The Story of Gaby Olthuis

I understand the duality regarding the subject; the suffering and the decision she made for her own and the ones she will leave behind and the impact that may have around this forum. Yes it will not help anyone of us, neither me. I watched the report and had a hard time watching (for her decision regarding the end of the suffering and in relation to my own T) but still I believe this information should have it's own section or the right to be mentioned somewhere on this forum how difficult the topic for all of us and newbies might be.

I agree with @Steve and @Stina regarding the remark; @dan I don't think that newbies don't read is appropriate in the title, it baits them to read.

At the other hand, hopefully this will again raise awareness how T can impacts somebodies life and the harsh decision to end own life!

 

Btw how did the citizens of the Netherlands accept the euthanasia law? In Estonia it has been quite a big discussion recently, about the ethical aspects especially.

 

That's easy! If your intent is to raise awareness of how bad tinnitus can be, then post it to your Facebook account or any other public social network. If you want to start a debate, scare new tinnitus sufferers and push them just a little bit further down the "I'll never live a normal life again" hole, post it on a support forum.

Personally I think you posted this because you want people to suffer as you suffer. Whats that saying, misery loves company? I'm sorry you feel that way, but I hate seeing these threads on this forum. I'll still never forget my first days of tinnitus and reading about how it drives some people to suicide. It was sickening and scary because it was providing fuel and confirmation to all the distorted thoughts I had about tinnitus.

-Mike

 

Totally agree with Mike here, i had a hard time getting my breakfast down while Reading this thread.

 

Dont worry. Youll be fine!

 

Guess by logic,before making such decision this lady obviously should have access through doctors to know the future pictures of tinnitus treatment(such as AM101,VNS,etc). She could not wait any longer or no doctor think anyone of such trial will be helpful in near future?

It is likely for every tinnitus sufferer that as we grow older,tinnitus may become worse and our hearing may becomes poor.
We maybe safe at the moment but not in long-run.

Besides encourging each other,discussing/guessing/argueing/waiting future treatment inside this forum ,we in this forum shall also be united closely and speed up to send these stories and what we suffer to the outside relevant department,scientists,medical companies,governments.We have to keep on letting them know a real tinnitus treatment is one of the top favour as well as much profitable field.

 

You have no idea what you are talking about! I personally think about killing myself everyday. People do kill themselves this.


http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/i...cle_6d59eb19-903b-5648-8a54-6e049d596666.html

 

We all perish, sooner or later. Maybe choosing when and how is not so bad.

 

My thoughts, entirely.

Anti-euthanasia campaigners and their endless crusade and propaganda is... tiresome.

 

And this young man posted a video in November 2013 on youtube with him crying (the video has since been removed) about how he wants to kill because the ringing wont stop. About a month later he died in a car crash.

http://www.obitsforlife.com/obituary/818362/McGirr-Gordon.php

 

You have no idea what you are talking about! I personally think about killing myself everyday. People do kill themselves this.

Someone in law enforcement who shot himself over tinnitus:
http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/i...cle_6d59eb19-903b-5648-8a54-6e049d596666.html

And this young man posted a video in November 2013 on youtube with him crying (the video has since been removed) about how he wants to kill because the ringing wont stop. About a month later he died in a car crash.

http://www.obitsforlife.com/obituary/818362/McGirr-Gordon.php

 

1. A forum is a structure for discussion about issues that are relevant to its members. Civility is a necessary principle of discussion. If the members YELL their opinions at one another, it's no longer a discussion, it's a conflict.
2. Unsubstantiated comments offered as facts merely fuels the conflict. I think there have been a few instances of this.
3. I joined this forum for information about treatments, not support. So far I have only heard the longings for 'Habituation,' a questionable approach to treatment of a serious condition.
4. The 'American Cancer Society' has no problem broadcasting gruesome images of smokers with cancer, if it furthers their anti-smoking campaign. It is THE most successful NGO in the U.S.
5. We are now faced with American Idol's Adam Levine being the spokesperson for ADHD. Tinnitus needs an Adam Levine to promote the Tinnitus 'Campaign for a Cure.' It takes big money to do serious research.
6. All of us want a cure. As happy as I am, I have my private moments of Hell, but I've learned over the years what I have to do in order to cope with the conditions that accompany Tinnitus: insomnia, disorientation, etc. I can offer this knowledge to those who are seeking to cope.

