Case Study - Alan Butler

WILLPOWER HELPS GLOUCESTERSHIRE MAN TO TACKLE TINNITUS

Alan Butler of Brockworth, Gloucestershire, first noticed a whistling sound in his ears almost 40 years ago. Assuming it must be coming from the television, he was surprised to discover that the set was switched off and realised the noise must be internal.

An audio specialist at the time gave a tentative diagnosis of tinnitus but could offer little in the way of explanations or treatment. Four decades on, Alan, 79, believes the situation hasn't really changed and that there is still a lack of knowledge about the causes and possible remedies. A spell in the army experiencing blasts and explosions may have contributed to his hearing problems but no one can be sure.

"I've found that the only thing to do is to learn to live with it and to keep a positive attitude. It does get you down sometimes but that only makes it worse so I don't allow it to affect me too much," he explained.

He manages without conventional devices such as maskers but did once try a highly unusual 'remedy' suggested to him by a specialist in the early days. "He had a theory that the alignment of the jaws had something to do with it and suggested clenching a cork in my mouth. "It didn't work but I was able to enjoy a few glasses of wine in the process!"

Despite his upbeat approach, Alan does admit to missing the simple sound of silence. "It would be lovely to hear nothing and I honestly can't imagine what that's like anymore but it must be fantastic," he said. "I sometimes miss bits of conversation on television or if someone's talking to me in the car and it can affect your concentration but I make sure I lead a normal life. The noise is quite high-pitched in one ear but lower in the other and I think I'm lucky that it isn't any worse." Alan would, however, like to replicate the noise using a sound generator so other people could hear it and to find out just how loud the tinnitus is.

Keeping busy since his retirement from a long career in sales also helps him to block out the continuous whistling. "It never goes away but I do try to ignore it. My job might even have helped me because a good salesman has to be optimistic," he explained. "I think willpower has a lot to do with coping with tinnitus and it's my only way of tackling it," he added.

The UK-based charity Action for Tinnitus Research focuses on funding medical and scientific research in pursuit of a cure and raising awareness is a key part of its work. Operations director Nick Doughty said: "It is estimated that over five million people in the UK are affected by tinnitus and it can have a devastating effect on their quality of life. Not enough information is available about the very complex symptom and we are one of the few organisations determined to do something about it.� We are committed to funding leading edge research and providing practical information to health professionals for the benefit of sufferers," he added.

For more information on Action for Tinnitus Research, logon to the website at
www.tinnitus-research.org, e-mail [email protected] or telephone 0115 925 4065

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