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.

Carol, 53, developed tinnitus after a series of colds and throat infections, and started to experience throbbing and pulsating sensations and noises in her ears. She was given drops in case of a virus and referred to hospital. “I was more or less told to get on with it and had no idea how I was going to cope. It was there 24-7 and I was literally crawling the walls,” she explained.

A referral to a `brilliant’ hearing therapist was the turning point for Carol, who received both support and practical help to make the symptoms more bearable. Her message to people going through a similar experience is that there is light at the end of the tunnel and not to give up hope. “It doesn't go away but you can learn to deal with it and getting the right help is one of the most important things,” she said. “Not everything works for everyone but I would tell people to try whatever treatments and equipment a therapist suggests and something will eventually make a difference.”

Carol, who has also had gradual hearing loss for many years, now wears hearing aids in both ears and says her attitude to tinnitus has changed completely. “If I have a bad day it might be really awful but I know I have good days too and that I'll get back on an even keel. It can be very frustrating and depressing but there are actually times when I don't even know I've got it.”

One of Carol’s main concerns is the lack of awareness about tinnitus among people in general and employers in particular. “I don’t think anyone can really appreciate what it’s like if they haven’t experienced it and it can cause problems when looking for work,” she said.

“People don't think twice about employing someone who wears glasses but seem to have a different view of people with hearing aids. Someone with hearing problems uses an aid in just the same way that someone else corrects their eyesight,” she pointed out.

She also believes more support groups would be helpful especially if they were available through surgeries and health centres. “I think it would really help people to talk to others in a similar situation especially in the initial stages and anything that raises awareness would be great,” she said.