Hi, I've struggled but managed with Tinnitus for 30 plus years since leaving the military. I'm now 55 and work in a demanding job which requires reading / scrutinising / advising on complex areas of legislation - I need to sit and concentrate often for 10 /12 hours a day. For the last 12 months or so my Tinnitus has ramped up to such a state that I'm finding it almost impossible to do my job. Just wondering if anyone has had similar issues and what if anything helps? I have tried listening to background music with and without headphones which just doesn't help. I'm almost on the verge of tears some days due to not being able to do do my job which brings its own added stress and pressures. I could take early retirement and find a less demanding job but financially that would be difficult as would lose about 50% of my pension. I've had an ENT appointmemt about 12 months ago ( next to useless) and waiting for audiology appointment but fear that there isn't anything that can be done. Any thoughts / help would be much appreciated.
Working and Tinnitus: Hi, I've struggled but... - Tinnitus UK
Working and Tinnitus
I hope you don’t have to wait too long for your audiology appointment. When you finally get it you must stress your tinnitus state. My tinnitus gets worse as my age related hearing loss increases. Because of the tinnitus I’ve been assigned as a complex case and see a more senior audiologist for the fitting and setting up of the hearing aids, just make sure your ears are squeaky clean before your appointments! If you do have some measure of hearing loss I think you’ll find the hearing aids will help a lot. I’ve just got new Phonak NHS ones and they are amazing. I know this is easier said than done - but see if you can try not to focus too much on your tinnitus and how awful it is. Distraction and focusing on other things really helps. I find the Sound Oasis nature sounds app helps me get to sleep, I just pop my phone under my pillow - unplugged of course 😬 I never hear the end of the session. Best wishes.
Thank you. I listen to all sorts with headphones at night to cancel out the tinnitus and help me sleep and, like you, it does send me over. I think the issue I have, and by far the greatest problem, is work related as no amount of adjustment to my work environment can help. Having a distraction to counter the tinnitus just doesn't work (for my line of work anyway) as I need silence and quiet. Thanks again for the advice.
I’m sure you know there’s no “cure” for tinnitus and not to believe anything asking for your money - unless here or advised by medical professionals. Or on the website of Tinnitus UK, the charity.
that website has lots of pointers and if you’ve glanced through it once, it might be worth revisiting.
As has been said, hearing aids do help make the real world clearer and so the phantom world of T retreats a little. You may be fortunate to come across a tinnitus specialist when you see an audiologist and that might be helpful.
Yes 100%. I'm 49 and I did a short stint in the Army too. Thought my ears were damaged from surgery as a child. My hearing problems are accompanied by Hyperacusis.I changed careers from office work to teaching 10 years ago, as much as I've never been much of a desk job person.
I was a software developer and still write software as a hobby. Concentration is something of a challenge, so I've been reluctant to go back into even as a bit on the side.
I've dropped to part time hours now and whilst additional hours were and are still available, I prefer my sanity. I had 3 episodes in the last 6 months ago, which has impacted my short-term memory, I'm awaiting results from a CT scan but it seems to point to a build up of insomnia and overwhelming lack of rest and ability to relax (whatever that means). I found about 2 years ago, initially on-and-off, that Sertraline helped control my frustrations (only one broken finger during round 2 of Russell v Kitchen Wall). I also use masking on my hearing aids and I've found some tunes that work with my headband speakers I wear at night (it's about doing the right pitch/tones). For you hearing aid the audiologist will be able to find this. As for ENT unfortunately there are no answers so there isn't really mush they can do - and their 'bedside manner' isn't always their specialty.
Still these should no be long term solutions and I think I'm starting to pay the price delaying what is probably a primary and always had been the underlying problems coping.
Were you involved in active service? Has this had an impact i.e. PTSD? Whilst I didn't see active service, due to timing and injury, I do suffer PTSD from childhood and I've seen what it did to my best-friend who followed me I to the army and saw active service back-to-back tours. It's impact deeply moulds your personality and coping mechanisms.
