Tinnitus
– a personal perspective
I
was recently asked to do my talk on 'relaxation and
stress-management' to a local tinnitus support group. This request
has motivated me to explore what it means to have this condition. I
know that my hearing is very important to me and on the rare occasion
when my hearing had been affected by a heavy cold I'm aware of slight
deafness and sounds that are not normally there. Fortunately after a
few days I recover but this is not a case with many people. CW is one
of these people. I met CW some time ago at a local allotment scheme
where we are both members and this is what she says about living with
this condition:-
“Thanks
for asking me about tinnitus. I try not to think about it but it has
been interesting putting these thoughts down. …..
I’ve
lived with a sharp hissing in one ear for over 40 years, when I went
completely deaf in my right ear, and a less sharp hiss in the other
for about five years. I probably had ear problems since I was a baby
because I had a lot of earache and a doctor found I was lip-reading
at some point in my childhood. Up until I retired 10 years ago I was
working and travelling and generally being more energetic than I am
now so I probably didn’t notice the tinnitus as much as in recent
years. I certainly notice the noise when I’m talking/writing about
it, like now!! And I notice it at night when all is supposed to be
silent.
I
remember going to a self-help group in Sheringham about 25 years ago
but I found that talking about tinnitus made me quite depressed so I
decided not to go any more. I am an outgoing and optimistic person,
and being active and having lots of interests helped, and still
helps, distract from the noise. At home, I have the radio on, and I
like to be outside, whatever the weather, in the garden, the city or
on the allotment where there is low to medium background noise.
Obviously loud noise is to be avoided. As we get older, hearing often
deteriorates and the downside of being sociable is that hearing
speakers and people I’m with, is now very hard work. I need to see
someone’s face to hear properly and there mustn’t be background
music or clatter, as in many cafes, for instance. Lots of people do
not enunciate their words (you could say mumble!) and not only do I
struggle to hear, but voices have to be sharp enough to override the
tinnitus as well.
We
can get ringing in our ears as a result of various things but there
is no cure for tinnitus caused by ear damage, as far as I know. The
brain develops coping strategies but I can only say that it’s
important to get out and about, do things, keep busy and keep
positive. While I can never experience the silence of mountains in
winter, which is where I first realised I had bad tinnitus (I was
working in Geneva), I can appreciate the sounds of nature whether in
the garden or in the countryside of on the coast: wind in the trees,
birdsong, water – these things make life enjoyable and well worth
living”. (CW)
