Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[maxdimario]

Just recently in addition to the tinnitus which I have gotten somewhat used to, there is a strange oscillation in my right ear like the sound of a large diesel engine idling on the streetside..

I noticed that by plugging my ear with a finger, the oscillation subsides, which makes me believe it is the eardrum itself which is shaking..

anyone here experience this very annoying business?

[Ryan Slowey]

that sounds really irritating. could it be fluid build-up? i haven't experienced a noise quite like that, but for the past couple of weeks, my right ear has been ringing much louder than usual. maybe its a change in air pressure with the seasonal change?

-ryan

[maxdimario]

It's annoying.

I think its the tensor muscle of the eardrum going into spasm.

I wonder if this is a noise-induced thing or if it's neurological.

[ssltech]

Is it discrete?

[Taproot]

maxdimario wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 08:02

It's annoying. I think its the tensor muscle of the eardrum going into spasm. I wonder if this is a noise-induced thing or if it's neurological.

That's it. Used to happen to me a lot. Sort of like an ear seizure. Can be caused by stress, caffeine, etc.

Mine sounded like a large Butterfly IN my ear. It'll scare the crap out of you.

[maxdimario]

ssltech wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 21:02

Is it discrete?

hello buddy.

I have the feeling that I have more experience in my little finger than you do in your whole body about audio electronics..

of course I may be wrong..

It's funny that you should come and make your comments on something like tinnitus..

seemingly there's nothing else which you can hit upon to make me feel badly?

after all you are an ssltech...

which at BEST means you know how to fix a cathode ray tube and  replace an EEPROM..  

[maxdimario]

Taproot wrote on Sat, 17 November 2007 00:06

maxdimario wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 08:02 It's annoying. I think its the tensor muscle of the eardrum going into spasm. I wonder if this is a noise-induced thing or if it's neurological. That's it. Used to happen to me a lot. Sort of like an ear seizure. Can be caused by stress, caffeine, etc. Mine sounded like a large Butterfly IN my ear. It'll scare the crap out of you.

exactly.. like an earthquake.

what can you do.

A friend of mine said it could be cured by an osteopath.. which means it could be posture or the spinal coloumn, etc.

it could be hereditary, it could be stress.. it could be all of the above..

[studiojimi]

maxdimario wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 18:39

A friend of mine said it could be cured by an osteopath.. which means it could be posture or the spinal coloumn, etc. it could be hereditary, it could be stress.. it could be all of the above..

why would an osteopath, who did not complete his medical schooling do more than a real doctor

did you mean chiropractor?

[maxdimario]

studiojimi wrote on Sat, 17 November 2007 03:43

maxdimario wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 18:39 A friend of mine said it could be cured by an osteopath.. which means it could be posture or the spinal coloumn, etc. it could be hereditary, it could be stress.. it could be all of the above.. why would an osteopath, who did not complete his medical schooling do more than a real doctor did you mean chiropractor?

well, in the UK the situation is different as far as schooling.. don't know about over here.. this is a new 'science' or art as it may be etc.

there is a very good (famous) chiropractor nearby called messerman, who helps soccer players.

my girlfriend goes once in a while..

I thought there was a difference between the two 'schools'..

are you saying chiropractors are more efficient?

is it the same techniques?

[Taproot]

maxdimario wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 19:39

Taproot wrote on Sat, 17 November 2007 00:06 maxdimario wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 08:02 It's annoying. I think its the tensor muscle of the eardrum going into spasm. I wonder if this is a noise-induced thing or if it's neurological. That's it. Used to happen to me a lot. Sort of like an ear seizure. Can be caused by stress, caffeine, etc. Mine sounded like a large Butterfly IN my ear. It'll scare the crap out of you. exactly.. like an earthquake. what can you do. A friend of mine said it could be cured by an osteopath.. which means it could be posture or the spinal coloumn, etc. it could be hereditary, it could be stress.. it could be all of the above..

Never heard of an Osteopath. Mine just went away. I do remember it would creep up when I would work those crazy 80-90 hour weeks, so fatigue could also be a factor. My doc pretty much said it was caffiene and burning the candle at both ends and there was no real cure.

Earthquake is a good description too.

[ssltech]

maxdimario wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 21:36

I have the feeling that I have more experience in my little finger than you do in your whole body about audio electronics..

