing a rhythmic noise, such as a heartbeat, swooshing or whooshing, from no external source, is, at best, a little unsettling; for many, the near constant sound exceeds annoyance and becomes completely debilitating" that can cause noises in your hearing, but decidedly is not the HUM. I'd be interested in reading what others have to say on these experiences, if you don't feel like outing yourself, you could always say a friend of yours.......
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First of all please know there are 100s of 1000s of people who experience loud tinnitus that severely affects their life in numerous ways, every day all day and night. I am 77 years old and I have had this condition for a great many years, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I am still young enough to hope that a cure or at least a treatment will be discovered before I die. Might it be possible? I sincerely hope so. In the meantime I have developed some coping mechanisms that help some times. I have a few very good tinnitus masking sounds by Petroff technology. I am not sure if they are still in business but their sounds helped me and I succeeded in putting them on a Sony Walkman which I take to bed with me every night. I have other pleasant nature sounds that I use during the day that does not mask, but tends to distract from the tinnitus. I consider my tinnitus as LOUD, and also multifaceted in that I hear many sounds, some of them at the same time. Some are easier to mask than others. One of the hardest sounds for me is in the low range. It sounds like a tractor trailer idling next to me. I have not fond a sound to mask this particular one unfortunately. Another thing that helps me, I believe, is some medication prescribed for another condition that I have. This is pregabalin (max dose) along with 25 mg of amitriptyline and 10 mg of metoprolol (controls irregular heartbeat). There is no scientific evidence that these medications have any effect on tinnitus and I would not recommend them, I am not a medical person, I just feel that help me when my tinnitus gets worse.
One of the most aggravating things about tinnitus for me, personally, is that it gets louder when I physically move around or do activities involving bending over. Obviously it’s not possible to be inactive, nor is it good for overall health, so I try to pace myself. I plan what housework I will do in a given day rather than do everything at once. My husband helps with the housework which gives me more free time to engage in reading, listening to music and meditation (it’s worth taking a course if you have never done it), and yes, going to the gym. I try to do my thing, so to speak, and also do things with my husband that we enjoy. It’s not fair to burden him with my problems, he has a life to enjoy like anyone else and he has a wife who tries to participate as much as possible. He feels sorry for me, and respects the fact that I can’t always join him. Together we move forward as best we can. Stress and anxiety can make my tinnitus louder and more aggressive. It’s hard to control these things. Something that I am sure would help me is to have a cat or dog but since both my husband and I have asthma we cannot have a pet. In the end everybody with tinnitus has to find their own coping mechanisms. It’s a hard road to travel, dealing with this condition, not for the faint of heart. I hope that you are able to discover what coping mechanisms help you deal with tinnitus.
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1 ReactionHere is another link that provide some support and insight into possible treatments for 'the hum' and tinnitus.
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/tinnitus-resources#tinnitus-treatments