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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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I can hear an engine idling, but there is no truck near my house. (I live in a very quiet location in the country.) I also have tinnitus and I can hear the whooshing of my bloodstream, but the hum is a separate sound.
It went away for a couple of months last summer, but now it's back. I've heard this for about six years. I doubt any doctor can be of help. When it becomes very annoying, I deal with it by listening to music or a book on tape with my headphones. That distracts me and seems to drown it out.
You are not alone! No one else has been able to ear my hum so far. There is a vibration with mine as well. It was SO loud a few days ago, I thought certainly someone must be able to hear this, but both people I live with said no. Very frustrating. Good luck with yours, but I'm pretty certain it's from some outside source.
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2 ReactionsThanks! Good luck with yours as well.
I also hear what sounds like an engine at idle. Some days I feel a resonance which is in tune with the noise. Hard to believe it’s related to hearing issues as it varies from room to room throughout the house, also if I stand outside the resonance subsides. I tend to hear the noise when I’m in populated areas.
I am going through a similar situation now. I started hearing this machine idling/rumbling noise a couple weeks ago and thought something was wrong with my air conditioner/heater unit on the roof but even shutting the breaker off for it didn't stop the sound. Then I had 2 friends come check it out but they couldn't hear anything! I only hear the noise when the house is quiet, which is almost all the time except when I turn the TV on. No idea how I got this because I am not on any medication and I don't listen to loud music. From reading everyone's comments, it seems there is no cure and I just have to live with it.
Two years ago in a leased condo, I heard a high frequency hum when I passed close to one wall exiting the John. Nowhere else in the condo was this heard. The other two members of my family could not hear the sound I was hearing. I tested what I was hearing at different times day and night, always the same. I am assuming that my hearing aids sensed some electronic wiring embedded in that wall.
Now at home, I occasionally hear a hum when going to bed, having taken out my hearing aids. Daytime, if I try hard I can hear a slight hum, which I easily ignore.