In July 2020, and with no warning or cause, I experienced the sudden onset of tinnitus – an all pervading, ever-present ‘noise’ in both ears; think: walking under overhead cables, but louder. I resolved to tell no-one, only finally telling my partner, Rob, nearly 5 MONTHS later when he spotted a hearing aid on the pavement and commented that ‘Of course, that can’t be yours…’. It was. (The perils of Covid mask wearing and removal…!) Unbeknownst to him I had tried various ‘remedies’, consulted a private audiologist, and had had discussions with my GP who had referred me to the local hearing loss service. There, now feeling pretty emotionally wrecked, I had been issued with hearing aids (longer hair has provided good concealment!) in the hope these would magnify sound and thus detract from the tinnitus. They didn’t. The increased sound caused greater distress so the amplification was turned off but the ‘Tinnitus Manager’ (TM) facility within the hearing aids switched on. The effect is…
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