Case Study - Chelone Wolf

ANOTHER MUSICIAN PAYS THE PRICE WITH HIS HEARING

Chelone Wolf is one of the estimated five million people to suffer from tinnitus in the UK. To most of us, four years does not sound like a long time, but as Chelone and many other sufferers would agree, any number of years with tinnitus it is a prolonged agony.

The 30-year-old musician and company director of Guevera marketing hears a 'random, high-pitched beeping sound' in his ears, which tends to worsen in quiet situations and at night time. Chelone finds that even his mood can affect the tinnitus; it has been known to get louder when he is stressed. As a musician, Chelone finds the symptom particularly irksome to live with.

"Having tinnitus has meant that I have to wear effective musicians' earplugs when performing or going to noisy events. If I don't wear them, I often have to leave venues as it becomes uncomfortable," says Chelone.

Like many other musicians, Chelone has been burdened with tinnitus due to repeated exposure to loud music. Other well-known sufferers of the condition include Pete Townshend, Barbra Streisand and Sting. More and more young people are beginning to develop tinnitus too, due to loud music. There have even been recent cases of eBay scoundrels offering to 'unlock' mp3 players so that the barrier on the safe level of noise is discarded and youngsters are then able to push the volume much higher than is recommended.

Chelone has had little comfort in the wake of his tinnitus. "My doctor could not provide any real treatment. I'm not sure what research is currently being undertaken, but it seems that there needs to be more action taken to help find solutions."

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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