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.
Working on construction sites without hearing protection and weekends spent clubbing may have contributed to the problem and he now has tinnitus of different frequencies in each ear.
Stephen, 31, believes the condition is often viewed as being associated with older people and supports moves to raise awareness among the younger generation too. “I knew absolutely nothing about tinnitus until it was diagnosed and was pretty much told to learn to live with it,” he explained. He uses white noise generators to distract from the intrusive sounds but finds them only partly helpful as they also affect his ability to distinguish other sounds such as conversation.
As a musician, he has particularly perceptive hearing and says certain external sounds can amplify the problem. “Things like driving and the screech of brakes definitely aggravate it and it’s quite hard to deal with at times. It’s much worse in quiet environments but I don’t really notice it in social situations which is one positive thing although it’s effectively ended my clubbing days! It can drive you crazy but you just have to accept it and try not to let it get you down,” he added.
Working in an office environment can be difficult and tinnitus does affect his concentration. He also tries to avoid using mobile phones too often which leave him with a dull ache in his ears.
Although Stephen manages to sleep fairly well, he no longer enjoys the luxury of snoozing which most of us take for granted. “As soon as I’m awake, I can hear the noise so dropping back off to sleep just doesn’t happen anymore,” he explained.
He’s now exploring the possibility of recording a tinnitus therapy CD to help fellow sufferers and would welcome any support for the project. “I think it could benefit a lot of people and I’d like to do something positive to help if I can,” added Stephen.
If you would like to help us increase awareness of tinnitus, why not become a Regional Ambassador for Deafness Research UK? By getting our message across to other people, our objective is to raise further funds to conduct the research that will bring relief for millions of people like you. Click here for further information, or call the Deafness Research UK Information Service on 0808 808 2222.
