Do you have tinnitus better known as ringing in the ears?

Tweet

Did you know tinnitus is so common doctors call it the norm? That constant ringing, hissing, buzzing sound can be very difficult for people to not only manage, but survive with. Tinnitus can often lead to depression and thoughts of suicide. You would think with something this serious more grant money would be provided by the government to help find a cure, but that's not the case. I recently ran a poll asking patients with tinnitus whether their doctor's over-all-performance in their care seemed to benefit them? I got a shocking response. 85% of patients with tinnitus, who took the poll failed to receive any help or further treatment from their doctors. Many of these patients were told, "You have to learn to live with it." Over half of those patients want on to see other doctors for help. That's a huge number of patients let down by those in the medical profession. The poll also showed roughly 15% of patients were put on some form of medication to help minimize the symptoms of tinnitus; along with those patients who sought out further help. However, 75% of patients stated they were placed on medication for other reasons such depression, anxiety or a sleep aid due to their having tinnitus. There was a small group of patients, who stated they saw over three different doctors, were placed on some form of medication for depression, anxiety or sleep aid and were also referred to a specialist for TRT, which stands for Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. Out of those patients referred to TRT it was a tossup whether the therapy helped. One basically had a 50/50 chance of this treatment helping, but some admitted they gave up to soon due to their tinnitus getting worse during treatment or they felt it wasn't doing anything at all. One should also note those who had TRT (tinnitus retraining therapy) had to pay for the therapy out of their own pocket because their insurance would not cover this form of treatment. Should health coverage be forced to cover such treatment for conditions that have no cure just so patients can receive some form of possible comfort? Those who took the tinnitus poll stated the cause of their tinnitus varied greatly from over exposure to loud sounds over time, being at work or during personal activities. There were those who claimed to get it from medication exposure and some from other health issues like autoimmune diseases or head injuring. Tinnitus seems to be a global condition as those who took the poll were from all over the world and it seems to have no defined age group. As someone who with tinnitus and has interviewed many with the condition, I always give one form of advice. "Your health is yours to manage. It's up to you to advocate you needs, concerns and goals toward a healthier, happier lifestyle." wspickerman