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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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@samin123 no to both, I haven't heard about either of them.
The hum that I constantly hear is high pitched. My recent hearing test showed mild hearing loss in one ear. I was in an eight year extremely high stress relationship, and that's when the hum gradually worsened. I've since left that stressful toxic relationship. I still hear the high pitch hum, but maybe it will start to go away. I've been learning to live with it.
Hello 🙂 I am certainly hearing this rhythmic rumbling in the old house that I am living in. It started years ago and first I thought the source were those large ships in the harbour but I gave up on that idea. My housemates and visitors can not hear it and I never heard it anywhere else but in this house. It changes....sometimes it is a pulsing, every second or so than it stops for three seconds and starts again. It's not always there but mostly at nighttime. I use tissue paper in my ears while sleeping and also found a good little white noise machine that doesn't require wifi, which I turn off at night anyway. I sleep on my side with a pillow over the exposed ear - it's exhausting and often I am not able to fall back asleep after waking up at 2 am (after I have found a few hours of sleep) I am curious about your experience! Good Day!
Consider seeing neurologist.
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1 Reaction...the experience is so defined on this particular location and not anywhere else 🤷🏻♂️
@omega3
To be sure --It is very helpful to sit quietly in other people’s houses or stay overnight elsewhere. If the hum doesn’t follow you,( and you say it doesn't) then that’s useful information and can point back to the house rather than your ears. If the HUM doesn't follow you then it is your home not tinnitus. It could be electrical, structural plumbing, etc., noises in, or nearby, your home that you are particularity sensitive to. The HUM caused by conditions in a home have been documented -it's not considered a sanity, neurological, or prescription related experience. Here's information on how to check what may be cause in your home. Best to follow up with an audiologist to make sure. Specifically, they can:
• Test low-frequency hearing sensitivity
• Assess bone-conduction vs air-conduction
• Look for unusual auditory thresholds others might not have
• Evaluate auditory filtering (how well the brain suppresses background noise)
• Distinguish environmental perception from classic tinnitus patterns
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1 ReactionThank you so much for your thorough reply. I queried ADP (Auditory Processing Disorder) and I pretty much checked all the boxes. It must relate to my nubal chord birth. I had asked myself a few days ago why I keep running away from situations all my life and now have a better understanding. I have an appointment with a Doctor tomorrow and will ask for a referral to an Audiologist. I still believe there is an external sound in my environment - I might just be more receptive to it. 🙏🏼
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1 ReactionI have constant phantom noises all the time and the sounds change.
@sjs1my noises are everywhere. Location does not matter.
Gailelease1-
Oh I hope you have asked your GP what to do. If they feel an ENT referral is the next step. It's usually paid for by insurance and Medicare. There are many types of tinnitus. Mine was the one ear heart beats type. I understand that the brain can create artifact noises that don't mean anything is wrong at all, that may cause you anxiety if you don't know they are medically harmless. Please follow up and keep us informed here on your progress. What works for you. Thank you for sharing. I wanted to add that I read that if the noises are present in all locations and vary in quality, an audiologist can sometimes help sort out tinnitus or auditory processing issues and offer coping strategies, even when imaging is normal.
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