Along with any medical history, your employer has a duty of care. I've recently had time off and undergoing a phased return to work that started last week - I've always struggled with noise levels in the classroom, but most recently I need to consider roles in a job I cherish where I can be at my best for the team (which as ex-military we know is very important). I do hope your colleagues are supportive and you have a strong team around you.
You have some very difficult decisions which you can't do on your own, so hang in there pal. Nothing wrong with tears and releasing your emotions, but do seek the correct level of support before if you don't have the best coping mechanisms you break any fingers, or worse.
Thanks so much, your struggles sound very similar to mine albeit no broken fingers for me - yet! As with you I think I've struggled on too long and my inability to concentrate means I'm working late into the night/ weekends and last week whilst on leave just to keep up. It is the military ingrained sense of not wanting to let the team down that keeps me going but it isn't easy and I'm at the stage where tinnitus is slowly winning. Thanks again for your words of support and encouragement, much appreciated.
We must not let it beat us. It's a journey and you will find a way. Honesty and openness with friends, family and colleagues are imperative.
Sorry to hear your struggling. Tinnitus is harder to deal with than most folk can even imagine... it effects every area of life. My only thoughts are have you got any related hearing Loss that you know of? If so an Audiologist might suggest hearing aids that may change the dynamics of your Tinnitus. Also have your tried CBT through any of the Tinnitus platforms like Oto or Mindear?
Thank you, I've not tried CBT or hearing aids as yet but hoping that will follow from my audiology appointment - whenever that might be.
I think some Specsavers have audiologist is that is q quicker option. I would definitely recommend CBT...try downloading the apps I mentioned.
Hi please get in touch with Julian Cowan Hill on You Tube or he has an app 'Quieten' you can email him,,,he had T for 20 years and had to give up work - he is now recovered,,,he may be able to provide you with advice on your situation, i have emailed him for advice and he always responds, you can do online one to one sessions or phone call, we have to function at work and its very hard so i understand this, i have been off work since September because of it, i do hop you find a way through but I do recommend this man as he has been trying to help people recover even long term sufferers,
Thank you, so helpful and I will certainly try reaching out to Julian for some advice. Hope you find a way through your tinnitus but from a purely selfish perspective its so reassuring to know that I'm not alone. I'm at the point where I feel I need some time off but reluctant to do so as feel it won't make any difference long term.
Hi - sometimes we get ourselves into a really difficult loop with T - I have learnt that unless I make time to relax and destress the T won't dip down to a manageable level...I have take voluntary redundancy at work as it was closing ( care home) my work there has been very physical and due to having my thyroid removed 20 years ago my body now tells me through T enough is enough!!!! It sounds like you are dealing with quite a lot of stress and T on top of that will not help...I do recommend Julian as he has a wealth of experience with helping people - because he suffered for such a long time he totally understands what we all face and once he recovered he went on to help others, he really should be knighted or something!! He also wants mainstream medical professionals to stop telling people there is no help for T as it's simply not true.,,if you go on his app you will see many people have got better, just knowing this even though you have had it a long time may help, I have learnt that T is my body saying there is a problem, whatever causes T physically or psychologically there are things we can do to cope. 🤗 and get better!!!!!
