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.
Since that morning two years ago, Pam's life and outlook has changed dramatically as she has realised the hearing loss and tinnitus may well be permanent. Caused by cochlear hydrops (a form of Menieres without the usual dizziness), there is little that can be done to help.
Pam explains “The initial hearing loss I had was due to measles which I had as a baby. I had become used to it and I didn't let it affect my life. I loved music and was able to enjoy my social life and work but the sudden hearing loss I have suffered in my left ear along with the loud and intense tinnitus is totally different. It has had a dramatic impact on everything I do, often leaving me feeling isolated and stressed.”
Following the sudden hearing loss Pam has seen many specialists, and as a nurse herself has been particularly dismayed by the apparent lack of sympathy and support from the NHS. “I was amazed that when in a clinic, anxious and unable to hear very well the nurse called my name from round a corner. The whole approach showed a lack of understanding of the people they were trying to help. Working in a hospital I also found wearing a hearing aid made things worse but it was unbelievable when I was told by one specialist 'the trouble with you is that you won't accept a hearing aid'. I felt I was being totally dismissed.”
Too young and active to give up work, Pam has had to change the type of nursing she does as her hearing problems were causing her to miss instructions and she was finding communicating with colleagues and patients difficult. Doing fewer hours, she has moved away from most front line nursing duties, and now focuses mainly on patient admissions. “I have been left very disappointed with colleagues and their lack of sympathy towards my condition. Access to Work did come and assess me at work but this was something I had to arrange myself. The suggestions they made have been ignored and no-one seems interested. It's very frustrating and working for the NHS I thought they would have been far more supportive.”
Pam has now decided to use her experience positively and become a regional ambassador for Deafness Research UK. “I have had to give up a lot in the last two years; even meeting my friends for coffee was proving too difficult. I loved music and this has been taken away from me, as my children had grown up and left home I had joined a choir but managed just one concert before my unexpected hearing loss. When I found out about Deafness Research UK and the Regional Ambassadors’ Programme I thought it was the perfect chance to harness my frustration in a positive way.”
