Monday, May 14, 2018

BEEP, BEEP

It was abnormally quiet. My usual white noise distractions to mask my noisy ears were silent. No TV humming away in the next room and no music from my speakers. All quiet except those noisy ears. The right one ringing and the left one ticking. Ah, sweet tinnitus.

Surprisingly with all the ear noises, I still have fairly decent hearing and usually keep the TV at about 17. Not great but not bad--for now.

Then a new noise entered my world. As I was working on my computer, very faintly I heard beep, beep. Two gentle beeps, then nothing.  With my noisy ears, I often have a problem telling where a noise is coming from.

Thinking it may be coming from outside, that was the first place I looked. Maybe a garbage truck backing up?? Nope, just some birds out there but not the rapidly running sort.

I know you are all ready going where I went next. Those annoying smoke detectors that beep when the battery gets low.  Could not hear it coming from them but I changed all the batteries anyway. Still heard beeping when I would go into the quiet of my computer room.

Then everything in my house that used batteries got new ones but the soft beeps continued. Now it was every three minutes.  I was getting irritated when a scary thought hit me.

 I remembered  that Linda Myers, who writes the interesting blog Thoughts from a Bag Lady in Waiting   about a year ago had written about her husband Art's pacemaker that started beeping while they were in Greece. Oh the horrors.

So could my pacemaker be sending out distress signals? Yikes. So I first checked Google to see if my model beeped. Some sites said it could so I called my cardiologist.

The nurse I talked to was a quite dismissive and insisted mine had no capabilities for beeping. I tried to tell her Google said differently and mentioned Linda's experience but she remained firm. She insisted that when I had the pacemaker checked two months ago, I still had 9 years left on the battery. Hum--no help there.

So I went back to Google to get more information when I heard it again. The soft beep, beep. I really need to buy a stethoscope.

Just for the heck of it, since I was hearing it while in front of the computer, I removed my laptop's battery, reset it, restarted the computer, then listened. All was quiet.

Was that it?? I don't know but the beeping has stopped. I was no longer a imitating a Roadrunner.  Of course it could mean that my pacemaker just died but since I feel pretty good, I am going with the computer.

I'm kind of glad now that I didn't get huffy with the cardiologist's nurse. I have an appointment there next week and need to keep the peace.

Has your computer ever made beeping sounds?

50 comments :

  1. Our crazy battery world! My sister heard a similar mystery sound that puzzled her for months. Turned out to be her blood pressure machine. Glad your pacemaker is healthy!

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    Replies
    1. Out to Pasture,
      Thanks. I understand your sister's frustration. I have a BP monitor also and it was one of the first to get the batteries changed. At least now everything has fresh batteries.

      Delete
  2. No computer beeps, but my phones (both land line and cell) make really strange beeps when they are low. You would think after so many years I would learn, but alas.......

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    Replies
    1. smartcat,
      It seems a lot of our gadgets have that capabilities. Just wish the source was easier to locate.

      Delete
  3. Well, I know I wouldn't hear my computer beeping because the battery died last year and my laptop's so old my techie doesn't want to charge me for a new one!

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    Replies
    1. Marty,
      Mine is really old also so I guess if the battery goes, I will be in the same boat as you. Fortunately, I rarely use it as a portable.

      Delete
  4. It seems it was the computer. On the positive side, everything in your home now has new batteries! Glad it wasn't your pacemaker! :-)

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    1. Djan,
      Ha ha, you are right. Everything in my house is good for a long while though I am now a bit battery poor.

      Delete
  5. I have the same problem with hearing beeping around the house and not know where it's coming from. Drives me nuts. Often it's coming from the phones but once in awhile it will be my emergency dialer that I wear. I got so frustrated with smoke alarms that I had them all taken down and replaced with the kind that have 15 year batteries.

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    Replies
    1. Jean R,
      Oooh I had not heard about 15 year batteries. I will definitely check into that. Thanks.

      Delete
  6. This would have driven me right over the edge. The first cell phone I had beeped when there was a message I hadn't played. I figured that out after changing all the batteries in smoke detectors. And there have been times when I just wanted to take a baseball bat to the darn smoke detectors.

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    Replies
    1. Olga,
      I so understand the baseball bat urge. Smoke detectors either sound off when making toast or beep ever so secretively.

      Delete
  7. I just ask the voice in my head about beeping sounds and we don't hear any:-)

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    1. Annie,
      Ha ha. Good to know you can count on those voices.

      Delete
  8. During our recent power outage one of our co readers stared to beep off and on . It had a new battery put in in March. I opened the door just in case but every now and then it would go. I finally called the fire department as it was worrispme. The checked the co readers and the beeping one needed a new battery already. Guess the 10 year ones do not always make it? Glad it was just a battery and no co issue. Now we still had no house power. It remained off for the rest os the day. I hate beeps I cannot figure out. Glad your pacemaker battery is still fine.

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    Replies
    1. Heidrun,
      Had to look up co-reader and am not too sure what it is. Interesting that the fire department would check for you. Thanks and I am glad your power is now on.