-Thanks Max... -You just gave me a signature line!

-I needed a laugh!

Of course, you're spot on. I have never worked on anything other than SSLs. -Well Spotted!

You should know me for being 'indiscrete'. (spelling intentional.)

[compasspnt]

Stay tuned for more of the Keith v. Max Controversy.  Pictures at Eleven.


Definitely limit the caffeine, and the calcium as well.

Get some rest.

And keep up the cheery outlook on life.

 http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/m/131901/6490/?sr ch=calcium#msg_131901

[maxdimario]

Yes, I've noticed how much a change of mood influences it all.

It's gone now (but I suspect it will be back).

ssltech: you are too kind, thank you.

[Greg Hartley]

One time I had a dog hair get in my ear that would only slightly rub up against my ear drum. Every time I moved my jaw or head it would make a dull thud/scraping sound (in many ways like an engine idling, as you describe). I thought I had punctured it until I was cleaning the outer canal with a Q-tip and it fell out. No problems after that. Strange as hell.

Just a thought that might help. Either way, best health to you.

[Chris Ilett]

Sounds nasty, sorry to hear you're having hearing problems.

Whats this argument all about? Couldn't tell if you're old mates or old enemies!

[ssltech]

Quote:

Whats this argument all about? Couldn't tell if you're old mates or old enemies!

I respect some of what Max does, and I also like to ladle some healthy scorn on some stuff which he writes; -most specially some excessively generalised posts of his about how 'IC's kill music', how 'discrete is by nature better', and some recently posted 'half-formed thoughts' on electrolytic capacitors.

Now, I don't actually mock tinnitus, nor did I. -It's a rather serious affliction- however, the 'eardrum spasm' is something I get when I'm rather tired, and I usually take it as an 'alarm clock' reminding me that I've overdone it, and nothing is worth losing TOO much sleep over, these days. For me, it's rather like one of those facial twitches/muscle spasms that one very occasionally experiences, but it's in my ear... Might not be quite the same for everyone, but in my case at least, I find that it simply disappears with out a trace, as soon as I stop cheating myself of the rest which I need.

Now, I don't believe that any particular part of my body other than my mind has any 'experience for electronics' at all, so if Max's little finger is posessed by such an 'experience' then he may be right. I on the other hand only think about electronics with my mind, listen to the result and draw on my experiences to date, which apparently go back a little further than Max's. That combination works well enough for me, although there are better engineers, designers and techs out there than myself.

I'm known to be a little 'indiscrete' at times, but I'm also known for taking a swing at anything that comes my way if it's high and above the plate...

There you go. -A not too self-centered view of the Keith-versus-Max story.

Max, you should get that little finger exorcised.

[mgod]

Back to the subject - I get that strange oscillation in my left ear on occasion. Its very weird and annoying. I also fell on a rock some years ago and did some damage to the left side of my head, and I attribute it to that.

DS

[studiojimi]

compasspnt wrote on Sat, 17 November 2007 11:55

Stay tuned for more of the Keith v. Max Controversy.  Pictures at Eleven. Definitely limit the caffeine, and the calcium as well. Get some rest. And keep up the cheery outlook on life.   http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/m/131901/6490/?sr ch=calcium#msg_131901

i'd rather put up with a little ringing than give up my coffee


it's a funny thing the way the tinnitus works

i can be in a discussion group and the traffic outside is louder than the people talking

in some ways...i think certain aspects of it are acutally advantageous in mixing..."believe it or not"

because sonic disturbance are very apparant (at least to me) for some reason.

besides..i'm also from the old Detroit rocker school of

"if it's too loud, yer too old"

[maxdimario]

I believe that too.

I can hear distortion and balance better than I used to when my hearing was not damaged.

I think there must be two kinds of signal processing in the ear:

one is frequency dependant, like a fourier analysis.

the other has perhaps more to do with the wave-shape.

I figure that since my ear cells have been reduced in number, the last few are doing all the work and it's probably a more direct process, as opposed to a sum of various inputs.

it could also be decreased sensibility..

in other words it's as if we are forced to listen at low levels because we hear with a built-in pad..

Strange effect..

but wearing headphones for so long was probably the stupidest thing I ever did in my life.

I don't wish tinnitus upon anyone, especially when it can be avoided..

headphone manufacturers should be forced to put warnings on their products like cigarette manufacturers, I feel.

