I’ve never posted in here before but have been struggling with stress and anxiety lately and nearly took time off work to go home for a few weeks ago for a short period. I regret not doing this now as I’m living in a shared house in London and as my parents are in their mid sixties and have had health issues in the past I can’t risk going up there just in case.
Since about Sunday I’ve had really bad tinnitus which I’ve never had before in my life but it’s quite loud and it’s driving me a bit crazy. I’ve been off work due to it as I work on a construction site and don’t want to risk any more damage. The site has remained open much to my amazement and I’ve been told that if we are not ill with the virus and are ‘just’ self isolating then we will only be getting statutory sick pay. What kind of a message is that? The idea of getting on the tube and going to work on a building site with hundreds of people fills me with fear right now. I’m hoping the government puts the city in to lockdown as the sick pay won’t even cover my rent of a room in a shared house.
Regarding my tinnitus I have been to the walk in centre and they told me to see my GP. Stupidly I never registered with a GP in London so I did so on Tuesday and was told I could apply for an appointment within 2-3 working days. It’s looking less and less likely that I will be able to get an appointment with each day that passes but I will try tomorrow at 8am nonetheless. I’m worried that I’ve got permanent hearing damage and I’ll be stuck with this white noise ringing in my ears for the rest of my life and it would likely require me to change jobs. The annoying thing is I could have got a GP appointment back home in a day or two. Down here it is a battle even at the best of times. I’m just trying to stay calm and not let it affect me too much and hopefully I can see someone soon, or it just goes away.
This is a bit of a ramble and I’m not sure what use it will do but there you go.
Take care everyone x
I`ve suffered with tinnitus off and on for years mate, which is exclusively down to my anxiety problems.
I now use it as a barometer / early warning sign that my anxiety is ramping up and that I need to takes steps to address it.
Without wanting to be the harbinger of doom, tinnitus is something that is hardly understood.
The causes are known - anxiety, stress and prolonged exposure to loud noise, but there is no quick fix.
GP`s from my own experience know next to nothing about it and if you do get to see your GP you`ll be more than likely just be given a leaflet.
You`ll get much more help from - the British Tinnitus Association.
If you think back, when did it start ?
Was it after a really stressful period or was it after you`d been on site for a prolonged period ?
The way it reads to me, is that yours is as a result of stress and anxiety, which would be good news, as it means your ears aren`t actually damaged, it`s just a stress reaction.
The body / brain reacts to stress / anxiety in different ways and tinnitus can be one of them.
If it`s affecting your sleep the way I got around was by putting ear buds in and putting talk radio on, but barley audible, so it was just white noise, but enough to take the edge off the tinnitus.
Remove the stress and I`d wager it`ll go away.