 

@Stina, we are not saying researchers don't care. Of course they do. Raised awareness in the media (and unfortunately death along with it), ignited and funded more research in the treatment of HIV with a successful outcome in just a handful of years, and FDA rushing it through. When nobody thought it could be done, it was. Maybe this woman's plight may in some way raise the game for tinnitus. On another note, we all have different scales of severity of tinnitus and hyperacusis and different scales of reaction to it. Judging her is not an option here.

 

@Lisa88 it would be impossible to judge her as we dont know her backstory. Yes this story in the media might helo raise awareness. However posting this story on a support board is not going to speed up research, it will have a negative effect on the sufferers who are scared anyway. The story is in Dutch so it may have been left at that.

 

I don't judge this woman for committing suicide. We have all thought of it at least some point during onset of T. For me, I realised that the T wasn't enough to make me leave my friends and family for, and I'm actually glad in a way that I got T - I know now I won't go there. But some people have it harder. We don't know everything about this woman who chose to end her life. I believe if a person wants to end their life then fair enough; it's their choice. We may not understand it but it isn't our life.

Personally I don't think that people will kill themselves just by seeing this post. I think people need to be having dark feelings already for them to do something as drastic as suicide. What is important as that person speaks out, or that the other people around them notice the warning signs and get them help. People who think about suicide believe there is no way out, but 99.9% of the time they are wrong about this. They just need help, and unfortunately some people don't get that.

I think this story probably shouldn't have been put in the Support column as it doesn't really fit ("Research news" would have been better as this story will hopefully help spur on research) but if people don't want to hear about this then they should avoid reading. This thread didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know - people commit suicide for a lot of reasons, and T can be so awful I can absolutely understand why someone would kill themselves because of it.

 

Actually practice has shown that talking about suicide in the public might end in people who are considering it anyway to actually commit it. Therefore its best to be careful, because we dont have the control of who might read this. Of course there are other triggers as well, but the less media speaks about it the better it is. On a support forum even more so.

 

what kind of Doctor would perform this? Medicine has accepted this as a premise
This is a sad day for the medical community.

 

I disagree. Hiding suicides of those with tinnitus is hiding part of the truth and seriousness of this condition. Those reading this can see the other stories of hope and treatments out there that may work differently for different people. Most of us have gone there in our minds at some point, but pull hrough. But it is important to see the whole of this condition, especially in going forward in research and care.

 

The point of medicine is to keep the patient alive as long as possible but I guess if the
patients quality of life is that terrible it is debatable? But then why stop at tinnitus there
are many conditions where people are suffering and quality of life is terrible. Suffering is
a inate part of life. Dr Nagler has said many time you can have tinnitus but you should not
suffer from it; this is something we should all strive towards.

 

Every 40 secs someone takes there own life supposively. How many of those people do it because of T? If any probably very little. Suicide is a common thing. This story is dramatic, but other circustances could have been involved. I just dont want newbies to look at this and think this is reality cause it is NOT with having T. Suicide goes with anythinf. I have family members who commited suicide.. Some for reasons we would all be like wtf? People die. Someone i worked with for 3 years died a month ago from falling and hitting her head. Freak thing but every second someone dies.

 

Personally, I'm glad you shared this. Tinnitus has the potential to be horrible and debilitating, and I'm pretty sure plenty of us know that. That poor woman just saw no way out. It's not a matter of want, it's a matter of need, and what we need is a cure. Tinnitus can be deadly.

 

Maybe it would have been better to have placed it in another category, though. Not the type of thing someone in need of support wants to see.

 

Thank you Willie.

Folks, if you agree that current tinnitus news (however unfortunate) like this has a place on a tinnitus forum, speak your mind. Do not shy away from letting your voice heard.

Yes there are a few people who will keep repeating over and over again that this suicide probably has nothing to do with tinnitus, but I believe it is just a copout.

I do agree that there should be a sub forum for these types of news as they happen and not under "support" - as this thread isn't meant for actual support, but to raise awareness that things have to change in the tinnitus medical world, and they have to change fast because countless of new tinnitus cases emerge every day and a lot of those cases will end up severe years down the road. We need solutions.