Sorry that you're in this situation, I know only too well how having tinnitus can render you unable to do a job and really mess with your wellbeing. I don't have any tips or tricks that can help but I can share my experience. Caveat: T is not my only condition but it is what pushed me over the edge from coping with work to not coping. I had a job very similar to yours which I absolutely loved; interpretation of legislation & policy, guiding groups of people with a particular aim through the requirements of legislation & policy and guiding them on how to comply whilst achieving their desired outcomes as well as leading some group training. Largely really lovely clients and largely lovely colleagues. I have a cognitive impairment which dictates the way I work using various strategies including doing any very focussed work either right up against a deadline (adrenalin helps) or working while there's nobody else around and no distractions as well as using alternative methods of ordering the information I needed to learn / impart which ameliorated the impact of my cognitive impairment - much easier than reams of notes. Well, T put an end to working in a distraction free environment and I started to really struggle and eventually had what I suppose might be described as a breakdown, I cried uncontrollably for months or slept and hid away from the world (I still predominantly cope by staying away from the world, some 5+ years later). My experience is that if you are able to retire on ill-health grounds you won't lose 50% of your pension, I have two pensions (one through the LGPS) and found that once the LGPS pension confirmed I would likely be unfit to work full-time for the remainder of my working life the other pension didn't even take me through the formal process of a medical examination, just made the decision on the basis of the evidence considered by and the report from the LGPS medical examiner. Both pensions were put into payment at the same rate as I would have received had I continued to work until normal retirement age. I was 56 by the time the process was complete. No, it's not ideal there are lots of other aspects with which to deal in unplanned early retirement aside from the finances and even though I have full pension from both pensions. I can just about live on my pensions but they were intended to be part of a package which included the state retirement pension which obviously isn't available to me until SRP age and I had planned a full on financial focus on boosting my pension in the last decade of my working life up until retirement age, which obviously didn't transpire. So check out your pension's rules on early retirement on health grounds and speak to your employer; you are awaiting a diagnosis from Audiology and you know the impact the T is having on you so go and speak to HR and see if there are any accommodations which may assist you. Keep records. By the time I went on sick leave I'd struggled on for too long and had not been insistent enough regarding accommodations and my breakdown had already started, I left it too late to be able to fight my corner. By the time my CEO said something in one of my welfare meetings which may have been the basis for a disability discrimination case I was in no fit state to even challenge it let alone mount a claim. Work out now, before it gets any worse, what you need to be able to continue doing your job and be very clear with them what is needed. Insist on getting OH involved. Go and have a look at Headway's guidance for employers which I would have found really useful in dealing with my employer had I been in any fit state to read anything by the time I came to crisis point (Headway deals with people who've had brain trauma but the effect of my cognitive impairment exacerbated as it was by T threw up very similar limitations to brain trauma).
Take a few days off, get your head straight, do a little research, come up with a strategy, get some advice and go to see HR and take a witness to any meetings if you can. Beware of going part-time unless it's clear that you won't end up in a situation like mine where you are part-time in name and salary only but in effect still work full-time in order to get through workload because of your impairment. Good luck
Thank you so much, as with all the responses this is so helpful. Your response certainly chimes with me and I'm certain that the response from HR will be to reduce hours or take less projects but of course, as you say, that won't be the reality on the ground but a tick in the box for them. I'm a member of the Civil Service Pension Scheme so will certainly look into the scheme rules as you suggest and suspect it will be similar to your LGPS but always thought (perhaps mistakenly) that tinnitus wouldn't 'qualify' for this. Agree that early retirement comes with its own issues even if I was to be awarded full benefits but I think I'm at a junction now where I do need to do somwthing. Thanks again.
I use a sound-mask, which is a hearing aid which plays a loud hiss in order to block out the screech. I got it free on the NHS through audiology. It saves my life! Before this I couldn't concentrate and doing my job (which also requires staring at a screen all day concentrating) was near impossible. I'm also about to have hypnotherapy which I have high hopes for, some people have more success than others, it depends on your ability to be receptive and willing to change your attitude. I'd be very wary of believing there's no cure or getting caught up in negativity, I know some folk who've had huge reduction through hypnotherapy (and some who say it made it worse - I think attitude and temperament of the person can influence the result). I also need silence to work, so the sound mask is great! Good luck with it all.
hi there, I don’t have any answers, but I just wanted to offer support. I am a writer and I also need silence and I just push through it. I’ve had T since I was 11 and I turned 59 this year. I wish I had answers, but I have just learned to live with it.
Probably the only thing I would suggest, for you would be hypnosis. I have used it on occasion and it did help to teach my brain not to think about the noise.
If only we could get paid to walk through the forest. I never think about it when I’m out in nature.
Greetings darlo123
I have been using a PHONAK device . As stated in an earlier post this device emits a loud hissing sound . Unbelievably this noise works to mask the screeching sound in my head ! I am still unable to enjoy reading for any length of time but it does allow me to focus for short periods on the reading I must get done . I wish I could offer you something more to help. Stress is certainly a factor here as well . Anything you can do to lessen it will most certainly help . If there could be some way to make the reading into an audio recording instead of having to read it might be a helpful option here .
I wish you the best sincerely
aesop2
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