eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

So, I learned today that both my parents have gone through extended periods of tinnitus. Which makes the whistling sound that's been growing in my ears for a week seem somehow less than friendly.

By the same token, they said that it was hypertension that had caused it in them, before. That would suck, as it would mean more powerful medication. I would rather not have to do that.

In the meantime, I'm walking around with a test pattern in my ears.

For those wondering...

Yes, I do indeed have a doctor's appointment scheduled for Friday, to have a look/listen to the whistle. If it's tinnitus, and it likely is, it's a good'n -- I hear the sound equally in both ears, so it's likely neurology more than anything else.

Meh.

For those who want to know what it's like inside my head...

Through the magic of GarageBand, I bring to you...

...the sound I'm hearing in my ears, as close as I can get in pitch and timbre. The oscillations in the sample are pretty close as well -- it's clearly a sine wave in my head, but not a perfectly constant one -- there's slight variation. The instrument ("Dramatic Moment") seems to handle that well.

(Ignore the initial 'striking sound, and concentrate on the long term, sanity crushing noise that follows.)

Here it is, in convenient MP3 format!