By: Dr. JJ Whicker
This week I had the pleasure of working with a 16-year-old girl with concerns for both a central auditory processing disorder and tinnitus. A case history revealed that this patient has been suffering for a long time on a tumultuous road of no answers. She was seen by multiple audiologists and neurotologists to rule out hearing loss, acoustic tumors, and even auditory neuropathy.
All findings were unremarkable, but still this patient worried that she could not understand what people are saying. “Different words sound the same to me,” she explained. And what’s more, her tinnitus was causing a perception of physical pain, and she cannot sleep at night. She is a young teen just joining the work force, but she cannot understand her colleagues or customers.
Hearing this patient describe her experiences, I could not help but feel terrible for her. However, the worst part was when she said: “Eventually, the doctors were just telling me that it’s not real. It’s all in my head.”
When she relayed that to me, I didn’t know what to say or how to react. I just gaped at her, wondering how on earth any qualified healthcare professional could be so dismissive of this suffering teenager. Yet, she’s not the first to be dismissed. Did you know that there’s an entire field of research devoted to women and pain because of how often women are neglected or ignored when they report distress?
The truth is tinnitus is a very common occurrence across genders. Almost everyone experiences it at some point in life, but what we care about here at Little Heroes is whether that tinnitus is causing you or your child distress and impeding the ability to live a happy life. But, how do you know if tinnitus is impacting you or your child in this way? Here are some key things we like to gauge from our patients:
- Does the tinnitus make you want to stay in bed?
- Does the tinnitus keep you up at night?
- Do you avoid talking with other people because of the tinnitus?
- Are you having thoughts of harming yourself or others because of the tinnitus?
Like anything in healthcare, early intervention is the best. If you are experiencing tinnitus, maybe it isn’t as debilitating as it is for this new patient I met. If, however, it is bothersome enough that you think about your tinnitus frequently, it may be time to consult with an audiologist who specializes in tinnitus management (not all of them do!). And, whatever you do, do not settle with someone who tells you that it’s all in your head or that nothing more can be done about it. At Little Heroes, we can help.
See below a couple of links to questionnaires you can take at home to see if you are at risk for mental health or other impacts due to your tinnitus.
https://www.ata.org/sites/default/files/TFI.pdf
https://www.ata.org/sites/default/files/Tinnitus_Handicap_Inventory.pdf
https://www.hgmc.com.au/pdf/dass.pdf
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