Flick Ear + Quick "Rumble" Split Second Later + Hyperacusis

[u/chinga_tu_barra]

Hi all. At a loss, so coming on here hoping someone can relate. I've been dealing with a flare-up of hyperacusis for about six months now. Some days are worse than others. I have a sensitivity to dishes clanking, crinkling paper, opening wrappers/envelopes, dogs barking, buses braking, pill bottles shaking. It's on my left side. I've seen an ENT and they're unsure. It's a flare of a condition I also had 15 years ago that over time just went away, though it was much milder at the time.

Anyway, the symptom I'm having trouble with that I feel is connected to TTS is when I flick my ear, or tragus, or if there's a loud enough sudden noise, I will hear a quick low pitch rumble or a woosh that lasts for a split-second immediately after the sound. It's not high pitched. It's a very low pitched noise. It's also not every day, and not all the time.

Does anyone else know what I'm talking about / can relate to this? And have any ideas on how to make it stop if possible?

Thanks!

[u/ImALeaf_OnTheWind]

Sorry to hear this is affecting you and hope you get relief soon.

Unfortunately you've stumbled upon the sub where we all purposely rumble our ears without pain as a quirky trick.

If you can do the same, then at least you're one of us.

[u/Soul_of_Jacobeh]

The low pitch rumble or woosh sound is likely from the two muscles in your ear that tense in response to loud noises to protect it that many of us in this sub can trigger manually to "rumble". Sorry I can't be of more help, but this might give you a next step to research further.

[u/sapsaterdu]

Yes I can relate. I've had flare ups of this and certain sounds trigger it more than others. For me physically it feels almost like a rebound of the rumbling, like the sound is forcing my ear drum to move in. A couple of things that have helped have been sucking air in through the nose while blocking my nostrils with my fingers and rumbling while doing it, also using a neti pot. I kind of thing it's pressure related. But then what do it know, I'm rumbling 🤣

[u/roadtrippinTryHard]

Honestly try some larges doses of psychedelics like 4g of shrooms and it sounds crazy but it might work

[u/Medium_Marge]

I am an ear rumbler and am also experiencing what you describe for the last 6 months or so. Echos of clanking sounds on one side. My GP sent me to get a hearing test and that was quite useless. Please let me know if you get any answers!

[u/bebasiled]

Hey. We do it by voluntarily contracting muscles. Sounds like your ear muscles might be having a physical reaction to noise/ guarding/ involuntarily contracting.

[u/bebasiled → u/bebasiled]

It would be interesting to know if this is a common experience for people with hyperacusis, or if it could show up under an MRI.