With Tinnitus Awareness Week commencing yesterday, a Salford artist has spoken to Quays News about her experiences with the affliction.
Tinnitus is a medical condition which causes a buzzing or humming sensation in the ears.
It affects approximately six million people in the UK, and is most common to people over 65.
Roxana, a 21-year-old artist, started experiencing tinnitus in March 2017. She tried to ignore it, but it worsened, and a few months later she decided to investigate the cause.
“At first I thought I had ear wax and the pharmacist recommended me a substance made especially for ear wax. At some point it started to hurt so I went to a private clinic to have it removed using microsuction. I was so happy to pay £60 and finish it forever, but it was just the beginning; they told me my ears are perfectly clean,” she explained.
Roxana has undertaken hearing loss tests, and her doctor suggested a CT scan, as blood may not be flowing properly to her brain. She is still waiting for the results.
“What has dramatically changed since I started hearing these sounds is the way I focus on tasks. I find it more difficult to listen and get the ideas in lectures, more difficult to write an essay, more difficult to read sometimes. I get lost easily, sometimes the only thing I can do is imagine I hear the seaside in my right ear,” Roxana said.
We want to get you talking about #tinnitus and in doing so, help others how may be needing some support. So together with the other international organisations involved in #TinnitusWeek, we will be posting a question a day.
Here is today's…please do comment and get involved. pic.twitter.com/QfXG6bdKsM— British Tinnitus (@BritishTinnitus) February 5, 2018
According to the NHS, tinnitus is “hearing sounds that come from inside your body, rather than from an outside source.”
Patients who suffer from this condition describe the sounds as buzzing, humming, grinding, hissing, or whistling.
For some people, it is a minor irritation, but for those who have a more severe form it can be a real worry. It can affect concentration, and cause insomnia and depression.
The BTA confirms that 1 in 10 people is suffering from the condition.
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