~~STORY SPOILERS BELOW~~
If you haven’t read The New Boy Who Hears Buzzing yet, please stop reading this blog post because I’m going to spoil the story’s ending…
Okay, let’s start! The story features Detective Mya Dove. She investigates Ricky, a boy at school who keeps hearing a buzzing noise. After a thorough investigation, Mya reveals that he has tinnitus, an ear problem.
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus means someone hears a noise inside their head. Others don’t hear it. Possible tinnitus sounds include ringing, whistling, buzzing, whooshing, throbbing and hissing. Some people hear humming, music or even singing. The noise affects one or both ears, seeming quieter or louder sometimes.
I’ve included a video below to show what my tinnitus sounds like.
Please turn down the volume before you press play!
What inspired this tinnitus story?
My tinnitus. It started almost twenty years ago. I was in bed and heard a ringing sound. The doctor checked my ears, I got a hearing test done, and they even scanned my brain! Fortunately, there wasn’t anything to treat, so I was diagnosed with tinnitus.
I wrote this book to raise awareness of tinnitus and comfort others who live with it. According to the Royal Nation al Institute for the Deaf 2025, over 7 million people have tinnitus in the United Kingdom.
Can tinnitus get better?
The Tinnitus UK charity says around 1 in 7 people’s tinnitus never goes away. It is something they live with for the rest of their lives. Tinnitus can become quieter, but it depends on what caused it. If it was caused by a certain condition (hearing loss, physical illness, mental illness or medicine), it could improve or completely go away when the person has started or finished treatment.
In other cases, tinnitus stays the same or gets worse. Fortunately, it can get worse and better again. That happened to me. At least twice, my tinnitus got louder but improved over time until I stopped noticing it.
I’ve also experienced “spikes”. That means tinnitus gets a lot louder for a short period of time e.g. under a minute. Thankfully, I’ve managed to calm myself down during spikes until they pass. By not panicking, your brain starts ignoring tinnitus, which makes the noise seem quieter even if it’s not.
How can you help someone who has tinnitus?
Suggest a doctor’s visit.
Tinnitus can be caused by medical conditions or illnesses like diabetes, so it’s very important that the person goes to the doctor and gets checked out. It’s very likely they’re okay, so don’t worry! If they’re sick, they can get treatment.
Listen if they need to talk.
Being told you have tinnitus can make people feel very sad because often there’s no treatment. If the person feels down, please let them know you’re there to listen. They can talk about their fears, for example, maybe they’re scared of the tinnitus getting worse.
Try not to be too loud.
Up to 40% of people with tinnitus also have hyperacusis. Hyperacusis is when a person’s ears become too sensitive to sound. If you’re making loud noises, it could affect their ears. Don’t be upset if they leave a noisy space. When I had hyperacusis, I could feel movement in my ears like when your ears pop on a plane.
Don’t remind them of tinnitus.
Living with tinnitus is much easier when you don’t think about it. When a person has tinnitus, don’t ask about it. If they’ve forgotten it, that’s good! It means they’ve pushed the noise to the back of their minds. Tinnitus seems much quieter, even silent, when you forget about it.
I wanted to share what inspired The New Boy Who Hears Buzzing, a tinnitus story. The next book I’ll discuss will be The Parents With A Sleepover Secret. If you want to know what inspired that story, sign up to my mailing list for future updates.