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.

He first noticed it while working in an office with a very noisy air-conditioner. He saw his doctor who referred him to see a specialist.

"It took over six months for me to be seen by a specialist on the NHS. They examined me and finding no cause, referred me on again, as they said they couldn’t help.

"I waited another nine months for the audiologist appointment. They treated me sympathetically and with counselling, which was helpful, though it really just reinforced what I had worked out for myself already. However, the white noise generator they gave me was difficult for me to hear without my hearing aids, and actually made my tinnitus seem worse.

"My tinnitus sounds like a high pitched buzzing noise, a sort of background hiss; it is quite loud.

"It is very difficult trying to concentrate on things, but I tell myself, if I can still hear it, I am still alive!"