      Delete
  9. I haven't heard any beeping, but I do have lousy hearing, so I'm no help at all. Roger and I share the cues... I can smell things a mile away, and he can hear things beeping. It's how we stay out of trouble!

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    Replies
    1. robin,
      How nice that each of your super powers is different. Perfect balance you two have.

      Delete
  10. Scary! Glad it was something benign. I have mild tinnuitis. Just a constant light buzz in the background. One adjusts.

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    1. Silver Willow,
      Tinnitus use to annoy me but now I only hear it when it is really quiet or someone says the word.

      Delete
  11. His would be funny if it wasn't also somewhat scary...OK, it was still funny. I have gone through similar Beep Beep issues.

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    1. Joeh,
      That's OK, I meant it to be funny. I was pretty sure hunting beeps was a universal thing and folks could relate:))

      Delete
  12. Dear Patti, I don't have a laptop, but I do have an IPad that has to be charged each night. I've never heard it beep. The beeping from a pacemaker would be scary so I'd think that the dismissive attitude of the nurse would have been difficult to abide!

    I, too, have tinnitus--a symptom for me, along with several others, of Meziere's Disease. I've lost my hearing in my left ear and so, like you, I can not zone in on where a sound is coming from. It's sort of disconcerting at times! Peace.

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    Replies
    1. Dee,
      It is a bit bothersome now knowing where a sound is coming from but we are not in this boat alone. It is a pretty common condition.

      Delete
  13. Dang. At first it was annoying and then worked up to scary level. I have had the cell phone, smoke detectors and hearing aids beep but I think the pacemaker would have made me get a bit unpleasant with the nurse.

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    1. Barbara,
      I came this close to getting huffy but I am glad I didn't for I will see her this week and would have had to apologize.

      Delete
  14. Yes, mystery beeping can be bothersome. We have had it several times in our house... and occasionally in the car. But the ones that we get are not continuous beeping... just beep, beep, beep.... and then nothing. Leaving us looking at each other and wondering what was that?

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    1. Rian,
      I so agree. A constant beeping would be easy to locate but the random beeps drive you up a wall.

      Delete
  15. Not many beeps go off around my place. My cell phone had me looking a couple of times for sounds I didn't recognize, not exactly beeps. I am glad you found the beeping and it was not your pace maker sweet Patti. Hugs and nose kisses to all of you from all of us.

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    Replies
    1. Maggie,
      It sure is maddening when it does happen. Me too on the pacemaker being innocent.

      Delete
  16. There are so many possibilities of beeping and chirping and buzzing and ringing from electronics these days.

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    1. Linda R,
      I know. I didn't realize how many possibilities there were till I went looking.

      Delete
  17. You changed all the batteries in the house??
    Wow. The only noise I hear from my computer is the whirring of the fan that keeps the motor cool. I have tinnitus too, but mostly it's just white noise and I've learned to tune it out. Sometimes it rings and sometimes it rings in tune, like those musical greeting cards that play Jingle Bells when you open them.

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    Replies
    1. River,
      Ooh, your tinnitus sounds much more interesting than mine. I'm kind of envious.

      Delete
  18. Well, that's scary! I sure hope it was the computer. I also have tinnitus (for about 40 years) and mine has recently gotten worse because of a sinus infection and a blocked ear. Today, I got homeopathic drops at the drugstore. I'll let you know if they work!

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    1. Barb,
      Please do let me know if the drops work. I have learned how to live with it but wouldn't mind at all if it went away.

      Delete
  19. No, thankfully I've never had my computer beep at me. I have, however, made some rather rude bleeping noises at it.

    Glad to hear it was not your pacemaker. I read Linda's blog and can't imagine how worrisome it must have been to be in another country.

    Good luck with the appointment!
    Eileen

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    Replies
    1. Eileen,
      Ha ha, had to laugh. I have made a few "bleeping" noises at my computer also:))
      I know, I felt for her and Art when it happened to them in Greece.

      Delete
  20. A small beep some has made so much in your house and also made you to feel scared...

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    1. Weekend-Windup,
      Ah yes, the power of a small beep.

      Delete
  21. I am so glad you have an appt. soon. No matter what the "know-it-all" nurse said it's nothing to fool around with.

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    1. Ginnie,
      She really did have an attitude and could have been a bit more comforting.

      Delete
  22. How frustrating though! Glad it was just he computer and not your heart!

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    1. Kelleyn,
      Yep it was and thank you for stopping by and commenting. Welcome to TNS.

      Delete
  23. Nothing beeping here except the smoke alarms.

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    Replies
    1. Mage,
      Those rascles are really annoying aren't they?

      Delete
  24. Wow, that would have driven me nuts to keep hearing the beeps and not know where it was coming from!

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    Replies
    1. Terri,
      It sure was, especially when the usual suspects were eliminated.

      Delete
  25. Nope but I've wasted hours trying to figure which of our many fire alarms was make the racket....:)

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  26. Ummm... no... I haven’t had beeps from the computer. My cellphone on the other hand does occasionally makes sounds for some reason.

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