“All of this helped me move forwards and not only cope, but grow and learn some new things” – Sarah’s Story

Tinnitus UK Volunteer Sarah Matkin shares her tinnitus story, the difficulties she faces along the way and how Tinnitus UK’s free support resources assisted her throughout her journey.

Can you tell us a little about yourself? (Where you’re from, what you enjoy doing etc)

I’m orignally from Derbyshire and moved to Sheffield to come to university in 2002; and never left! I am a 41 year old civil servant working on business growth, I’m also a volunteer for TUK.

I have a teenage daughter, and in my spare time I enjoy exercise (cycling, walking, weights), yoga and meditation, walking, music and reading, all of which are fundamental in my tinnitus management!

When did you first notice your tinnitus, and what was that experience like?

My tinnitus experience is one I have never witnessed anyone else go through. It was January 2022 and I noticed my right ear was blocked when I woke up each morning, which was affecting me hearing my daughter. So I decided to use some ear drops from the supermarket. The drops initially blocked my ear more, and made my hearing worse for a while; a stress response kicked in, and I started to hear a hissing sound. When my ear unblocked a day or two later, I was left with the sound. And that absolutely knocked me for six.

How did tinnitus affect your daily life in the early days?

I remember going to bed all afternoon over the weekend when it started, I was mentally overwhelmed and hoped sleep might make it pass. I was floored. ‘Why did I use ear drops?!’ ‘Will I EVER hear silence again?’ ‘What if it gets worse?’, ‘what if I can’t work?’ ‘I wish I could find some peace’. Whilst I carried on working; I was very pale, shakey, not concentrating, having more catastrophic thoughts and was disconnected from my family, friends, hobbies for some weeks and months. I was quite depressed and it was a continuous source of mental pain. I was in what I now (and relatively quickly understood) was a state of tinnitus distress, which wouldn’t last forever, thankfully.

What were the biggest challenges you faced when you were first trying to understand or manage tinnitus?

The overhwelming amount of information, opinion, forums – when you google was very hard. Also not many people truly understood where I was coming from. I reflect on this time and realise I was making things much, much worse for myself by endlessly trying to find something to ‘make it go away’; this was keeping my stress response active.

It was also a challenge to find professional advice and support.

Did any services from Tinnitus UK help you begin to cope or move forward

Very much so. My GP mentioned TUK, and I had already come across them during my excessive and overwhelming amount of research but just couldn’t apply a sensible filter on what the pay attention to.  Firstly I had a conversation on the phone with the helpline, which was reassuring; but I kept the fear going myself outside of the support. I then used the webchat service for a few weeks, seeking reassurance and getting some fantastic advice on things I could do to manage. They also provided advice prior to various audiology and consultant appointments. I identified wider services via TUK; such as CBT for tinnitus, and had a befriender who I could email when I felt particularly low or confused. The assessment of treatments gave me professional input as to what to try (CBT) and what not to try (CBD gummies). I used the take on tinnitus content to inspire me that others can get through the initial phase and live totally normal lives. All of this helped me move forwards and not only cope, but grow and learn some new things, and start meditating and mindfulness, which has been game changing for me.

Did you find any support, advice, or strategies from Tinnitus UK that made a real difference for you?

Yes! I think the things that have had the biggest impact for me were finding recommendations / providers for CBT for Tinnitus, the Take on Tinnitus modules, and ultimately this led to me reading a lot about mindfulness for health which has changed my life for the better. Sound therapy and using calming apps has also made a real difference. In a strange way, Tinnitus has made me look at life differently and that has had positive impacts in many aspects – work, friendships and self care.

Have you been able to return to any activities, hobbies, or parts of life that tinnitus once made difficult?

Yes. For a time I struggled to do normal activities, but I realised I needed to keep my normal life going otherwise I’d be making my mental health much worse. For a while I didn’t go to the cinema as the acoustics felt strange, but that’s no problem at all now. I go to gigs (with ear plugs!) meditate in silence (even when I can detect my tinnitus sound), I’ve walked a marathon, achieved a work promotion, cycled 100 miles and cycled from Sheffield to Southport since I started experiencing tinnitus.

What would you say to someone who has just been diagnosed with tinnitus?

To focus on coping strategies, there is a way to work through the initial distress, it really gets much easier over time, where there are many, many more good days than bad. Keep doing your normal hobbies and use this as an opportunity to maybe even try some new ones!