medical centre just not inteested

[drumcraw]

i had to visit my local g.p. recently for another complaint but took the oppurtunity to take along some posters for my local TINNITUS help group. the posters give a number to call for people that are where we have all been that dark place when you first get it and aslo help on otherT.related matters. om returning to the docs 2 weeks after i was shocked to find NO TRACE OF POSTERS! i asked at the reception about then but no one seemed to know then was told the practice manager who is responsible for posters had been off and would see to them on return, i was at docs again yesterday and STILL NO POSTERS!!!!!!!!!! is this a sign of how little importance our g.p.s take tinnitus? how little they know of its horrendous effect on peoples lives? how important it is to have someone to talk to when you first get it? or is it just the practice manager being disorganised? im really disgusted at the total lack of interest by the g.p. practice which has about10 docs in it in edinburgh north west on tinnitus!!!!!!!

[Lynne-H]

Hi Drumcraw,

I had a similar experience at our doctors. Asked them if they could put up a poster to advertise our local support group and was refused. They seem to have themes in our surgery - cancer, dementia etc so only put up their own information. I too was disappointed with the response I got.

Love Lynne xx

[retired66]

Hi, this makes so sad but we all know it is the truth. We are the invisible sufferers. The silent sufferers but we have no silence.

[Ruud1boy]

Just playing Devil's advocate here, there's thousands of specific medical complaints and conditions that GP's could plaster their walls with if they wanted, but I guess they have to be a bit discerning as to what they do put up. The %age of the population who struggle with T is pretty small (c.0.5%?), so although it's massive problem for us, it is a specific problem for us rather than the wider populace.

[NicTinnitus in reply to Ruud1boy]

10% of people have tinnitus. That's quite a lot of people.

[Ruud1boy in reply to NicTinnitus]

There's a big difference between having tinnitus and struggling with tinnitus. I've had it for 10yrs+, but for the vast majority of that time, it wasn't an problem - I could hear it in quiet environments, but it caused no difficulties at all until it went through the roof at the back end of last year, promoting me from the c.10% group who have it to the much more discerning <1% group who it's a problem for.

[Jellybeanz_]

I have to agree with the lack of knowledge and compassion around tinnitus and other non visible conditions. It is the old adage of having a broken leg and ooh that looks painful, say you have tinnitus and everyone says oh yes ringing in the ears, just concentrate on something else...One GP I saw who has specialist experience of ENT told me I had damaged my inner ear hair cells and to stop being fixated on myself and accept the tinnitus. Like it was something I deserved! I am glad she had the x-ray vision to see inside my skull.....

[NicTinnitus]

If anyone would like posters or leaflets to take to their local surgery - and don't be put off by the stories above, most surgeries are very welcome to publicity material - just email [e-mail] and we'd be happy to send you a pack.