Moving to London with Tinnitus — Access to Healthcare? Other Experiences?

[Ant_BXL]

Hi everyone,

I'm considering relocating to London, UK for work. I currently live in Berlin, Germany, and as someone with tinnitus, I wanted to ask about your experiences. I'd love to hear from people living in or around London, or in other large cities, about how well the city supports people with tinnitus.

Some of my questions:

1. How accessible is quality tinnitus, audiology, or ENT care in London?
2. Do you feel that living in a big, busy city tends to worsen tinnitus, in this case London?
3. Have you found quiet spaces or strategies in a large city to help manage your symptoms day to day?
4. Are there any tips or local London resources you would recommend, such as clinics, support groups, or therapists?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share their experience or insight.

 

[SueX]

I'm just outside London and have had pulsatile tinnitus for a year. I'm still navigating the health system. One of the best centres in the NHS is UCLH in London, and for really serious cases, you can be referred to the dedicated National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, which is where I am.

It depends on which route you decide to take. If you want to go through ENT or the neurosurgery and neurology route, there are both NHS and private options. If you prefer to stick with audiology, I haven't found anyone in London, but do see someone just outside the city, though there are probably people in London as well.

In terms of support groups, I haven't found anything face-to-face, so I check in regularly with this forum and also Whooshers.

Good luck!

 

[tobyharrixon]

I am with UCLH as mentioned above, and it is pretty much just telling me to be strong and try to live my life as best I can despite tinnitus. They are being as helpful as they can, but my mindset is pretty stuck with how bad the tinnitus is. I am not sure what any ENT or Neurology can do.

Honestly, your best bet is Julian Cowan Hill in Paddington. It is private therapy and quite expensive, and you might not believe in the hands-on craniosacral therapy, but I have found it to be helpful at least during the session. And what else do we have?

Living near a park is ideal, but as with every city, there is noise on the way to and from the parks.

How is it living in Berlin with tinnitus? I know there are lots of parks, but I remember it being quite noisy on the streets there.