MemberWho are the tinnitus experts?
The onset of my tinnitus stems back to a time when the Internet hadn't yet gone mainstream. My main source of information about it came from tinnitus organizations and books that I had got from the library or bought at a store. How times have changed. Although I learned a lot from books, I really wanted to meet with people that had experience with tinnitus and would be able to advise me how best to cope especially in the early days. For all I had been hearing was, there is no cure you'll just have to learn to live with it.
Through one of the tinnitus organizations that I had joined they published a magazine which I found very informative. I was heartened to see they had readers letter pages, where people could write in for advice or ask questions and hopefully they'd be answered by more experienced people living with tinnitus.
It was nearly 20 years ago when a video tape recorder was in many homes. I thought my luck was in when I had the opportunity to borrow a VHS tape of a tinnitus seminar held by a Dr, that worked in ENT and was a tinnitus expert who also wrote a book on it. The venue was in a large hall. He stood on a podium behind a lectern with microphone and presided over his seated audience and looked very official. After his introduction he said he'd answer any questions at the end of the evening . At last I thought I was going to learn something and settled down to watch the hour long tape.
To say I didn't like what I had seen would be a polite way of describing it. For one hour I watched and listened to this person say everyone gets tinnitus occasionally. It is mostly to do with noisy background activity withing the body and it travels up to the auditory system where the signals are transmitted to the brain. Most people can easily ignore these signals was his theory but those with tinnitus, have allowed their brain to focus on them, until they become louder and eventually become a problem. He asked the audience, how many had been for a night out where the music was played loud and at the end of the evening their ears were ringing?
Nearly everyone put their hand up. He walked pompously from behind the lectern and stood at the front of the stage and said "And by the morning the ringing has gone a way right"? Looking very pleased with himself he continued. "But in your case you've allowed your brain to hold on to the tinnitus and when you don't hear it any longer you say". In disbelief I watched him start to jog up and down the stage shouting out "Where's my tinnitus, where's my tinnitus?".
When he eventually stopped he could hardly contain the huge smile that was spread across his face, as he looked very pleased with himself. However, the audience looked less than impressed at what they'd seen because no one said a word. I watched the tape until the end and sent it back with a letter of thanks and my comments which were not favourable. My letter was printed in that tinnitus magazine to warn other potential readers of what to expect before asking to borrow it.
What I had witnessed all those years ago on that video by a so called tinnitus expert, was nothing short of mocking people that find tinnitus debilitating when it's severe. It was very clear to me, that Dr had never experienced loud intrusive tinnitus once in his life. Thankfully times have moved on and there is greater understanding and help for people with tinnitus, and not all health professionals think it's all in the mind or something that can easily be dismissed because it isn't.
I am thankful to the Internet for enabling people to come together and meet in forums like tinnitustalk and give help and support to those that need it. In my opinion, these are the people that are the real tinnitus experts because they know what it's like to live with the condition daily.
Michael
My consultant who I have a lot of respect for knows all about the anatomy of the ear, for she is an Audiovestibular physician. She once told me, that I know more about tinnitus than her, for the simple reason she has never experienced it.
The onset of my tinnitus stems back to a time when the Internet hadn't yet gone mainstream. My main source of information about it came from tinnitus organizations and books that I had got from the library or bought at a store. How times have changed. Although I learned a lot from books, I really wanted to meet with people that had experience with tinnitus and would be able to advise me how best to cope especially in the early days. For all I had been hearing was, there is no cure you'll just have to learn to live with it.
Through one of the tinnitus organizations that I had joined they published a magazine which I found very informative. I was heartened to see they had readers letter pages, where people could write in for advice or ask questions and hopefully they'd be answered by more experienced people living with tinnitus.
It was nearly 20 years ago when a video tape recorder was in many homes. I thought my luck was in when I had the opportunity to borrow a VHS tape of a tinnitus seminar held by a Dr, that worked in ENT and was a tinnitus expert who also wrote a book on it. The venue was in a large hall. He stood on a podium behind a lectern with microphone and presided over his seated audience and looked very official. After his introduction he said he'd answer any questions at the end of the evening . At last I thought I was going to learn something and settled down to watch the hour long tape.
To say I didn't like what I had seen would be a polite way of describing it. For one hour I watched and listened to this person say everyone gets tinnitus occasionally. It is mostly to do with noisy background activity withing the body and it travels up to the auditory system where the signals are transmitted to the brain. Most people can easily ignore these signals was his theory but those with tinnitus, have allowed their brain to focus on them, until they become louder and eventually become a problem. He asked the audience, how many had been for a night out where the music was played loud and at the end of the evening their ears were ringing?
Nearly everyone put their hand up. He walked pompously from behind the lectern and stood at the front of the stage and said "And by the morning the ringing has gone a way right"? Looking very pleased with himself he continued. "But in your case you've allowed your brain to hold on to the tinnitus and when you don't hear it any longer you say". In disbelief I watched him start to jog up and down the stage shouting out "Where's my tinnitus, where's my tinnitus?".
When he eventually stopped he could hardly contain the huge smile that was spread across his face, as he looked very pleased with himself. However, the audience looked less than impressed at what they'd seen because no one said a word. I watched the tape until the end and sent it back with a letter of thanks and my comments which were not favourable. My letter was printed in that tinnitus magazine to warn other potential readers of what to expect before asking to borrow it.
What I had witnessed all those years ago on that video by a so called tinnitus expert, was nothing short of mocking people that find tinnitus debilitating when it's severe. It was very clear to me, that Dr had never experienced loud intrusive tinnitus once in his life. Thankfully times have moved on and there is greater understanding and help for people with tinnitus, and not all health professionals think it's all in the mind or something that can easily be dismissed because it isn't.
I am thankful to the Internet for enabling people to come together and meet in forums like tinnitustalk and give help and support to those that need it. In my opinion, these are the people that are the real tinnitus experts because they know what it's like to live with the condition daily.
Michael
My consultant who I have a lot of respect for knows all about the anatomy of the ear, for she is an Audiovestibular physician. She once told me, that I know more about tinnitus than her, for the simple reason she has never experienced it.
In the words of another fellow with Tinnitus: "May you live long and prosper" 
