"The HUM", a persistent Low Frequency Noise

Yes, medication maybe the reason. It was the reason for me at least. I feel I've been alot luckier than some people that have posted on this tinnitus subject. I use white noise at night to keep the noise in my ears covered. I listen to sleep music on YouTube; mostly the rain or water sounds. In summer; I have my fan on for not just cooling, but I like the constant sound of it.

Thank you for sharing this experience. DId they give you an alternate medication?

@d13 I used to like the noise of the air conditioner but now I can't hear it. Of course where we live it's only on in the summer and even then not nightly. Up until this summer, we had a rustic cottage on a lake and I loved the sound of the water lapping the shore and of the loons but I haven't been able to hear that in a long time.

My husband would go crazy with white noise so that's out of the question. I just manage to deal with it most nights. When I get up in the morning I look forward to getting my hearing aids in.
JK

He prescribed Diltiazem, which I'm currently taking, but the tinnitus isn't going away. The damage had already been done with getting the tinnitus. I've found out through researching about tinnitus, there isn't a cure for it to completely go away unfortunately. Just trying to cope with it.

It's true that tinnitus doesn't have a known cure. We do know that some things tend to stimulate it in some people. Managing it is unique to each person who has it. Of course it also varies in intensity among individuals. My tinnitus usually sounds like crickets chirping. I can manage that as it's a more natural sound I remember from childhood. On the other hand, when it decides to come full blast like a very loud hum, it's not so easy. I'm thankful that it tends to go away quickly when it's like that. I know that happens most often if I'm under a lot of stress, so stress management is very important to me.

Your right about how differently people get it. I just wish I knew why they haven't been able to come up with the answers to this. Of course a cure would be nice!!!

Oh my gosh; I am not going crazy after all! When this humming/drumming/singing/band playing started in my left ear, at first I thought that there was someone just playing their music too loud and the base was really prevalent. So I opened my window and nothing. Okay I thought..hmm..off went the lights and low and behold, there it was again. And it's one of those things that I can hear it, yet I don't even know that it's coming from me; until, one day, I'm hearing it during the day and now I'm really getting kind of freaked out. Then I thought, okay, well there has to be something out there making this noise. Thing is, I live in the country so aside from an occasional car, it's pretty quiet but we do have an occasional party even tho the houses are a couple acres or more apart; sometimes I can hear the music if it is played loud enough. Well after months of this, and months of turning off the t.v. or listening for something out of my window, or maybe a radio somewhere being on, I realized it is coming from my left ear. It's my ear playing this "music", this drumming, this humming, this sound that almost sounds like people talking. How can this be? My dr looks at me like I am completely insane, and let me tell you, sometimes I feel like I'm oh so close to being so, so he sends me for a "hearing test"; oh, you know he says, age isn't fair sometimes. Okay, that I know already, but how bout telling me something I don't already know. Well, when thinking back, three years ago, I was at a dead stop when someone rear ended me going 60 mph. I slammed my head on the steering wheel so hard that I looked like the elephant man the next day, but I also slammed the left side of my head on my side window (I was hit twice) so now I'm wondering if that had anything to do with it. Any information will be most welcome if anyone reads, hears, learns or whatever it may be on how to deal with this. It hasn't driven me mad yet, but sometimes I really think I'm reaching that point.

Don’t worry. You have a condition called musical ear. It’s basically one part of your brain doing something your consciousness is not wanting to be aware of but the music continuous on its own merry way without your permission or desire. Same with the the loud hum and other assorted phantom noises. The low pitched hum is a difficult sound I find because it’s hard to mask it or over ride it with other sounds. The music itself can be instrumental or voices as in a choir. Unfortunately for me the tunes repeat constantly and it gets very very boring. I can have an impact by saying to myself I will ignore this or change the tune which requires effort and doesn’t make the noise go away. Musical ear I believe is a form of tinnitus, for hich at this point science has no cure.. The good news is that you are not crazy, just ear damaged. I would suggest that you pursue the angle of accident incurred in your car accident if you have not already done so just to see whether something physical can be addressed in terms of offering relief. You should also be tested for an acoustic neuroma (tumour pressing on auditory system). You need to see an Ear, nose and throat doctor as well as an audiologist. The American Tinnitus Association is helpful. I think they have an audiologist who will answer your questions at no cost to yourself. Good luck on your journey forward looking for solutions and finding a sympathetic physician who has an “ear » for your problems.

My husband, Bill, has musical ear. He drove me nuts searching for a radio playing in the walls of our historic home in KY. He would get irate with me when I said I couldn't hear it (my tinnitus is rather normal). He finally went to an ENT doctor. He hears mostly oldies, gospel, classical music - sounds his brain 'remembers'.

I'll trade with him! I have crickets in one ear and a high-frequency radio squeal in the other. After over 35 years I can usually ignore it unless it gets really loud .
Sue