 

The medical world has never made tinnitus a priority, unfortunately these kind of incidents don't
have researchers rushing for a cure. This article may have a place but it could be detrimental for
people who are new to their tinnitus and still very sensitive and looking for answers they will never
find( in the medical community) but this forum could provide.

 

I think there are enough people here who want to talk about these things that it warrants consideration. Maybe start a thread about tinnitus in the news or some variation of it.

 

"I know it's an unpleasant subject, but I don't think it will scare new members away, and seeing that they might have found a place to talk about their dark thoughts, could be just what some desperate new member that's so frightened of the screaming in their head needs to hang on during those first few months."

You are entitled to how you think. But it is total arrogance for us who have recovered or are recovering to speak on behalf of newer struggling members who are desperate whether reading news like that is appropriate for them. The Support Forum is set up to give assurance and hope to newer sufferers, particularly those who are highly anxious, depressed and sleepless about their T, about their future. Why is it that we need to expose them more to the horror stories. You think they don't actually know the reality of T suicides? Most of them had those thoughts themselves, myself included. This support forum has not stopped anyone talking about their suicidal thoughts. That is why generally support forums can sound quite negative already with all the depressing talks of anxiety, depression and suicidal tendency. They have been warned enough about not even coming to T support forum because of all the negativity posted there. The least they want to hear is a message of doom besides negativity. Is it the job of a support forum to report on all the T suicides of the world, as if the general feeling of negativity is not enough? Judging from the few responses from newer T members here such as Martin, Mark etc., it is not something they want to read in a support forum. If I were one of them, I would have stayed cleared of such support forum. It does nothing to help them, only to aggravate their sufferings. We cannot demand the right of free speech at the expense of the newer sufferers in a SUPPORT forum. A forum with that name implies its function and mission. I am sad like everyone else about this woman and I don't judge her for her decision. This debate is not about the right or wrong in her action. This is about whether this Support Forum should be the place for such news. If we do this, we are setting a bad precedence for the future suicide stories to be published here for the already suffering newer members.

 

I agree - suicide is not the norm for people with T. Can I understand why someone would commit suicide with T? Yes, I suppose I can, especially if they have not received any help, have some sort of depression, or have H on top of that as well. But according to research millions of people have T - some low, some high, some moderate. Only a tiny number of people commit suicide because of T. Almost everyone either habituates to the noise or the T goes away.

To newbies who are reading this, THIS IS NOT THE NORM. As I mentioned before, most people get used to the T. I myself have found that I can tune out my T. Earlier I was writing a post and I realised that it was completely silent and I didn't notice my T at all. Your brain automatically tunes out the noise when it realises it isn't a threat, it just needs time to get used to it. This happens to everyone, and I can guarantee for newbies they will either get used to the T, it will reduce or for the lucky ones it will go away. Don't despair. Eat well, sleep, exercise, try to ignore your T, and you will feel better.

 

By posting it here, you are preaching to the choir and have accomplished exactly nothing to that end. I doubt there is a person here who wasn't already aware of the seriousness of tinnitus. That's probably the very thing that got them reading this forum in the first place. If you want to bring awareness, go write to your congressman. Show up at local town hall events and talk to people about it. Petition for more medical funding. There are lots of useful things you can do if you really want to bring awareness to the issue.

Dan, you were actually the reason I had to stay off yuku tinnitus forums in my early days. Too much gloom and doom for my taste. Of course it doesn't bother me now, but I haven't forgotten the feeling.

-Mike

 

If only this women could have been educated in future treatments coming ( maybe she was, or maybe she wasnt) or doctors could have signed her up for participating in clinical trials to just give her hope, encourage that helps coming especially since she had Children its just so sad. I cant see how doctors didnt do this or even suggest TRT then again we dont know what her case was if she tryed it or didnt but if they didnt at least suggest it. thats pretty messed up. I just
Hope she didnt think that she just had to "live with it" Thats why i think more factors were goin on with her life then just T in general, she could have been severly depressed and anxiety prone and may not have got the help she needed.

 

Thanks Billie.