Case Study - Linda Good

WARWICKSHIRE WOMAN IS KEEN TO RAISE TINNITUS AWARENESS

Linda Good of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, developed tinnitus in 2003 and was devastated at the prospect of having to live with it for the rest of her life. She lost two stones in weight, suffered increasing panic attacks and found it almost impossible to sleep. She has gradually learned to cope better with the loud and intrusive whistling she hears both day and night but wouldn't wish tinnitus on her worst enemy.

"It really is an horrendous condition and at first you just can't imagine how you're going to cope," explained Linda. "For months I felt like I was going crazy and just didn't know what to do." She also found there was a shortage of practical help available and has had had to rely on her own methods of managing each day at a time.

"I was initially given tranquillisers but decided they weren't the answer so I trained myself to focus on other things and tried to keep positive," she said. "I don't think people really understand the effect tinnitus has on your life and it might have been useful if I'd been offered counselling."

Keeping busy and refusing to be beaten have helped Linda, 52, to deal with her situation. She works as an admin clerk which makes her concentrate on other things. "The whirring of all the office machinery helps too and I find it easier than being in quiet places. I've been known to turn on the dishwasher with just one cup in it to create a distraction when I've been at home by myself!" she admitted.

Linda also believes that support groups and internet chatrooms on specialist websites would be a massive help but hasn't found a local group or specific chatroom for tinnitus sufferers. "You can feel very isolated so these things are an absolute lifeline because it's so good to meet someone who knows what you're going through. I'd also like to support people myself and reassure them that it does get easier with time."

Linda believes this kind of support is far more beneficial than the various 'remedies' on the market which in her experience don't work. I think people need to be very wary about some of the products around as it's easy to get your hopes up and waste a lot of money," she warned. "I also think anyone who doesn't have tinnitus should be more aware of what could happen. When people blast out music from their stereos, they don't realise the damage they could be doing to their own hearing as well as other people's," she added.

The UK-based charity Action for Tinnitus Research focuses on funding medical and scientific research into the condition. Its operations director Nick Doughty said that raising awareness was an important part of its work in the pursuit of a cure. "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," he explained. "Not enough information is available about this complex condition 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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