Somatic tinnitus

[7164]

Dear all

I have suffered T for 10 months. I have all the symptoms of somatic T. I have seen the nhs who told me I have T but that was it!! No help.

I live in northern Scotland and really need help from someone who can help me. It’s so loud I can’t sleep and had a panic attack last night. I am a podiatrist and I think it is my head/neck position that is the issue

Rod

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

Somatic tinnitus is not a new condition by any means, but the approaches to diagnosis and treatment which have been suggested by clinicians including Dr Sarah Michiels may be new to those in practice.

If there is some confusion within your local healthcare service about what is being looked for and what might be tried to resolve some of the issues, Dr Michiels research review is available here - tinnitus.org.uk/somatic-som... - and can be shared with them.

TinnitusHub have a helpful video on the topic on their YouTube channel - youtube.com/watch?v=9r0XXS2...(Not working as expected?)

[tootyfrooty]

Hi Rod! I do feel for you - I think anyone who suddenly develops tinnitus must worry about it and desperately want help. I guess I'm lucky as I've had it all my life, just a high whine that as a child I thought everyone had! The video that BTAPat suggested was interesting to me, however, because I can get additional tone in my left ear if I clinch my teeth! I don't worry about it, because clinching my teeth is voluntary and not a good idea anyway! A suggestion for night sleeping might be to get the little speakers that you can put under your pillow, connecting to a CD of soothing sounds or whatever. The BTA shop sells them and CDs etc.

Good luck, Rod! I'm sure you'll find help on this forum! Don't lose heart!

[surreycccfan]

Hi 7164, I have posted some useful tips on sleep before, you should be able to find them by clicking on my user id (if not let me know and will DM them to you).

I found attending BTA support groups really helpful as not only learnt about the condition but also learnt useful distraction and behavioral techniques which helped me move forward in living well with my T. Plus the shared fellowship and knowing you are not alone was really useful. I know the Highlands group was meeting via zoom, details can be found here tinnitus.org.uk/highlands-o...

If the condition is having a significant impact on your mental health them maybe talk to your GP about CBT (more info here plus you can also self refer nhs.uk/service-search/menta.... Also, if you feel you have not had the support your need for your T then the care path your GP, Audiologist, etc should be following The National Institute for Care & Excellence (NICE) guidelines on Tinnitus (nice.org.uk/guidance/NG155), it’s a rather lengthy document so I suggest you look at this flow diargram in the supporting information (nice.org.uk/guidance/ng155/... importantly on the second page that you will see that they should help you put a management plan in place.

Hope this helps in some small way. Stay safe