News > You can't just switch off the noises
You can't just switch off the noises
3 October 2009 – South Wales Echo / Written by Gregory Tindle
Anita Lee is proof that tinnitus sufferers can learn to lead a relatively normal life.
FOR a brief moment Anita Lee considered taking her own life as she struggled to cope with a condition that was dominating her every waking hour.
The high pitched buzzing noise in her head would come and go and initially Anita received little help from her GP, apart from a prescription for antidepressants, until she eventually sought expert medical help and was diagnosed with tinnitus.
Anita was 60 and had lived a fit and active life working for the NHS as an occupational therapist, helping others to try to get back to normal after accidents and illness.
Anita’s dad had been struck down with a heart attack and her younger sister was battling cancer when the high pitched noise in her head started coming and going throughout the day and it was on the verge of driving her mad.
She said: “The only thing I can compare it with is opening a bottle of pop and then listening to the sound it makes with your ear pressed close to the top.
“My dad had tinnitus but he used to dismiss it as a bad headache but when he became ill and died from a heart attack in March 2007 my tinnitus started about a month later.
“At the time I had been visiting dad in hospital every day for months and then travelling to see my sister Elizabeth, who was in and out of in hospital in Exeter. This had been going on for 20 months and I believe the condition was brought on by stress, although there is no proof of that.”
After her diagnosis was confirmed, Anita said the noises would come and go, getting louder and louder. “The problem is no-one can see it or hear it and it was like a vicious circle. Everyone told me it must be awful and it is awful; this high pitched noise in my head which you can never get rid of can make you very withdrawn.”
Eventually, Anita sought expert help and this arrived in the form of a newspaper advert offering a hearing test for tinnitus sufferers with checks by an audiologist.
“After the test, I ended up with two hearing aids and this proved a big breakthrough. There is a sound generator in the hearing aid that produces white noise, which can mask the tinnitus sounds.”
Anita also uses a sound ball, a form of speaker that can generate soothing sounds such as a babbling brook, sea or a fountain.
“At the end of the day the idea is to try to get the brain to filter out the tinnitus sound. It’s a bit like moving next to a busy road and it’s terrible for a week or two but eventually you get used to it and the brain learns to cope.”
For Anita, now 62, of Whitchurch, Cardiff, who carries out voluntary work for her local church book shop and helps with Age Concern, her main enjoyment is to get out and about with friends.
“I like company and when you’re busy in good company laughing and joking, you can forget about the tinnitus.”
Sarah Foster, a tinnitus expert and clinical audiologist, said: “Tinnitus can happen at any age. It’s more prevalent in adults but is not unheard of in children.
“It can happen for many different reasons. It could be physical such as hearing loss, a bump on the head or a trauma but it can also be purely an emotional reaction to a change in circumstance.
“Many of the patients are quite anxious and stressed about their experience and welcome advice and reassurance that help is available.
“The symptoms of tinnitus can be described as any internal noise heard within the head or ears when there is no external stimulus. Some people have got this misconception that it’s just a ringing noise but it can be a humming, whistling, beeping or squeaking.”
Sarah, of Cardiff-based Hearing Aid Solutions, said: “The biggest problem we face is raising awareness that something can be done for tinnitus sufferers – we really need to get the message out there that there is help available and the techniques used do have an extremely high success rate. What many sufferers want is reassurance that there are lots of ways of helping and managing tinnitus. A lot of people are very anxious and depressed about their condition and the fact that they have no control over their symptoms.
“Some people are so badly affected that they can’t go out, they cut themselves off from the world and it affects their sleep. We can’t just switch tinnitus off but we can teach people a way of learning to live with it and put them back in control. There is no quick fix, it does take time and commitment – but it’s worth it.”
Hearing Aid Solutions is holding an open day to mark National Tinnitus Awareness week on Monday, February 9, at their outlet in JR Lane Optician, 96 Station Road, Llandaff North.
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a condition where noises are heard in the ears or in the head. The noise varies from ringing, whistling, buzzing and humming.
The noise may be low, medium or high pitched, may be continuous or it may come and go. There is currently no cure.
It is not a disease or an illness. The cause is not fully understood but it affects an estimated five million people in the UK.
Tinnitus is common in all age groups, especially following exposure to loud noise.
Mild tinnitus is common – about 10% of the population have it all the time.
For further advice, support or information ring the British Tinnitus Association on 0800 018 0527.
