Case Study - Ingrid Pitts

ESSEX WOMAN HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR MORE TINNITUS RESEARCH

Ingrid Pitts of South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, developed tinnitus at the age of 23 after a particularly bad cold and ear infection. She experienced a very loud buzzing in the centre of her head which she found extremely frightening but the noise gradually subsided. Unfortunately, it reappeared during her pregnancies and then again about six years ago. Although it tends to recede over time, Ingrid still experiences severe flare-ups that can have a devastating impact on her everyday life.

"It's difficult to describe just how horrendous it is and sometimes it's like having a swarm of bees inside my head," she explained. "It's very, very hard to deal with when it's so loud and I can even hear it above the sound of the washing machine. It's there as soon as you wake up and can make you feel desperate."

Ingrid's most recent attack came after having labrynthitus�- a disorder of the inner ear�- but the symptom is so complex that no one can be sure why it suddenly intensifies. Now 48, Ingrid has tried various treatments and techniques over the years to give her some respite from the persistent noise and finds that homeopathy seems to help. She also uses maskers in both ears to try to detract from the buzzing but they can make it difficult to hear properly.

"I really enjoy watching television but I can't hear it with the maskers in and I never manage to relax or chill out at all whenever the tinnitus is really bad," she said. "I do think I'm lucky that I manage to sleep at night otherwise things would be even worse." She also does as much as possible to keep herself busy and volunteers for overtime in her job at a supermarket whenever the tinnitus is especially intrusive.�

Ingrid believes there is definitely a lack of awareness about the effects on people living with tinnitus and thinks a greater understanding is crucial to increase fund-raising for much-needed research. "It's a horrible thing to have and there really isn't enough help available for people so you just have to hope for more progress in the future," she said.�

"When the tinnitus does flare up I just keep hoping it will fade away again and can honestly say that it doesn't inconvenience me when it calms down. Each time it disappears it's absolutely fantastic but you do worry that it might not go away and you always have the fear of it coming back," she 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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