I woke up one day with tinnitus. It ruined my life… but this is how I got rid of the agony for good – and why I believe we are treating this insidious condition completely wrong: Expert and audiologist DR GLADYS SANDA

March 16, 2020. On the day I started to buzz in my ears that day. And this buzz never went.

After spent the previous nine years as a audiologist who treated people with this problem, I immediately knew what it was – the perception of sounds such as tinnitus, the perception of sounds such as hissing in your ears or heads or without an external source of your head.

Usually some changes in the ear occurs after an ear infection, a cold or wax that blocks the ear – or after exposure to high noise, such as live concerts or noisy machines. Or it may be linked to hearing loss.

But it can also be triggered by stress and even though I’m not sure, I think that’s why it’s me.

I was a job I didn’t enjoy and felt very stressful. And then I developed Covid and ran away soon, so suddenly I wasn’t so busy, and I had more time in my hands. That’s when the buzzing began to impress me.

One morning I woke up with a buzz in my head and instantly thought ‘I know what this is’. It was Tinnitus.

Exactly how I was waiting. I just thought it would be easier to push behind my mind.

But understanding the situation in theory is something – experiencing this is something else.

My knowledge didn’t prevent me from feeling overwhelmed and scared. I felt like a fraud – here, I was an expert who helped people struggling to deal with myself with the tinnitus. Sometimes I got quite panic.

My symptoms also affected my confidence. I was afraid to go to bed. I didn’t want to be alone with noise. I would have played acoustic guitar music for hours to settle, and I would always worry if my wife hadn’t been with me.

Gradually, I found a way to cope by applying techniques that have been tried and tested – and today, even though I still have a daily tinnitus, it no longer controls my life.

Boredom is gone. When there was an increase, I understand the reason – for example, during a new family mourning, my ear ringing. But I’m not afraid of it anymore.

Stress is accepted that stress tinnitus may deteriorate, as stress releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline that can affect how your brain deals with sounds.

So I said to myself: ‘This is higher. I think I know why. I just need to look at myself and wait until this. ‘

I also think that my own experience with the situation is my greatest teacher, so I really know how to effectively manage the tinnitus.

I’m not saying you need to tinnitus to help other people, now I have a different level of understanding.

The tinnitus affects one of seven people in the UK and is left without treatment, and can affect many aspects of daily life, such as the mood, sleep or concentration.

For some of the people with severe tinnitus (about 1.5 million), it is a permanent, life -changing condition that can lead to anxiety and depression.

Most ears, nose and throat (ENT) doctors and audiologists tend to focus on symptom management to help patients cope rather than investigating why tinnitus causes such distress. According to research by Tinnitus UK, this makes many patients feel ignored and unsubstantiated.

A common approach is to focus on correcting hearing loss with hearing aid.

Yes, about 90 percent of people with tinnitus have hearing loss, but usually a help does not work.

Other approaches use sound therapy to re -train your brain to adjust the tinnitus – and contain cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

After spending years to investigate the situation, I believe that we need to see a radical change in the care of tinnitus in England – giving priority to a holistic, sick -centered approach. It is important not only to correct hearing loss (for example, with hearing aids), but also to address our emotions and thoughts – because it has a great impact on how someone perceives tinnitus, how much it upsets them.

Even before I affected myself, I developed a three -stage program to help patients overcome the tinnitus problems informed by current research and clinical experiences.

The auditory system (ears) prioritizes the limbic system (emotions) and the attention system of the brain – in other words, we naturally focus on how we focus.

Dr Gladys Sanda coaches people who are now tinnitus like him to reduce their emotional effect.

We have an area called prefrontal cortex in our brain and this is a kind of decision -making. Thus, it determines what is important and what we pay attention to. And because our brain always tries to protect us, we tend to focus on things that cause fear.

The first step is a physical assessment of the ear to control obstacles such as infections or wax. This can be done by a GP, ENT doctor or audiologist. If this does not solve the tinnitus, the next step is a survey to determine the level of anxiety and stress experienced by a patient, and how long the tinnitus enters their lives.

The third step is a speaking therapy that uses what I call ‘tinnitus coaching’. Your nervous system will continue to steal the alarm unless you actively re -connect your brain’s threat response (tinnitus).

We must teach the brain that tinnitus is not a threat; We aim to turn negative relationships with Tinnitus into more neutral thoughts.

For example, someone can say: ‘I will never experience peace and silence again’. Later, you can guide them to understand that peace and silence are quite separate experiences – the walk in a forest is peaceful but not quiet.

My Tinnitus coaching is based on the CBT, which is considered a highly effective intervention for tinnitus, because it helps individuals reshape their thoughts and behaviors that can reduce problems. Awareness is also used to help patients accept their condition.

The purpose of Tinnitus coaching is not to eliminate the tinnitus – as it cannot be healed at the moment – but it is very effective to reduce its emotional effect and are very effective. (Only two of the 500 patients I have been treated for the last ten years had not healed, and it turned out that they had the underlying mental health conditions that should really be governed by a psychiatrist.)

I remember working with a 36 -year -old woman crying for the first consultation. He was told that nothing could always be done and he felt helpless.

Initially, the tinnitus stopped his journey because he did not want to destroy the holidays for his partner; The search for a child was paused because he was not sure how to deal with; And he stopped writing, which is his passion.

We worked on fear, we were sure that he could manage his reactions to sounds, and we took his life with the hearing again. He planned a holiday (we had a coaching session when we were far) and his life returned to him slowly but confidently. And he wrote a book.

Some people feel much better than two sessions, but it can take a year or more for others. How much progress is made compared to each individual. This tinnitus shortage of what fueled and how much we can appeal to it and the individual who wants to find a treatment of a mentality ‘tinnitus how do I learn to live well?’

Currently, the British tinnitus support is cruelly missing. Last year, a report called Alarm Ring The Alarm by Tinnitus UK that NHS patients face long -standing lists – up to three years for ENT appointments and up to one year for hearing aid and psychology, speech treatments or CBRT redirects.

Even in the private sector, more than one -third of the audiologists (36 percent) reported that the care of ear ringing is a low priority for them.

And all psychologists in the UK don’t really understand the tinnitus management. Since April last year, I am proud to say that I have trained 50 health professionals working with patients in Tinnitus – NHS and the private sector.

I definitely love my job. It is incredible to help patients make progress. When I first see customers, they usually struggle to work in tears and to work, to be a parent and to continue life. I can’t wait for them to look back and think about ‘wow, look how much I have come,’.

So people are very annoying when people tell them that there is nothing else to do – because there is definitely.

drgladys.co.uk

Interview by Adele Waters

Four types of tinnitus that should never be ignored

Audiologist Gladys Sanda says the following types of tinnitus may indicate more serious health problems and require rapid medical assistance. If you experience the following, it recommends to see an ENT expert:

1. Even if the sound looks harmless or light, just a tinnitus in one ear. It may be a sign of a benign (non -cancer) growth on the auditory nerve.

2. Asymmetric tinnitus where sound differs between each ear. This may also show an underlying problem, such as a benign growth on the auditory nerve.

3. Sudden hearing loss with tinnitus, which is considered a medical emergency. Not tinnitus that needs emergency treatment – hearing loss.

4. Pulsatile tinnitus – a punching or impact that matches your heartbeat in the ear. This may recommend a blood vessel problem such as thinning of the bone between a vessel and middle ear. If it concentrates during physical activity, it is very important to get medical advice.