For Tinnitus Week 2022, we explore your moving tinnitus stories.
Your stories demonstrate the importance of a Tinnitus Biobank to help develop a pathway to finding a cure for tinnitus.
Harry
I was an avid headphone user, never used them at max volume but used them for hours a day, every day for years. This may have been the cause of my tinnitus, but I will never truly know.
The BTA has been excellent in providing advice on how to deal with this condition and on the multiple times I’ve spoken to them when I’ve been struggling, they have been extremely supportive.
Jane
My tinnitus started in my thirties when I worked as a presenter on local TV and had to wear an earpiece in my right ear to hear directions from the gallery for the programme. It could be quite intense, and I lived on adrenaline. I stopped doing TV in my early 40s, but the tinnitus didn’t stop.
John
I struggled for about a year until I rediscovered the BTA (British Tinnitus Association), although Covid-19 lockdown brought many negative aspects to our lives, one positive was the introduction of the BTA’s virtual support groups. Attending my first BTA virtual support group was my first real step in moving forward on my tinnitus journey.
Kelly
I’ve had tinnitus for 10 years, it started when I was pregnant with my second child. It was awful, and very irritating. It’s had a massive impact on my mental health and caused periods of very low mood. I think anyone who hasn’t experienced tinnitus needs to know how severe it can be and how it can impact someone’s mental and physical health. If it gets out of hand it can be really difficult to get back to normal.
Liam
Tinnitus robs me of silence, and as someone who is autistic as well as Deaf, it can be incredibly disorientating, frustrating, and distracting when it disrupts my workflow and/or routine.
