Case Study - Tony Antoniou-Savva

ONE MAN'S SAGA IN SEARCH OF A SOLUTION TO EASE THE SUFFERING

Tony Antoniou-Savva of Bletchley in Milton Keynes began hearing a buzzing noise in his ears two years ago. When he realised that it wasn't coming from the TV but from inside his head, he went to the doctor and was told that he had temporary tinnitus. It went away after a few days, only to return later, this time for good. The 42-year-old has since tried everything, from the mundane to the bizarre - hearing aids, white noise generators, an electric bed, a mouth guard, reflexology, acupuncture and hypnotherapy. Nothing has helped so far, but Tony hasn't given up hope for treatment, firmly believing that further research could lead to a cure.

The self-employed businessman has been occasionally reduced to tears by the symptom. Although there are good days when he doesn't hear the buzzing 'til it is time to sleep, tinnitus has changed Tony irrevocably. "I often get very, very depressed. I even took to drinking heavily just to knock myself out so I could sleep. I've become more snappy, argumentative and very moody. I've developed this 'I don't care' attitude. When I've got tinnitus, I can't be bothered with anything, which is bad for business because I don't treat the customers properly. I've read stories of people who have committed suicide as a result of tinnitus, and I can relate to that. I know how they felt."

Tony has tried every kind of treatment he could get his hands on, from ordering pills from America to sleeping in a massage chair for two nights. "I did some reading over the internet and found that TMJ (terbomandibular joint and muscle disorder) could cause tinnitus. My dentist said I was fine, but a specialist said I had TMJ and prescribed me a mouth guard. That didn't help, but I was glad it wasn't a brain tumour, which is what one website said could be the cause. That scared me," he explains.

Nothing has worked for Tony so far, but he hasn't given up hope yet. "I'll try anything," he says. "I've heard about some new therapy in a London clinic. I'm going to try that next."

But the Man from Milton Keynes is upset that there isn't enough funding for research into the causes and cures for this complex symptom, especially since there is has been a lack of it thus far. "Not enough people know about it, although a surprising number of people seem to be suffering from tinnitus. My mum has it, two of my uncles have it and one of my delivery guys has it as well. And I didn't even know till I got tinnitus and started talking to people about it. Even the doctors and nurses don't seem to know a lot about it. I was initially refused an MRI scan by a healthcare professional who laughed at me and thought it was all in my head. Only after I convinced him of the seriousness of my state did I get the scan. There should be much more research to find treatments for tinnitus," adds Tony.

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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