[Tomas Danko]

I am confident it's the cognitive capacity of the brain that gets better over the years, and that for the most part we do not need all them hairs and ear cells in order to figure sounds out.

It seems strange how the ear could actually improve its function with age, especially since there are more signals transmitted *from* the brain to the ears than vice versa.

[maxim]

sorry to come in late into this rather colourful thread, but i didn't see until just now

max, if you are still suffering from this "noise", i strongly suggest you see a qualified medical practitioner, and not try to diagnose it over the internet (or by a chiropractor or osteopath, neither of whom has anything to do with hearing)

"I noticed that by plugging my ear with a finger, the oscillation subsides, which makes me believe it is the eardrum itself which is shaking.."

the opposite would be true

if the eardrum was causing the noise, it would intensify when outside noises are blocked out

imo, the most LIKELY cause of your symptom, from the limited history you gave, is something to do with your sinuses, which can certainly be afeectd by the change in pressure inside the ear canal

however, it could also be that you are experiencing auditory hallucinations as a result of acid flashbacks....

as i said, if pain persists, see your doctor!



tomas is on the money, imo, regarding the grey matter being more important than the mechanics when it comes to sound interpretation, and, therefore, hearing

[maxdimario]

I do have a chronic sinus condition but the noise is tied to my mood and fatigue..

these last few days i've been 'up' recording the piano in a hall and I've had no trouble.

last night after midnight it started again.

it's a low freq. oscillation.

the reason I say it stops is that when the air cavity is sealed in the ear, the eardrum is damped.

I actually can still hear it vibrating with an earplug but the amplitude of the oscillation is much reduced.

as far as hallucinations, I've never taken LSD.

the general attitude of physicians here in Italy is that tinnitus can't be cured.

the reason I am a bit mistrustful is that doctors over here are in my experience much inferior to the ones I knew in Canada, and I have grown to mistrust them, as they have a tendency to 'guess' and never take you seriously unless you become a 'regular cu$tomer'.

even professors have made me spend loads of money for other problems without addressing the correct problems..

I have read of problems with the tensor of the tympani.

when i hear sounds my tensors seem to over-react... I've noticed.

I will seek out a good doctor.

[ssltech]

maxdimario wrote on Mon, 26 November 2007 08:47

when i hear sounds my tensors seem to over-react... I've noticed.

Mmmmmmmmf! -Mmmmmmm... mmmm... mmmmm-mmmm-mmmmmmmf!!!

[Taproot]

I forgot about another thing that would happen (years ago) when my ears were doing this regularly. The muscles would constrict and stay that way for a half second or less and ALL ambient noise seemed to elevate to the level of a jet engine! This only happened at night when I was about to go to sleep and it would scare me to death.

This is what lead me to the doctor's office.

[maxim]

"I do have a chronic sinus condition but the noise is tied to my mood and fatigue.."

that's why proper history, examination and relevant testing are required for diagnosis (and even then, it still requires a proper brain to interpret the results)


"as far as hallucinations, I've never taken LSD."

uh-oh...


"the general attitude of physicians here in Italy is that tinnitus can't be cured."

it's the same here in australia

i'm also not aware that any of the alternative therapies offer a cure

however, that doesn't mean that it's a permanent condition

tinnitus symptoms tend to fluctuate, sometimes, along with "mood and fatigue"


"I have grown to mistrust them, as they have a tendency to 'guess' and never take you seriously unless you become a 'regular cu$tomer'."

anything up to 90% of presenting conditions are transient and untreatable, so one of the signs that a complaint needs addressing is its persistance and/or recurrence

deterioration must always be taken seriously however!



"even professors have made me spend loads of money for other problems without addressing the correct problems.."

no professional gets it perfect every time

but a good professional will keep working until they do



"I will seek out a good doctor."

word of mouth is important

good luck!

[Taproot]

maxim wrote on Mon, 26 November 2007 18:09

I've never taken LSD."

This changes everything. You should've said something. Go get some good clean acid, take two and call me in the morning.

[MagnetoSound]

This thread will tell you a lot, if you haven't read it already:

 http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/mv/msg/9723/0/0/0 /


I think it would make a good sticky in Whatever Works, if Bill, or one of the moderators, wants to do that.


Dan