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.
Now the 34-year-old has been left to wrestle with an incurable condition that is seemingly impossible to treat.
“It gives me so many sleepless nights,” Karl says. “There's not only the lack of sleep to deal with, but the feeling of sheer despair that goes hand in hand with tinnitus. It can be unbearable.”
Karl is a project engineer, but tinnitus has forced him to take time off work. “I have been utterly exhausted through lack of sleep. Thankfully my job isn't too physical, or the tinnitus might have been even more of a hindrance,” says Karl. “My GP won't give me sleeping pills as they are considered to be addictive. I have seen several ENT specialists and they all advise the same old relaxation methods which do help to a certain extent, but I am pretty much left to my own devices.”
Karl's exhaustion also led to a decline in his fitness, as he rarely has the energy to continue his exercise regime. “Until twelve months ago, I was racing mountain bikes to a very high standard and training in the gym every day at 7am. All that fitness has gone now. I still have occasional good days, but that's hard to live with – I'm used to feeling very strong and being 100% fit all of the time.”
Like many other sufferers of tinnitus, Karl finds himself avoiding going out, especially if he has had a bad week. He maintains that nobody can understand tinnitus unless they have experienced it at first-hand. “It is difficult to explain to people that haven't suffered from the effects and symptoms of tinnitus,” he says. “More awareness needs to be made of this most debilitating condition and more research undertaken.”
Commenting on Karl's situation, Geraldine Oliver from the Deafness Research UK Information Service said: “Karl seems typical of many people with tinnitus who, even having sought medical help, are still not offered treatments that should be available on the NHS. This bears out the findings of a Deafness Research UK survey in which we found that over three quarters (76%) of people who sought help from the NHS for their tinnitus had not received any of the generally accepted treatments.
“Treatments such as cognitive behaviour therapy and other habituation therapies are becoming more widely available on the NHS, and by reducing the impact of the tinnitus, can improve quality of life considerably. Karl may also benefit from a sound generator, which masks the sound of tinnitus and should be free of charge from the NHS. I hope Karl may also find our new collection of sleep tips helpful.”
