Our Impact 2020/21

The mum-of-one saw several GPs over a threeweek
period and tried antibiotics, sleeping tablets
and nasal sprays, while some doctors just said
to ignore it. Nothing worked though and, feeling
increasingly helpless, she Googled ‘tinnitus’,
which led to her reading a number of alarming
articles stating that there is no cure.
“By this point it started to feel that this tinnitus
sound, which was completely new to me at that
point, was going to be with me forever and there
would be nothing that I could do about it. I began
to feel extremely distressed, and I couldn’t eat for
worrying – which led to me losing weight – and
I couldn’t sleep either. In fact, I was scared to
lay in bed and scared to get up – I just couldn’t
escape the sound. It all started to spiral. I just felt
like a different person and couldn’t see a way out.
I didn’t want to live anymore, and I was afraid of
how I was thinking.”
After the panic attack Christina knew that she
had to look at her tinnitus differently and asked
for an appointment with a doctor to discuss her
mental health. The way the GP approached her
condition changed everything for her:
“This doctor stopped, listened and then
educated me – all in the space of a 20-minute
appointment. For me, talking through the mental
health challenges I’d been experiencing and
having them validated by a health professional
took a weight off my shoulders. She explained
what tinnitus is and we talked about different
management strategies. For the first time I could
see light at the end of the tunnel.
“I had a really helpful call with someone on the
British Tinnitus Association helpline and joined a
local tinnitus support group, where I learned why
the brain reacts the way it does and how other
people cope with their tinnitus. It was like putting
a jigsaw together and, once I understood it, life
just got a lot better.
“I have since discovered that I suffer from
high-frequency hearing loss and so I now have
a hearing aid, which helps. I also found that
meditation – something I never would have
considered before – improves things as stress
and anxiety are major triggers for tinnitus.
“Tinnitus is a really misunderstood condition
and it’s not taken as seriously as it should be.
The fact that it’s invisible makes it hard for
people to understand and that can make dealing
with it quite a lonely experience. I definitely think
my healthcare journey could have been a lot
better but it really improved once I addressed the
mental health concerns of tinnitus.
“I would advise anyone who is struggling
with tinnitus right now to access support as
early as possible and to ensure they share the
mental health challenges right from the first
appointment. Once I did that, things started
to improve, and I haven’t seen another
doctor since.”
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