Case Study - Juliet Cottam

MORE MONEY NEEDED FOR RESEARCH SAYS HAMPSHIRE WOMAN

Juliet Cottam of Southampton, Hampshire, suffered an acute inner ear infection about ten years ago. She experienced persistent giddiness that eventually disappeared after treatment but a high-pitched whistling noise remained in her ears and she was diagnosed with tinnitus.

Although Mrs Cottam attended an 'excellent' specialist clinic at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital she soon discovered there was no cure for the condition and has quite simply had to learn to live with it. She deals with the intrusive noise by trying to mask it as much as possible and keeps a radio on constantly including at night to help her sleep.

"I obviously wish the noise would stop and at times it's worse than others but since it doesn't go away you just have to get on with it. It really is the only thing you can do," she explained. "The only time I actually couldn't hear it was when I was on a small cruise ship. The noise of the engine managed to drown it out but year-round cruises aren't really an option!"

Mrs Cottam, who is 77 and a retired secondary school teacher, does a lot of community and charity work and finds that keeping busy is a useful distraction. She does struggle to cope in noisy and crowded places but generally refuses to let tinnitus interfere with her everyday life.

"It is a real nuisance but you have to accustom yourself to it and just carry on. It seems worse if I feel stressed or tired and is more noticeable at quiet times but you can't let it stop you from doing things. I do think there is a lack of finance and probably even a lack of interest in tinnitus as far as research goes. I've found doctors and specialists to be very sympathetic but there isn't a lot they can do about it at the moment so any progress would be extremely welcome," 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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