Managing tinnitus
Personal stories about living with tinnitus
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Cheshire woman’s shock at waking up with sudden hearing loss and tinnitus
56 year old Pam Brown, from Stockport, Cheshire had lived with limited hearing in her right ear from her mid-twenties and had coped reasonably well; but nothing could have prepared her for the shock of waking up one morning with sudden hearing loss and unbearable tinnitus in her left ear.
Virus leaves woman with a future of hearing difficulties
It was during her early 30s that Marese Pitman was struck down with a virus that, combined with otosclerosis, left her with damaged nerves and progressively worsening hearing loss in both ears. Twenty years later, Marese, now 53 and living in Poole, has also started to experience tinnitus, but while this has been difficult to manage, she is feeling more positive following a recent visit to an ENT specialist.
York man hopes to help tinnitus sufferers
Stephen Harrison, 35, who lives in York, developed tinnitus in his 20s after a bout of flu, but believes it was probably due to exposure to loud noise as it was diagnosed alongside a slight hearing loss.
Tinnitus affects your whole life
Rachael Nugent of Bury in Lancashire has suffered from tinnitus for eight long years. Countless visits to doctors and experimenting with different treatments have left her no better than before; she still has the same loud ‘whooshing’ noise in her ears.
Constant noise difficult to come to terms with
For 24 year old Charlotte Booth of Skipton, Yorkshire, living with a hearing impairment has always been part of her life. But when she also started suffering with tinnitus last year, coping with the constant noise proved difficult to come to terms with.
North Yorks teacher warns of tinnitus risk factors
Secondary school teacher Anne Smith of Castleton, North Yorkshire, developed tinnitus one evening after supervising pupils at a noisy school disco. Although Anne's GP initially attributed the high-pitched ringing to an ear infection; after taking antibiotics, the ringing unfortunately persisted and Anne was diagnosed with tinnitus.
Retired Manchester man gets relief from tinnitus with hearing aid
Stan Inglis of Gorton in Manchester is now enjoying a happy retirement, travelling and doing the things he’s always wanted to do. Nonetheless, he does suffer with tinnitus and has been living with it for most of his life.
Glasgow DJ warns of tinnitus risks
John Steventon of Kirkintilloch, Glasgow developed a passion for music as a youngster and was playing drums by the age of ten. Seeing live bands and listening to his personal stereo became a way of life and after leaving college he found work as a DJ. With typical youthful optimism, he never imagined how such frequent exposure to loud noise would affect him in the future.
Hertfordshire man appalled at lack of tinnitus funding
Alan Salsbury, of Westill, Hertfordshire, first experienced tinnitus as a teenage DJ 35 years ago. Mixing records one over the other, and regular exposure to extremely loud club music is blamed by Alan for the start of his nightmare with tinnitus.
Brighton man hopes to help tinnitus sufferers
Stephen Harrison of Brighton in Sussex developed tinnitus suddenly after a bout of flu in his 20s and believes the underlying cause was exposure to excessive noise.
Londoner highlights tinnitus misery
William Nunn who lives near Wimbledon in London developed tinnitus suddenly in 2002 after listening to live music. During the first few months he was plunged into despair and suffered depression and chronic insomnia.
Light at the end of the tunnel
Carol Farmer of Canvey Island, Essex, has had tinnitus since December 2004, and initially couldn't imagine how she was going to live with it for the rest of her life. However things slowly improved, and although she still has her share of bad days she now has good ones too.
Tinnitus has ruined my life
Karl Holtby of Hull has had tinnitus for over a decade. For most of that time the noises in his ears were just a gentle, bearable buzzing, but he was still able to live his life normally. Karl barely noticed the condition until around twelve months ago when it took a turn for the worse and the noises in his ears suddenly became much louder for no apparent reason.
Tinnitus increasingly affecting the young
At just 33, David Brinn of Calne near Swindon, Wiltshire, is one of a growing number of young people for whom tinnitus is a constant problem.
Tinnitus and otosclerosis: makes concentration difficult
Karen Sawyer, 33, from Poole, has been suffering from tinnitus for more than six months. It has become so bad that it is stopping her from living a normal life.
Told it's just a part of being deaf
Amanda Glasspell, 24, from Falkirk, has had tinnitus for almost 20 years. It is so bad that it stops her from leading a normal life.
Like traffic roaring past
Sister Marika Rebicsek, 45, from Westcliff-on-Sea, has had tinnitus since she was a child. She says she has learned to live with it even though it affects her everyday life.
They didn't take it seriously
Trisha Roberts, 53, from Birmingham, has suffered from tinnitus for more than five years. She says she didn't get any help from her specialist and was left feeling very alone.
Forced to retire
Andrew Sutton, 54, from Ipswich, Suffolk, has been suffering from tinnitus for five years. Although he has learnt to live with it, he has had to retire from his demanding job as an accountant.
Offered no treatment
Don Armstrong, 55, from Cardiff, has had tinnitus for more than four years. It is so severe that Don can’t live life normally and is worried about his job as a financial advisor.
Complete lifestyle change
Doug Markham, 54, from Shillington, Hertfordshire, has been suffering tinnitus for more than five years. He says his tinnitus is uncomfortable and often makes living a normal life difficult.
One of the few lucky ones
Eve Munsey, from Leicester, has had tinnitus since 1997 and says it had such a profound effect on her life that she was admitted to hospital.
A continuous whooshing sound
Dave Booth, 60, from Grimsby, has had tinnitus for more than twenty years and says he has just had to learn to live with it.
Loud gunfire during the war
Eric Maggs, from Chester, has had tinnitus almost 60 years and puts it down to military service, where he was exposed to loud gun fire.
Niagara Falls
Zelda Nicholls, 70, from Lowestoft, has experienced tinnitus for as long as she can remember.
Making life a misery
Lorna Fitzgerald, 85, from Doncaster, has had tinnitus for more than forty years but has never received treatment.
