Hum in the head

[rdking.geo]

My problem began a little more than a year when I began to hear low frequency noises like trucks in the distance but only at night when it was very quiet. Over the course of the ensuing year the sound became gradually louder and more frequent and my wife confirmed that what I was hearing was inside my head. The sound became still louder and gradually resolved itself as a hum that varies in loudness much like a truck rumbling by. Using a piano I measured the hum to be exactly 63 Hz C-2 ('C' two octaves below middle 'C'). The tone has never varied in frequency.

As the hum grew louder I noticed some additional characteristics.

1. The hum is primarily "heard" in the right ear.
2. The loudness of the hum depends on the orientation of my head. Loudest when on my back and nearly silent when on my face. Sleeping on my side is usually manageable.
3. This one is the oddest of all: I can create the hum "at-will" by tapping on parts of my head; particularly the bridge of my noise, either brow bone and other places. The hum is "bell"-like when I tap and exhibits the same sensitivity to the orientation of my head.

Lately the hum is perceivable during the daytime when things are quiet and at night when I need to us a masking noise (fan or loud appliance) to aid during sleeping. Additionally I am lately hearing a pulsing or pounding in both ears as well.

I've been to my Family Physician, an Audiologist and an ENT. I've had several sinus CT scans which resulted in some therapy to clear my sinuses but other than a cyst in the floor of the right upper (maxillary?) sinus they are now normal. The ENT discovered that part of both my eardrums have become partially adhered to the inside of the ear canal likely due to a lifetime of involvement with middle ear infections. I've been blowing extra air into my middle ear (ENT's instructions) to help release the adhesions which appears to slightly reduce the hum but not relieve it. The final verdict from my ENT has been "live with it" because he doesn't know what to do. Not very reassuring.

The condition is gradually becoming worse and making sleep even with masking more difficult though I am still getting enough.

One final note is that I've been having some rather high blood pressure readings lately (something of a surprise to me) which I believe may be contributing to the pulsing I've been hearing.

Does anyone have any experience with the symptoms I've described? I am inclined to believe that there is a condition in my head probably near my right ear that is giving rise to a resonance which would explain the effect of tapping as I described in #3 above and the source of the hum to boot.

I would greatly appreciate hearing from anyone regarding the symptoms I've described.

[BiggerMac]

My guess is that you have just entered the wonderful world of tinnitus. You need never be alone again. And when you do yoga your "hmmmmmmm" is already there for you.
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Seriously, it isn't the worst of all possible afflictions as long as it remains as mild as you describe your case. I've had it at a very noticable level for more than thirty years.
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Tinnitus is neither curable nor significantly treatable so if that's what it is your doc will probably not be of much help. It is very important to avoid high-noise environments since such exposure can permanently worsen you problem.
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Do be careful about advertised wonder cures too. At best all they do is produce very expensive urine and at worst.... you don't want to know about it.

[rdking.geo]

BigMac,

Thanks for the "welcome to the club" though I must say that I'm not crazy about the benefits. A couple of questions if I may about your condition.

1. Is your "tone" the very low frequency one that I am hearing? Classic tinnitus is in the very nasty range of about 2-4 kHz (I have intermittent bouts of this which generally pass quickly and yes I am *very* careful about exposure to noise). My tone is down near AC power line frequencies.

2. Do you experience the "my head as a bell" thing I mentioned?

3. Does your noise vary with head orientation as mine does?

The reason I ask all these things is that though I am reluctantly willing to accept tinnitus as the final diagnosis my symptoms are atypical enough of classis tinnitus that I'd like to push things a bit before I "join the ranks".

Though the noise is dismaying and at times depressing I'm getting a bit more used to it.

Thanks again for your reply.

[Lenin]

rdking,

I admire your perseverence and feel kinship. Back 30 years ago while I was seeing one quack after another about going deaf and horrible tinnitus (high register) and trying to avoid hearing aides, I tested myself and found I could hear my watch (a 60's version Accutron, the first with a tunuing fork for timing) through my facial bones. I diagnosed my otosclerosis and sought out the right doctor to cure it. So we are both "diagnosticians without a license!"

Anyhoo, a couple thoughts...63 Hz is extremely low and MANY people, after a certain age might be totally insensitive to it.

I find that my tinnitus has so many overtones that it is impossible for me to pin down which of the many harmonics I am hearing, definitely not a pure tone...but again, all high like whistles. That's the most common tinnitus.

What I THINK is occurring is that you have gone conductively DEAF to a particular low frequency and your brain and auditory nerve is compensating by creating the sound.
IF you have limited the motion of your eardrum as a result of these "adhesions" it is indeed low frequency hearing that would be impaired...only low frequencies require large eardrum displacements and it is only these large displacements that are hampered in any conduction deafness. The situation is VERY akin to otosclerosis where the adhesions limit the motion of the ossicles.

Have a GOOD hearing test and determine if you are suffereing any low range hearing deficit. If so, you MAY actually be starting to show the symptoms of OTO. Doubly likely if you are about age 30. (Do you find any hearing deficit especially in a very quiet environment?)

If the evidence of adhesions is solid AND you are experiencing some loss of hearing, then surgical intervention might be advisable. But know well that most problems with tinnitus are rooted in the INNER EAR and not amenable to a cure.
However, your low-frequency tinnitus is definitely extraordinary, so different rules might apply.

[debbi26]

Hi there - I don't think it is in your head - although in your case it COULD be. But I started hearing the same thing 3 months ago. I went through calling the county to come check water/sewer lifts, the substation nearby, complained to the city - "someone has a generator running". Nothing was found.

I finally realized they were not ever going to find the source of the HUM. I knew that when I spent the night away from my home and HEARD IT THERE too! 8 miles away! Only within closed walls.

That's when I found many many articles on this phenomenon (why they call it that I don't know) but even my dr. found nothing wrong with my hearing.

I don't hear it during the day when other sounds are present....but whenever I am in my home - closed up - there it is....a rumble like a car or train idleing. If I open a window it lessens.... but close it - and there it is. It has awakened me in the middle of the night a couple of times, making my body feel like it is vibrating... VERY disturbing. My ears feel a pressure.

I thought WHY ME? But now I have a small fan going at night to mask it, and I am trying to make a place for it in my life as I have heard from some that they've heard it for 20 years! So I am accepting the fact I am a 'hearer". It is worldwide. A white noise machine works too.

I guess this is the 'world we live in' now, and low frequency is a part of it. Unfortunately we are able to hear while others can't! Good luck to you.