One of the few lucky ones

Eve Munsey, from Leicester, has had tinnitus since 1997 and says it had such a profound effect on her life that she was admitted to hospital.

"When I first started to hear the tinnitus, which sounded like a gas boiler only much louder, it destroyed me; I was completely pole-axed.

"I began going into quiet rooms just to see if I could hear a noise; it took over my life. I needed sleeping tablets just to get a little bit of rest.

"My GP initially told me that there was nothing he could do for me, but I was so depressed that he referred me to a recovery clinic. I was in and out of the clinic for about six months, during which time I received some very good counselling.

"I also began to see a hearing therapist at the Leicester Royal Infirmary who was excellent. She really helped me to become less aware of the tinnitus through habituation, a type of counselling that helps you to ignore back ground noise, and a white noise generator.

"The therapy I received from both the clinic and the hearing therapist changed my life. I have come to a point of serenity; I can honestly say I don’t hear the noise anymore. Sometimes if I lie in bed on one ear, and really try hard to hear something, I can, but not normally.

"Even though tinnitus put me in hospital, I consider myself to be one of the few lucky ones. Most sufferers never get any respite and are hounded by the noises all the time."